Launching a business can sometimes feel isolating because it can seem like no-one else understands the struggles you face starting, building and growing your business. Networking meetings can help but finding a fellow entrepreneur who faces the same day-to-day issues can be difficult, making you feel like you have no-one to turn to for advice and support. Fortunately, this is where franchising excels.
Joining a larger network means you’ll have fellow franchisees with the same training and support who have followed the same proven model and faced the same challenges as you will encounter building your business. Many franchisors encourage their franchisees to communicate with each other to strengthen the network and the individual businesses in it. Some franchisors hold regular meetings or annual conferences to bring franchisees together for motivation and collective celebration of their peers’ success. This is a fantastic tool for ensuring franchisees can maintain perspective on their issues. Meeting like-minded business owners who have faced the same issues and emerged triumphant on the other side, helps to ensure that franchisees do not feel alone as they traverse through their franchising journey.
And don’t forget that franchisees can also rely on the support of the franchisor in times of difficulty and demotivation. Whether part of a small franchise operation or a large one with a franchise support team, one of the key benefits of franchising is the ongoing support offered by the franchisor themselves. And this is hardly surprising: after all who knows the business better than the person who created the model?
Your franchisor will have made mistakes and learned from them, providing you with a detailed operations manual designed to help you avoid the same common pitfalls. Utilising the support offered by the franchisor is not a display of weakness but a sensible business decision that will help to build and strengthen both your business and the trust between you and your franchisor.
Last but not least, franchisees within bfa member networks are able to join through our franchisee membership proposition. Not only does this provide you with membership benefits and support systems, it also welcomes you into a larger community of franchisees from different brands through networking events and online resources. As a franchisee within this community, we hope that you will engage with us and use your voice to help us ensure our representation is balanced for franchisees from all business sizes and sectors.
So whether you are a franchisee already or you are considering your options for routes into self-employment and business ownership, it is definitely worth taking into account the support and resources available to you if you decide to become a member of the franchising community. You may be the leader of your own venture but through franchising you’ll never have to be alone. 
Pip Wilkins
Chief Executive, British Franchise Association
With more than 20 years’ experience in the franchise sector, Pip has extensive knowledge from all areas of the bfa business and the franchise industry. She is well-known and highly regarded in franchising for her dedication and depth of knowledge.
Pip regularly speaks at conferences and seminars both domestically and internationally, as well as writing on franchising matters for national, local and franchising trade press. Pip is also a regular judge for the annual bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, the Franchise Marketing Awards and Global Franchise Awards. Pip represents the UK at both the European Franchise Federation (EFF) and World Franchise Council (WFC). The bfa has grown to be one of the largest franchise associations in Europe, and one of the most successful associations in the world.
Pip Wilkins
Chief Executive, British Franchise Association
With more than 20 years’ experience in the franchise sector, Pip has extensive knowledge from all areas of the bfa business and the franchise industry. She is well-known and highly regarded in franchising for her dedication and depth of knowledge.
Pip regularly speaks at conferences and seminars both domestically and internationally, as well as writing on franchising matters for national, local and franchising trade press. Pip is also a regular judge for the annual bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, the Franchise Marketing Awards and Global Franchise Awards. Pip represents the UK at both the European Franchise Federation (EFF) and World Franchise Council (WFC). The bfa has grown to be one of the largest franchise associations in Europe, and one of the most successful associations in the world.
