It’s hard to imagine an Internet-less world now but – believe it or not – there was a time before the world wide web.”
Predictably, as with any industry, the internet has had a marked impact on the franchising sector both overseas and in the UK. Not only have franchises had to get to the grips with the scary world of social media but they’ve also had to up their game when it comes to content.”
However, while customers expect all companies to have an online presence, can the same be said of prospective franchisees? How would they react to a franchise that isn’t weaving its magic on the web? Put simply, has the internet irrevocably transformed the way that franchisors recruit new franchisees or can they still rely on traditional channels?“
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“Franchisors should wholeheartedly embrace the internet,””Richard Dancy, director,”Barking Mad
The internet has fundamentally changed franchisee recruitment, especially in the UK. Prospective franchisees used to depend on a small number of media sources that offered restricted knowledge but there is now an unlimited list of publishers and commentators that can instantly find enormous amounts of information on any franchise brand.”
Whether this is progress or not depends on one’s perspective but my own personal view is that the internet should be wholeheartedly embraced as an excellent way of bringing in and filtering new franchise prospects. A prospective new franchise owner can have a greater number of his or her questions answered before a meeting and it also allows the buyer and seller to reach each other in a more efficient way. “
Does this mean we are recruiting any more franchisees? Those who actively take advantage of the web should be able to monitor results and will find their efforts are more efficient. However, as we all adopt these new methods, we will probably find we’re recruiting the same number of franchisees but just using a different media.
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“It will take a brave person to rely on old-school methods,””Louise Harris, franchise director,”Wilkins Chimney Sweep
I believe that higher wages across the wider care sector will attract more people into what has long been perceived as an under-valued job role, considering how important caring for vulnerable people is. However there are undeniable implications for those companies who rely on local authority funding and whose budgets for care delivery are already stretched almost to the point of no longer being viable.
I added my signature to an open letter to the chancellor from the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA), in which we urge him to look very carefully at providing additional government funding to help local authorities afford this inevitable rise in the cost of providing home care as a result of the rise in the minimum / living wage. This needs to be addressed in the upcoming spending review or the industry will be facing a disaster.
Overall, my biggest concern is that the government is passing on a lot of costs to businesses, such as the National Living Wage, pensions contributions and an increase in dividend rates for the self-employed. SMEs, which include franchises, are the lifeblood of our economy and hopefully we will see more positive government support for the sector in the future.“
