Ladies first

More women than ever are coming into franchising and making a success of it, and yet women in franchising are still outnumbered by men. That's the finding of NatWest/British Franchise Association research, which shows that numbers of women in franchising are steadily growing - and those women are increasingly successful, say observers, both as franchisors and franchisees.

Yet while women are gaining strength in franchising, there is still a long way to go, according to NatWest/bfa research: 23 per cent of new franchisee recruits in 2006 were female, up from 16 per cent a decade earlier. And while women have made up 45 per cent of franchise owners, most are couples: just 11 per cent of women were franchise owners in their own right in 2006, compared to 49 per cent of men.

'Although a relatively small percentage of women are sole owners of franchises in their own right, a woman is still involved in around half of franchise businesses,' says Mark Scott, NatWest franchise development director. 'Businesses that involve a woman are more profitable than those without and therefore, women's contribution to the success of franchising is invaluable.'

Steve Pateman, chief executive of NatWest Business Banking, says: 'If the UK produced the same percentage of female entrepreneurs as, say the US, Britain would gain three quarters of a million more businesses, which would boost the UK economy.'

Many women franchisees already do very well, say franchisors. 'Around 50% of our franchisees are women,' says Lynne Lister, MD at X-Press Legal Services. 'They are very successful. A franchise like ours works well for women, as they can start from home: as long as they're clear that they're not buying a part-time job to fit around childcare, but buying into a business they can grow.'

At RE/MAX, regional director Elena Travaglini argues that gender is unimportant, but personal qualities make the difference. 'I don't think success in business has anything to do with being a man or a woman. Creativity, talent, experience, determination and management skills are not about gender, they are about individuals. Successful business people share common traits such as vision and a determination to succeed and overcome difficulties. In addition, they are extremely hard-working and self-motivated.'

Yet franchisors Vickie Knighton and Carole Stubbs confess to feeling daunted when they walked into their first franchising exhibition and found how male-dominated it was. 'We were shocked,' says Vickie, director of Medics on the Move. 'Everybody assumed we worked for somebody else, whereas we were franchisors with a wholly owned business. So we turned it to our advantage, and found that it worked very well for us.' They used the chance to network, and glean all the information they could. They joined the bfa's regional network, and found that franchisors there were generous in sharing information.

Vickie emphasises that women have plenty of strengths to bring in a service which needs enthusiastic, committed and hard-working franchisees. 'Women are often very good at attention to detail, and good at multi-tasking too. And they're important in a service like ours.'

Both she and Carole have a corporate background in banking and financial services, and Vickie believes that media images of women in business have often been off-putting, though all that is changing.

And many women new to franchising find that the business model works very well for them: at YogaBugs, the franchise model is a winner. 'It's going very well indeed, and we're expanding fast,' says managing director Lara Goodbody, who runs Yogabugs with her co-founder and sister-in-law Nell Lindsell. 'The majority of people looking at Yogabugs are either mothers with young children who don't want to go back to the rat race, or women who've taken a career break to bring up their children and don't want to go and work for someone else because that wouldn't fit around school holidays. But a franchise gives that sense of ownership and responsibility, and franchisees find it works well for them. It's partly the turnkey aspect, and the fact that we give all that back-up whether it's marketing, sales or PR. That sort of support is valuable, and different from setting up on your own.'

A good franchisor learns from the franchisees' own initiatives, Lara believes: 'Our business is their business, so it works both ways. But to any woman thinking of a franchise, I'd say do your homework first and then go for it, because it's a brilliant business opportunity.'

Franchising can offer a much better work-life balance, argues Vickie at Medics on the Move, though it does not suit everyone: 'Some people like the nine to five, or need weekly targets, so you have to make sure it's right for you.'

Many women find that franchising suits them perfectly. When Medics on the Move's helped client Kathy McGrath to move, she liked the service so much, she signed up for her own franchise. 'We moved down to Swindon from Nottingham with the help of Sarah at Medics on the Move, but I wasn't happy there. When I told her how miserable I felt, she suggested I work with her. I thought about it for about 10 seconds, and thought it was a brilliant idea.' Since she wanted to move back to Nottingham, taking on that territory in 2006 was the obvious step. 'It was a steep learning curve at first, because I didn't know anything about property, but with an NHS background I knew loads of doctors.' She used those contacts to build the business, and was soon busy: once it had reached a certain level of income, husband Phil joined too.

'Although I had no relevant experience, I had lots of people skills,' says Kathy. 'You need that ability to adapt. Empathy, and people skills, are crucial in this job.'

For other women, franchising offers a sought-after business opportunity. Susan McNally, now sales associate with RE/MAX in Gravesend, had a long track record as an estate agent, but franchising is a new venture for her. 'The RE/MAX adage of 'working for yourself but not by yourself' was very appealing,' she admits. 'As was the philosophy of working in an area where you live as it allows me to plan my diary around the needs of my family.'

Now she wishes that the RE/MAX opportunity had been around when her daughters were younger: 'My working life has been constantly fraught with balancing management demands with being a working mother. I was lucky in that I was always offered my position back from maternity leave, but this was not without having to constantly look over my shoulder in case somebody else who didn't have family commitments was waiting to step into my shoes.'

'Being my own boss is great. Although it still has its own pressures, it has given me the freedom to make my own decisions about things like marketing methods that suit and are applicable to my market.'

In Redditch, énergie franchisee Jeanette Bamford has the independence she always dreamed of, while helping over 300 women to greater health and fitness. 'I still have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm not dreaming. I am able to be my own boss, but because it's a franchise I get the full support of an established national brand. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a life changing opportunity.' For so many successful female franchisors and franchisees around Britain, franchising is the way to a bright future.