Franchises with flex appeal

Charisnack
Teamed with Julian Graves Ltd, Charisnack supplies healthy snack food options, in attractive self-service boxes, to people at their place of work. The snacks on offer range from quality mixed nuts and fruit to cheese baguettes and flapjacks. Charisnack also supplies a full range of confectionery.
Charisnack has been trading as a franchise for over four years and has 25 franchisees spread across the UK. In response to a growing number of enquiries about a part-time operation, Charisnack head office created a more flexible option, with a lower franchise fee and a smaller more manageable territory.
With fewer demands, franchisees can enjoy greater freedom while still benefiting from the comprehensive training and support provided by the company. In addition, new franchisees get £5000 worth of products as well as their first 100 customer organisations that will host a Charisnack box. Franchisees also get 200 point-of-sale display boxes along with branded clothing as part of their start-up package.
A typical day for a Charisnack franchisee involves visiting companies hosting their Charisnack boxes (the boxes are placed without any cost, contract or commitment), collecting the money from the integrated cash box, recording the takings and ensuring the boxes are replenished with Charisnack products.
Charisnack is ideal for people taking early retirement, those already in part-time employment or those who have children to take care of during the day.
Minimum total investment: £9,950 (part-time option)
Telephone: 0845 1231132
Web: www.charisnack.co.uk
Franchise type: Owner-operator

Berkley Brewer
Spurred on by the fact that 83 per cent of men hate shopping but 50 per cent like to be well dressed, Jason Gardiner - serial entrepreneur and founder of menswear suit franchise, Berkley Brewer - uncovered a niche opportunity in a market sector previously thought to be sewn up. Today, Berkley Brewer franchisees offer a full, made-to-measure tailoring service, delivered directly to the customer, saving them time and hassle.
During the visits, franchisees can show customers literally hundreds of swatches of different fabrics for suits, shirts and overcoats. There's also a wide range of ties and shoes providing add-on sales that both enhance the customer experience and improve the franchisees' overall profit margins. Once a customer's order has been placed, Berkley Brewer arranges for their suit(s) to be delivered to them, usually within a six-week period.
Franchisees benefit from a low initial start-up cost of under £10,000, which buys them a business with genuine style and flexibility. Additional benefits include extremely low overheads (Berkley Brewer franchisees require no storage facilities or high street premises), the opportunity to meet a diverse range of people, a high level of repeat business and no monthly management fee.
Importantly, franchisees need no previous tailoring experience as Berkley Brewer manufactures the garments from the franchisees specifications.
Once on board, franchisees should start to earn a very good income - around £50,000 by year two is reasonably expected. Full training is provided to ensure that new recruits perform to their utmost potential, with a strong focus on sales training in the sumptuous environs of the Rookery Hall Hotel, near Nantwich, in Cheshire.

Minimum total investment: £8,970
Web: www.berkleybrewerfranchise.co.uk
Phone: 0845 130 2899
Franchise type: Owner-operator

Ambience
Ambience is a venue-styling business that provides brides and venues with an impressive range of chair covers, sashes, runners and napkins for hire.
Franchisees offer an increasingly popular service, turning up to transform any ordinary or lacklustre venue into a dazzling display of colour and style.
Typically, franchisees will turn up to meet a bride or event manager at a venue to do an initial chair cover fit a few weeks or months before a scheduled event. The next visit, usually a few hours before the event, is to cover the required number of chairs. Once hung, the covers are hand-steamed to a crease-free finish. The chosen organza or taffeta sashes are then tied for a perfect finishing touch. After the event, franchisees simply collect the covers, sashes and any other items to be cleaned for using at the next event.
The franchise package consists of initial chair cover stock, promotional and marketing materials, a designated page on the Ambience website, free-phone number and a large territory. Franchisees also gain on-site training and ongoing support from head office.
Leads from national advertising campaigns are also passed on to the relevant territories - depending on lead location - which franchisees then follow up on, with a call to explain how they work and how much their services cost.
Further support on how to market the new business through local wedding fairs, combined with advice on how best to deal with venues to secure repeat business is also provided.
The business is flexible enough to suit someone wanting to work on a part-time or full time basis, but can equally be grown into a management franchise, employing staff.

