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Live the Dream of Working For Yourself

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Trophy Pet Foods Hampshire is owned and operated by Wendy & Dean Smith, with the help of their Doberman Bonnie who likes to personally test all the food and treats!

I work on the business full time and my husband Dean works with me when he is not working on the ‘day job’ as a shift manager for a large food production company. Before starting the Trophy business I worked as an Operations Manager for a Management Consultancy. We had always had a dream of working for ourselves, being our own boss and building a successful business that eventually we could both work on full time. Additionally, I had always thought “if I had my time again” I would love to work with animals - Trophy Pet Foods certainly ticked all the right boxes.

We have only been operating since August 2007 and are having a fantastic time. We have the most wonderful customers and talking to people about their pets and their pets needs is a real pleasure.

It is important to have excellent diary management skills and be firm about time spent on the business - it takes discipline to walk away from the office at the end of the day (luckily for me it is in a spare bedroom so not too far to walk!). Trophy is an excellent product and the food sells itself – many of our new customers come from referrals (unsolicited) which I believe speaks for itself.

In the beginning there is cold calling to be done but as we are now finding there are alternatives to canvassing which can be equally successful. You need to be a people person and be able to set achievable goals and stick to them.

The support from our FSM and Trophy Head Office is excellent – no question is ever too silly and the team in Faringdon Head office and the warehouse cannot do enough to help you.

Freedom with The Original Poster Company franchise

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Rachel Kirk
Franchisee, Sheffield

Running one of the top five performing territories in the UK wasn't always what Rachel Kirk had in mind. Prior to that, she worked a nine-to-five job with little autonomy, and found spending quality time with her children was difficult. But eight years ago, the chance sighting of an OPC advertisement in a national newspaper ignited a chain of events. Today Rachel generates a profit of more than £40,000 a year running a business with a huge resale value - and she has all the flexibility she needs!

I saw the OPC franchise opportunity advertised in the Daily Mail. I'd already heard a lot about OPC in my previous job working for a recycling paper merchant that supplied OPC. I knew from the high level of orders OPC put in that it was a big company. I also knew that they had a very good reputation. On seeing the ad, I phoned them straightaway and learned that the Sheffield territory was up for sale. I expressed my interest, and OPC sent me a selection of their cards, along with some information about their company. I then did some of my own background research visiting local retailers to look at the card ranges in situ, and to find out what OPC was like to deal with. The feedback I got was really positive... the cards sold well, and the service the OPC franchisee provided was excellent. Everything seemed to fall into place, so I bought the business in 2000.

Since then I've seen many positive changes in the way the Support Office runs the business. Franchisees today benefit from more training than I had when I started out, and they are also made aware of exactly what's involved in running the business, such as how much stock is required. The level of stock I hold now is much higher than when I began, and this is really very important for new franchisees to know, as they will need to factor a decent sized stock room into their business plan. I work out of a converted garage, which is ideal. Another important thing to know is that there's quite a lot of moving stock around, so you need to be in pretty good shape - and you need a suitable vehicle. Sometimes I take deliveries of about thirty boxes, and I'll be moving boxes in and out of my car on a regular basis.

Day-to-day, a large proportion of my time is spent merchandising, which involves taking stock out of customers' shops, counting what's been sold and putting fresh stock back into the shop. The money I make is based on the difference between what I put in and what I take back each month. I also try to spend 20 percent of my time winning new customers.

The main issue for them is how much space they have available, but once you have a presence on the shop floor, and prove that you are reliable, it becomes much easier to install another card display. Once you know what you are doing, the OPC business is simply a matter of routine. I've never run my own business before, but I've discovered after eight years with OPC that the things I value most about the business are the autonomy and flexibility I have.

It takes time to get used to the responsibility of having nobody but yourself to answer to, and it can be difficult to switch off sometimes. But these are minor points compared to the freedom and benefits that come from running your own greeting card franchise. You've also got the potential to expand when you feel ready. At the moment, I'm selling around 12,000 cards a month, with a gross profit of around £40,000.

I want to push that up to around 15,000 a month, which would gross me around £50,000. I've already got a merchandiser who works for me, and someone who helps to sort the cards in the stock room, so it shouldn't take long to reach my target.

To read more about the franchise resale of West Sheffield, please click here.

Additionally, read about Rachel's Chesterfield resale here and Matlock resale here.

B*WITCHED by Popstars Academy franchise!

