Standing Room Only at whichfranchise Franchisee Panel at NEC

This morning's first 'Real Franchise Stories' seminar was a major hit with visitors at the National Franchise Exhibition. The seminar theatre was packed out with people keen to hear from four 'real life' franchisees on how and why they moved into franchising and the advice that they had for others looking to follow suit.

Richard Cooper of Envirocare, Sally Cattle from BCR, Param and Julie Toor at Home Instead and Ian Ware from Driver Hire all spoke of their experiences in the world of franchising and had lots of tips and advice for the audience.

The Seminar was opened by Anna of Whichfranchise, who emphasised the importance of research and advice when starting up a franchise, and then handed over to the panel to hear their stories.

"The most important piece of advice I would give" said Param, "is to choose a franchise that you can be really passionate about and enjoy, as at the end of the day it's your business, and its success is down to you."

Ian added "Research is critical, know what you're buying into, and make sure the franchise is a BFA member."

Richard took the decision to move into franchising in order to build a business with his family. "We visited this show for the past two years as part of our research into buying a franchise, and it’s great to be back this year as a franchisee and be able to offer advice, as it wasn't too long ago that I was in that situation."

Having spent 25 years in retail with a very heavy workload, Sally wanted to have more control over her life. "I saw franchising as a fantastic opportunity to build my own business, but you have to do your research to make sure you pick the best franchise for you."

With two more seminars today, and another three tomorrow, potential franchisees are sure to pick up even more information to help them on the road to owning their own business.