Minimum total investment: £8,495
Web: www.ambiencehire.com
Phone: 0113 202 9193
Franchise type: Owner-operator

Silverdaze
Set up in 2000 by ex-barrister Diana Serle, Silverdaze has become one of the best known and most highly respected jewellery enterprises in the franchising sector. In just two-and-a-half years Silverdaze has taken on 17 franchisees, proving extremely popular among mainly women looking for a flexible and sophisticated business opportunity.
Silverdaze's experienced buyers carefully select all of the Silverdaze jewellery items - many of which are handmade, with inset semi-precious stones - from around the world. These are then bought by franchisees, who make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail prices. Because of this, there are no monthly management fees.
Franchisees get the majority of their income from the jewellery parties they are invited to attend. The parties provide an ideal opportunity for women to purchase jewellery in a relaxing atmosphere, while sharing a glass of wine or champagne with friends and acquaintances. In addition, franchisees can increase their profits by attending corporate events, craft fairs, libraries and health clubs.
Because Silverdaze parties mostly take place in the evenings, the business is an ideal choice for individuals looking to make the transition from employed to self-employed status.
Along with the vast range of jewellery items to select from, full training, support and promotional materials are provided by the franchisor to ensure every franchisee gets off to a winning start.
Franchisees should be self-motivated, spirited, and good at dealing with people at face-to-face level.

Minimum total investment: £11,000
Website: www.silverdazeuk.com
Phone: 020 8949 7466
Franchise classification: Owner-operator

Raring2go!
Raring2go! is a quarterly community print and online publication that provides families with valuable information about local activities and services for children between the ages of 0 and 11. The publication also contains other useful information for parents, including ideas for days out.
Established in 2006, the Raring2go! network has grown rapidly, and today has more than 80 fully operational franchisees throughout the UK.
The franchise provides a truly flexible franchise opportunity, ideally suited to individuals that want to work from home, or who want a business that will segue into their current lifestyles. Many women who have had children, and suddenly want to run a business that revolves around family life (not the other way around), have found that Raring2go! offers the perfect alternative to employment, with freedom to work the hours they want and still maintain a good income.
Raring2go! magazines are distributed through school book-bags, and at playgroups, nurseries and libraries. They are also made available online, ensuring optimum coverage for local parents and a good distribution for advertisers in the franchisee's allocated territory.
Revenue is derived from advertising sales, with new franchisees quickly building up to  £3,000 profit per issue, working part-time.
No experience in advertising sales is required as franchisees benefit from face-to-face training backed up with video tutorials and tele-seminars. Further information on running the business is given to franchisees in four comprehensive operating manuals that cover everything from setting up the magazine to marketing, administration, distribution and accounting.

Minimum total investment: £8,995 to £19,995 depending on territory size
Website: www.getraring2go.co.uk
Phone: 0845 22 33 015
Franchise classification: Owner-operator

Skip2bfit
With a growing number of children in the UK suffering with clinical obesity, and their academic performances under increasing scrutiny, Skip2bfit offers a variety of cross-curricular skipping workshops that manage to incorporate science, PE, ICT and numeracy at the same time.
Dedicated to spreading the word about the benefits of skipping, company founder, John McCormack, is expanding the business through franchising. To date, the network has managed to take the concept and classes to around 500 schools in the UK, benefiting more than 140,000 pupils since the network started in 2002.
At around £300 per school per day (with schools able to source funding or allocate a proportion of their budget to this area of fitness), franchisees can make a good income while at the same time feeling thoroughly rewarded for their personal contribution to the improved health and education of children in Britain's schools.
Skip2bfit franchise opportunities exist throughout the country providing an excellent career opportunity for enthusiastic and motivated individuals. Working mainly in term-time, and in or around school hours, the business also presents as a flexible opportunity.
Franchisees benefit from being able to operate under the Skip2bfit brand using its operational manual as a guideline, and full training is given in all aspects of running the classes and business. Franchisees should have a good level of fitness themselves and have the ability to deal with young people in a teaching capacity.

Minimum total investment: £10,000
Website: www.skip2bfit.com
Phone: 01843 603020
Franchise classification: Owner-operator

Don't overstretch
As with all investment opportunities, it pays to carry out due diligence checks on any franchise before you buy into it. If you're still uncertain, why not contact the British Franchise Association (bfa). Franchises that carry BFA status, whether as affiliates, provisional or full members have had to meet very strict criteria, giving potential franchisees additional reassurance. You can contact the bfa directly on 01491 578 050 or visit www.thebfa.org.