At your service

Filling out a job application and CV possibly ranks alongside pulling teeth as one of the most awkward processes in our lives. You've spotted that perfect job in the paper, but to be in with a ghost of a chance, you need to make the best possible first impression.

Take the 'Past Work Experience' section. Suppose you wanted desperately to apply for a post in which you had great interest, but had little to no experience? Say that you wanted to work for The Daily Blah as a highly paid reporter, but that the nearest you had got to reporting in the past was contributing a measly little review of a weedy local indie band to your on-campus university rag?

Franchising's a different matter, however. We say it often enough in our articles, but practically everyone with an inkling of goodwill, business sense and ambition can become a franchisee. In particular, though, one working sector will attract the attention of franchisors - that of the special services. By that, I'm talking about the armed forces, as well as the police force, fire brigade and the NHS. So what draws these applicants from the special services to franchisors like moths to a flame?

One important aspect is leadership. Just like an army captain, sergeant or brigadier, certain franchisees are going to be in charge of a group of people, and ensuring that they get the very best out of them for an efficient business. Another element is that of discipline. Just as those in the armed forces need a high degree of discipline, so too do franchisees. Franchising might sound like an easy route to work - working your own hours, for example - but the slightest whiff of shirking will result in low productivity, which equates with low turnover, sales and ultimately, serious cashflow problems. And of course, those in the NHS will possess the necessary caring experience for franchises in that particular sector.

Take two Jo Jingles franchisees, Claire Lambert and Emma Davis, for example. Both have considerable experience in nursing. Following training at Kings College, London, plus a paediatric training RSCN course at Great Ormond Street, and Guy's Paediatric Cardio-Thoracic ITU, Claire joined the NHS in 1983, where she remained for 15 years. During that time, she did general nursing, although the majority of her NHS career was occupied by paediatric nursing. However, towards the end of her career, changes were afoot. 'I was a sister on a paediatric unit, but I had no degree,' explains Claire. 'The pressure was on me to get one and legitimise my post, as I had done my training in the old fashioned way where you would learn on the wards.'

'There was a lot of pressure on me as a woman who was working part-time and to also do a degree. At that point, I was also about to take maternity leave with my third child.'

Claire decided to see if there were any other jobs in the nursing sector. Nothing took her fancy, until she spied an advert for Jo Jingles in a magazine. 'I decided to apply for it, thought nothing of it,' Claire recalls. 'But five to six weeks before I had my third child, they rang me back and told me that there was a franchise available in my area. I opted to do it, and the rest is history.'

Launching her franchise in February 1999, Claire took responsibility for the Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks areas. 'I didn't really choose franchising in the way of "I'm going to start my own business". It was more accidental, but it was a natural way of combining business with my experience of nursing.'

Claire's experience in the NHS was to prove invaluable to her new vocation. 'I am used to relating to people, especially parents and their children,' she says. 'There's that people element in both nursing and franchising. You must have enough people skills to deal with both.'

With better pay and more convenient working hours, Claire says that her franchise has 'been a ball'. 'That's a big difference, because I can work long hours when it suits me, and I'm there for the kids as well. It's great to be away from the rat race and all the problems they have with the NHS right now.'

Emma Davis' interest in medicine was her motivation for getting into nursing. Specifically, she was to become a hospital social worker, a practice she entered in 1995. 'My first post was at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire,' remembers Emma. 'I worked primarily with the elderly and liaised with ward staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and doctors to plan for the patients' eventual discharge. I also took my turn at emergency duty work, which was a very different role. This involved emergency crisis intervention and could see me working with not only the elderly but also children and their families.'

However, a combination of factors was to cause a change in Emma's working life. 'During the few short years I had been at Stoke Mandeville I saw the role of social worker change quite significantly with the introduction of Care Management. I went into social work with an aim to make a difference to people's lives and to help and support them, but felt that my ability to do this in the way I would like was being compromised due to restricted budgets and the increasing amount of paperwork.'

Emma left social work to start a family of her own - however she knew that she would not return, simply because: 'To work 39 hours a week in a service which operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year was difficult enough. To contemplate working part-time in such an environment would not have been something I would have been comfortable with. I felt it would compromise my own high expectations and concern for patients.'

Emma first came across Jo Jingles when she joined classes in Hertfordshire with her son, and soon discovered just what Jo Jingles had to offer. After a move to Somerset, Emma did momentarily consider buying a franchise, but personal reasons ruled this out at the time. However, a few years later, a chance meeting with the new Jo Jingles franchisee ultimately provided Emma with the opportunity to buy the franchise from her.

