The franchising industry has recognised the huge untapped potential among women as prospective franchise owners and has established a new independent group to inspire, educate and support women who are looking to enter franchising.

 

The “Encouraging Women into Franchising” (EWIF) Group is made up of Franchisors, Franchisees, Franchise service providers, banks, women’s support groups and national support agencies.  It also has the support of the British Franchising Association.

 

The new group supports women looking to become franchisees and existing franchisors where women are under-represented as franchisees.  It is also seeks to encourage existing women business owners to consider franchising as a way of expanding their companies.

Diana Serle, EWIF Group Member and Managing Director of the Silverdaze (UK) Ltd franchise commented: “There are many opportunities in franchising for women, which the EWIF Group hopes to highlight to both prospective women franchisees and franchisors looking to attract women franchisees.”

 

The EWIF Group recently surveyed prospective women franchisees at The Franchise Show and the British and International Franchise Exhibition and found that a third of respondents felt that barriers existed which make it difficult for women to operate a franchise.  However, this seems not to be the view of women who are already involved in the industry.   Clive Sawyer, Chairman of the EWIF Group, explains:  “In a similar survey asked among existing franchisors and franchisees carried out for the NatWest/British Franchise Association Franchise Survey 2009, only 3% of respondents agreed, highlighting a disparity between women considering franchising and those who are already involved in the sector.”  Sawyer continues, “There is clearly a need for EWIF to highlight the opportunities for women in franchising.”

 

More than seventy people involved in franchising attended the national launch of the ‘Encouraging Women into Franchising’ (EWIF) Group at an event at Wotton House Hotel in Dorking, Surrey on Tuesday 22nd September, where participants were informed of the EWIF Group’s objectives, how the group inspires, educates and supports women into franchising, the new Women’s Franchise Ambassador Network, and the new EWIF website www.ewif.org.

 

Guest speakers Diana Serle and Tina Kemp outlined their involvement with the EWIF Group and their experiences as a Franchisor and Franchisee, respectively.

 

Clive Sawyer was thrilled with the attendance and enthusiasm generated at the event:  “Women owned businesses contribute one fifth of all small business output and represent a vast untapped resource for the franchising sector,” he explains.  “EWIF Group members inspire, educate and support women who are considering, or who are already involved in franchising, through a network of Ambassadors.  By offering tailored support to existing women business owners and women considering becoming business owners, we will help to redress the imbalance of women owned businesses across the country.”