It’s finally October which can only mean one thing… Autumn is truly here. With the days getting shorter, sometimes going into work on a cold rainy morning can seem like an impossible task… However, for those of you involved in franchising, you’ll know that nothing beats the feeling of being your own boss.

As Steve Jobs once said…

“If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today?”

With many people struggling to find the perfect work-life balance; family and social commitments can often be pushed aside whilst work speeds ahead. However, with franchising becoming more and more popular, you can now have the work-life balance you have always wanted.

Women are now one of the main demographics targeted by franchises, as the improved work-life balance is often desired by women who want to take control of their lives but feel restrained by commitments to partners, children and friends.

Recent research carried out by the British Franchise Associate (bfa) shows that franchising is fast-rising to become of the most secure forms of self-employment in the UK. In addition to this, the stereotype of who franchising attracts is becoming younger and more diverse, as one in five franchisees set up between the 2014-2016 being under 30.

Our Co-Chair, Sarah Carlile from Coconut Creatives says…

“The franchise sector has generally been seen as a bit of an ‘old boys’ club, it certainly seemed like that to me when I was a 20-something female setting up a marketing company in this industry over a decade ago. However, I’ve definitely seen a shift over the years with more women coming into the industry and now having a female CEO of the bfa is testament to that.”

Every month a range of franchising events are held across the UK, below are all the upcoming events you just don’t want to miss:

EWIF Events

12th October- EWIF London Regional Meeting

1st November- EWIF South Regional Meeting

8th November- EWIF East Regional Meeting

15th November- EWIF North-West Regional Meeting

24th November- EWIF South-West Regional Meeting

29th November- EWIF Midlands Regional Meeting

Industry Events

12th October- Franchise Now Expo

13th/14th October- The National Franchise Exhibition

19th October- bfa Specialist Seminar

24th October- The Franchising Centre Workshop