'Having experienced and benefited from Jo Jingles as a parent, is what enabled me to choose franchising. I was aware from research of the potential earnings of franchising, but in truth the appeal and drive to do it, was more about a passion to share with other new parents the joy and benefits of music and movement classes I had experienced with my own son.'

Emma's social work experience has provided her with skills which are 'transferable to other situations'.

'Whilst no family is the same, the knowledge and experience you develop in working with one can impact or enhance the way you work with another. In this sense all of my skills and qualities as a practitioner in social care are transferable to franchising, just in the same way as my own personal life experiences and experiences of being a mum and wife enhance the way I run my franchise.'

'Having studied child development as part of my social work training has also been important in enabling me to explain to parents and professionals the true value of Jo Jingles on a child's social, physical, emotional and intellectual development, as well as it being a fun activity for all.'

A key difference for Emma in her new role as franchisee is that she works by herself for herself. And although she employs two members of staff and must meet her franchisor's requirements, she has the freedom to decide her working hours, how her classes are run, and set her own budgets - without the stress or red tape of social work.

One of the reasons for Emma's satisfaction with franchising is that she has the safety net of support from Jo Jingles' head office with staff and colleagues across the county. Indeed, Emma's adjustment to franchising has been more than encouraging, as last year she received the Franchisee Newcomer of the Year Award for Jo Jingles at the 2006 Annual Business Conference.

Anatol Poyer-Sleeman of ChipsAway has also had very little trouble adjusting to his new life as a franchisee after being in the police force for nine years.

'I joined the Cambridge constabulary out of university,' says Anatol. 'It was a fast-track scheme, and I was in the service for nine years. During that time, I had a variety of uniform and non-uniform roles. I worked up through the ranks, and by the time I left, I was an inspector.'

Anatol had never originally intended to be a franchisee. In fact, it was his wife's paint-spraying career that led them to ChipsAway. Both were customers with this company, and more than happy with the level of service that they received, they went along to one of ChipsAway's open days, having learnt that more franchisees were required. And soon after that, the couple were in business.

Experiences and skills learnt in the police force were to prove valuable for Anatol. 'Communication skills that I learned in the police are absolutely key for franchising. You deal with people all the time in both jobs - and in the police you will deal with awkward or stressed people. You must have the ability to talk to people and get on well with them. The skills I learnt in dealing with people have paid dividends.'

Both jobs have shared one similarity in the way that Anatol works. 'You are backed up by a network of colleagues who don't compete with you and who are a real team. The franchisees I work with now are very helpful, and will provide holiday cover, for example.'

However, the franchising way of running your own business and managing your own time has proved to be a complete contrast to working for the police. 'In the police force, you didn't get to manage your own business and work the way you want to - it was all decided for you,' says Anatol. 'So being in a franchise is a breath of fresh air. It's different in the most delightful way.'

'It has been different but not difficult to adjust. There's been a bit of a culture shock in adapting to the new way of working, but ChipsAway works very well in easing new people into its businesses.'

Many of those new people have, in a past working life, been in the armed forces. One of those is Steve Read, Signs Express franchisee for Aylesbury. Steve was previously in the RAF, having spent 25 years as a Tornado navigator (he had served on squadrons in the UK and Germany including the Gulf War). He also held several staff/management positions, which were all 'fast jet' related.

An early aspiration to start his own business one day would, however, actually come true for Steve. 'Following 25 years in a large organisation I wanted to run a smaller concern where I could take decisions on my own and which would take effect immediately.'

However, although Steve had the required management experience from the military, he didn't have a lot of commercial experience so a franchise with a proven record and excellent support seemed the logical choice. 'I looked at many different franchises and in particular I focused on the business model and support provided from the various franchisors. Some franchisors offer the world but with little to substantiate it so I was drawn to a more established franchisor with a proven track record and the potential market for signs and graphics is enormous. This ultimately led to me setting up the Signs Express (Aylesbury) centre.'

What Steve learnt in the RAF has also proved to be invaluable for his franchise, with the abilities to think for himself, supervise people, work under pressure, and prioritise all necessary at Signs Express. 'You also need to be organised in both to succeed,' adds Steve. 'The changing routine in the RAF is similar to a business environment in that you are continually changing the plan as new inputs are thrown at you.'

