Category: Ask Nigel

In a follow up to our earlier podcast with Nigel Toplis from The Bardon Group we discuss in more details how franchising and education could work together to offer more opportunities. John and Georgia discuss with Nigel. Find out more at marketingsimplified.co.uk  

For 31 years, the British Franchise Association (bfa) has run an annual survey in conjunction with NatWest to provide an in-depth view of franchising in the UK. The findings paint an impressive picture of a robust and resilient industry characterised by enterprising leaders and profitable businesses. Yet in many business-focused quarters, franchising is all but […]

Becoming a top franchisee and successful in business requires hard work, drive, ambition and persistence. These are the foundation stones of all robust enterprises, but to become a consistently successful and a consistently top performing franchisee you need more. Working with the franchisor is a pre-requisite – not because they are ‘better’ than you but […]

The short answer is YES! But three things resonate with me after 25 years in the business. All franchisees think their business is worth more than it is, it is a common and false belief that a buyer will pay for ‘potential’ and more often than not people sell their businesses at the wrong time […]

When you start looking into buying a franchise, it’s important to work out your ROI. First you need to assess how much working capital you will need in advance of the business contributing. Then you calculate when you’re likely to break even. It’s never straightforward BUT there is a process to go through for a […]

In 25 years of franchising, I’ve learnt that four key ingredients define a good franchisor: recruitment, support, communication and vision. Get these right and you have a recipe for success. Recruitment A franchise is only as good as its franchisees. And franchisees are only as good as the recruitment process. If a franchisee turns out […]

According to a report published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) in June 2019, while ongoing Brexit uncertainty is weighing heavily on the minds of both consumers and businesses, it may not damage the UK economy as much as expected. Thanks to a combination of relaxed fiscal authority, slow but […]

The past 10 to 15 years have been characterised by huge change, in terms of economics, people migration, globalisation and culture. There is no sign of this abating, change is only likely to be more prevalent going forward. On the business front we have seen a growing ‘sophistication’ of the customer. Customers no longer defer […]