Author archives: Jenny

22
Nov

Do I want to run my own business, or do I want a franchise?

You know you’re about to make your next career move and you know you want to be your own boss. Perhaps it’s time for more freedom, or perhaps you’d like more flexibility and balance in your life. If this sounds like you, you might be trying to work out whether you’d rather set up on your own, or you’d rather buy a franchise of an established business. 

Let’s take a closer look.

Should I run my own business?

Running your own business is exciting, challenging and rewarding. Successful entrepreneurs have a great business idea and the drive to make it succeed.

When you run your own business, there are many benefits:

  1. You are answerable to no one (except your clients!).
  2. It’s as much freedom as you can have and still be at work.
  3. You can choose how to spend any profits.
  4. You can shape your business as you see fit, and take it in whichever direction you feel it will succeed.
  5. You can create your own business ethos – if you want to see something done differently, you have the freedom to implement it.

But there are downsides as well:

  1. Starting a business from scratch is hard work with a lot of demands on your time.
  2. You need at least basic knowledge of finance, admin, client care, data management, marketing and more.
  3. You might not see any profits for a few years.
  4. The buck stops with you and there is a lot of responsibility.
  5. It can get lonely – you might miss having a colleague who can provide some objectivity.

Should I buy a franchise?

If you’re not sure whether or not starting your own business is the right step for you, you might consider buying a franchise instead. A franchise can provide a lot of the freedom of running your own business, but without the pressure of working alone to deliver your own ideas.

There are many benefits to buying a franchise:

  1. Enjoy the freedom to work for yourself
  2. Take advantage of existing brand and reputation
  3. Join a family of supportive franchisees
  4. Continue on your career path, managing your team and making many of your own business decisions.
  5. Benefit from centralised resources like marketing material, training courses and software.

However, buying a franchise isn’t for everyone.

  1. The business model and ethos are driven by the franchise owner. Fortunately, ours is tried and tested!
  2. The role of a franchisee is to lead, not to do – if you like rolling your sleeves up, you might prefer your own business where you can deliver your core work yourself.
  3. You’ll make regular payments to the franchise owner, in addition to the upfront purchase – this covers the cost of centralised resources.
  4. Some franchises (not Get Ahead!) set compulsory targets for franchisees.
  5. Some other franchises (again, not Get Ahead!) impose limits on how and where you work, preventing you from scaling your franchise.  

When we decided to franchise Get Ahead, we identified some of the problems of franchising and set out to address them. That’s why our franchisees aren’t under pressure from performance targets, do receive regular training and, above all, benefit from our scalable business model so they can push themselves and their franchise as far as they like.

Buy a Get Ahead franchise

Whatever you decide your next step should be, it’s got to be right for you. And if do decide to buy a franchise, we hope you’ll choose Get Ahead! Our site is full of resources to help you make your decision. You could also follow our social channels and find out more about our ethos. You can even book in a call with franchisor Rebecca Newenham – why not have a chat and get your questions answered before you take the plunge?

17
Oct

What to look for when you’re choosing a franchise – a supportive team

If you’ve decided to buy a franchise instead of running your own business, this might be because you’d like to be part of a team. One of Get Ahead’s great strengths is our team of regional directors, who in turn are supported by a UK-wide team of virtual experts.

In this blog, we take a look at what teamwork means at Get Ahead and how it benefits our franchisees.

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8
Sep

Buy a Get Ahead franchise – your business in a box!

If you’re reading this, you might well be doing your research before buying a franchise. Something that we feel sets us apart from other franchised businesses is that we offer a “business in a box” with many of the elements ready-made so you can hit the ground running.

In this blog, we look more closely at what our franchise package includes, so you can make an informed choice about your next career move.

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15
Aug

Buy a Get Ahead franchise – a great balance of freedom and support

Discussing experiences of being a Get Ahead franchisee recently, a comment that emerged was that we provide a great balance between freedom and support. That was just what we were going for, so we were delighted that our franchisees felt that way!

In this blog, we take a closer look at the Get Ahead model and what freedom and support look like when you join our team of regional directors.

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20
Jun

Continue your professional development when you buy a Get Ahead franchise

Our franchisees have a wide variety of backgrounds. Some have owned franchises before, while others have come from the corporate world in search of a better work-life balance. If you’re researching franchises, you’ll be pleased to hear that Get Ahead includes opportunities for professional development. With a Get Ahead franchise, you can continue to learn new skills and develop your experience. This professional development will always support your career, whether you pay it back into your own Get Ahead franchise or take it with you if you start a new chapter.

In this blog, we take a closer look at the career development opportunities we offer our franchisees.

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9
May

Understanding the Get Ahead model – building trust with the virtual experts

If you’re researching franchises and are considering joining the Get Ahead family, you might already have strong experience of people management. However, we also know that managing a team of employees is different from the Get Ahead model, where you’ll be working with a team of freelance virtual experts.

You’ll be pleased to hear that all our regional directors have established great relationships with the virtual experts they outsource client work to, even though they’ve had to navigate a learning curve. In this blog, we look at ways of building trust with your evolving team, and ways to empower themselves and you.

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4
May

Should I leave the corporate world?

We talk to Fiona Ibbetson who left the corporate world to have more quality time with her children while still pursuing a fulfilling career. Fiona is now RD of Get Ahead Leeds and Get Ahead York and Harrogate.

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