Although Steve has found the initial jump to franchising a huge change from the RAF, he has quickly settled into his new role. 'The thing I noticed first of all was that running a business could be a lonely position to be in. However, with the support of the Signs Express HQ staff and the other Signs Express centre owners this was made much easier - there is rarely a day goes by without some form of contact with the rest of the group.'

Former Royal Navy physical training instructor Jason Hawkins has also entered the big wide world of franchising. He has signed up with Drain Doctor Plumbing and is franchising for an area that encompasses Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Cromer, Attleborough and Swaffham.

'Before purchasing the Drain Doctor Plumbing franchise for Norwich, I looked at a number of other franchise companies in a number of business areas. However, the facts that emergency plumbing is a recession-proof business and the customer-focused mentality were key deciding factors for me. I spoke with other franchisees from other parts of the country who were all very positive about the opportunities for business development that exist within Drain Doctor Plumbing.'

Jason spent 11 years in the Navy. He originally started off as an aircraft engine mechanic, which he did for four or five years. After that, he became a physical training instructor, until he left the Royal Navy in 2002.

'After I left the Navy, I joined the police force, but I found that I didn't enjoy that. I actually craved my own business, but I thought that franchising would be the best bet, purely because it would offer more of a safety net if things went wrong. Although you are out on your own, you have the backing of a national company, so that makes a big difference.'

Because Drain Doctor has multi-van operations, the management skills that Jason learnt in the Navy have been a big help. 'I am in charge of the groups at Drain Doctor as a franchisee so the experience of leading teams in the Navy has been a big asset.'

Jason has found the shift from the Navy to a franchise has been easy, thanks to some top class support. 'The support has been really good,' comments Jason. 'Drain Doctor has helped with backup and support systems. There is always someone at the end of the phone if you need them, so that makes a big difference.'

If you've been keeping an eagle eye out for our adverts, then you may have spotted McDonald's franchisee Cherry Lewis-Taylor, who is responsible for the Braintree, Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers restaurants. Oh, and she used to command 130 soldiers in the Royal Artillery too...

'During my career, I served two tours with the Royal Artillery, one as a staff officer, the other as a Battery Commander,' says Cherry. 'Although I was attached to the Royal Artillery, I joined the Army as an officer in the Women's Royal Army Corps. I also worked with the Royal Signals, Intelligence Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Infantry with diverse responsibilities ranging from photographic interpretation to training soldiers prior to operational deployment to Northern Ireland.'

However, after volunteering for redundancy in 1995, Cherry decided to do a four-week residential training course at Manchester Business School followed by a one-day seminar on franchise awareness. That provided an insight into what to look for and what to avoid in a franchisor as well as franchising from a franchisee's perspective.

Cherry hadn't reckoned on a familiar face also turning up, and in this respect, his presence was to have a big influence on her next career move. An ex-colleague from the Army had been accepted on the McDonald's franchisee training scheme. 'I had thought that a McDonald's franchise would be out of my league and too expensive. However, having chatted with this guy, I realised that the job would encompass all the skills that I had learnt - man management, planning, accounts and administration and wouldn't cost as much as I had expected. It also sounded a lot of fun, could be financially rewarding, but most importantly I would be my own boss!'

Cherry's prior experience in the Army and as a Battery Commander has stood her in good stead for her career at McDonald's. 'As a Battery Commander, you are responsible for operations, training, career management, morale and the welfare of your men and women. In essence the buck stops with you. As a Deputy President at the Regular Commissions Board selecting future Army officers I also learnt interview, assessment and selection techniques. Both jobs also provided invaluable experience in team building and motivating people - directly transferable skills which would prove invaluable in my new career as a franchisee.'

For Cherry, it wasn't such a huge shock adjusting to franchising because of her experiences in the services. 'I was used to changing jobs every two years so moving to another one at McDonald's wasn't so difficult - I also felt well trained, having completed almost a years training with McDonald's and ready to take up the challenge. There's a huge investment at stake, but one of the main differences is that with this franchise, you are in it for the long haul. I've been a franchisee for nearly 11 years, just over half way through my 20-year deal. At the end of that period, there is the opportunity to re-negotiate the lease and it is also possible for my children to become second-generation franchisees should they wish.'

So there you have it. Franchisors are always on the lookout for strong, committed and dedicated people to run an outlet of their business - and ex-special services easily fit the bill. In return, these candidates will be rewarded with a working outlet that allows them to utilise their learnt skills, but with the advantages of flexible hours, independence and a very promising future.

Time to fill in that CV right now...