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Lindsay enjoyed worldwide success with B*witched girl band with hits such as ‘C’est La Vie’ and ‘Blame it on the Weatherman’. Their first 4 singles debuted at number one in the UK, putting them in the Guinness book of records as the first girl group every to achieve this. They sold over 10 million records around the world and toured with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

Popstar Parties franchise provide Parties with Dance Instruction to many of the current chart songs combined with some all time favourites. Choreographed Dance Routines with a mix of Popstar Games, music, lights, and many Popstar Props including Blow Up Guitars, Glitter Microphones, Cheer Leader Pom Poms, Dance Ribbons, Glitter Hats and prizes - ensuring that a Popstar Party is always a huge success. Also very popular are High School Musical & Grease ‘themed’ Parties. Complimentary invitations provided.

The weekly Popstars Academy Dance Classes originated from the popularity of the parties. The lessons are a mixture of energising ‘feel good’ routines combined with more challenging choreography. We always pride ourselves on being up-to-date with the latest chart tracks, new trends and influences from television, cinema and theatre. As with our parties, the students enjoy using our array of Dance Props each week. Our ethos is for the children to progress whilst enjoying themselves, building self esteem and confidence without the pressure of exams. The Classes are suitable for school children aged 4-11.

Loving every minute of Musical Minis franchise

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Jacquie Sedman has always enjoyed working with children, having qualified as a nursery nurse. Her hard work and enthusiasm were recognised in her role as deputy manager of a private nursery but the long hours finally took their toll and Jacquie decided it was time for change. Since April 2005, Jacquie has successfully led the Durham franchise of Musical Minis and is loving every minute.

“Rather than benefit an employer, I wanted to benefit myself for my hard work and enthusiasm. I also wanted a career which was flexible to fit in around my family,” said Jacquie. “I was working an average 50 hour week and realised that things couldn’t continue the way they were.”

With the internet being her main resource Jacquie searched to find the ideal solution. Jacquie considered several options but when she discovered franchising, she knew she had found just what she was looking for. Franchising would enable Jacquie to be her own boss but have the support of an established business model. She explains; “I soon discovered that franchising offered the benefit of working alone but help was at hand should I need it. It would allow me to benefit from my own efforts rather than striving to please an employer. I now could dedicate myself to my own clients and use my reputation with children to be successful.”

With Jacquie’s childcare qualification and experience she narrowed the search. “My determination to use my skills set and have total job satisfaction was paramount and I discovered that Musical Minis enabled that to become reality.”

Having decided that Musical Minis ticked all of the right boxes a visit to the company’s website couldn’t have been more timely. Jacquie explains; “I could remember that the Durham franchise had been running for a number of years previously and upon visiting the website I discovered that the same area was for sale. It was meant to be!”

A swift phone call to Musical Mini’s founder Karen Sherr provided all the information and confidence that Jacquie needed to proceed with starting her own business. “Karen’s approachable, friendly nature shone through and made me feel at ease. I reeled off a great many questions, all of which were answered,” continues Jacquie. “I didn’t even look into any other opportunities as I immediately felt this was right.”

Having taken the time to discuss and analyse all of the information with her family, it wasn’t long before Jacquie owned her own business.

Since April 2005 Jacquie has established her territory in and around Durham and has taken on the role of regional manager for Musical Minis in the North East. “I have found the ideal career to fit in with my family life and I am earning more than I did when working a 50-hour week!” said Jacquie; “My ambition is to employ staff and utilise my entire territory. I’d like to train and monitor other Musical Minis franchises and aid them in having similar success with their businesses.

“The success of my business has been incredible and I very rarely have vacancies in my sessions as word of mouth is so powerful,” continues Jacquie. “Not only are the children very special to us, we also share great friendships and positive experiences with the parents making it all very rewarding,” she added.

Running your own business requires support from the family and Jacquie’s Musical Minis franchise is no exception. “My family are very supportive, particularly my mum. She came to help me for the first few weeks and has been there ever since! She works with me voluntarily at every session and the children adore her. I am very lucky to have such an asset.”

Singing to the tune of Musical Minis franchise

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Karen Sherr began Musical Minis when her first child was a baby because she could not find what she wanted for her son in the area. She had taken baby Matthew to an exercise group where the children sang a song at the beginning and end of each session. The singing was Matthew’s favourite part of the class.

Karen set out to find a group that focused exclusively on music as a fun activity but she was unsuccessful. She discovered instead that, generally, local music groups were very strict, requiring parents to make their small children concentrate on music for half an hour every day. Karen felt this was too rigid and wanted her baby to enjoy himself, with music involved, with other babies and small children.

At the same time, Karen was beginning to miss her old job and especially missed being surrounded by a ward full of children but she didn’t want to go back to work and leave her own baby. A combination of these factors led to the launch of Musical Minis.

The concept was based on what Karen, as a Mum, wanted for her child. She started a group, running one three-quarter hour session each week, for herself, her friends and their children. She devised the programme, bought the equipment, hired the hall and took out insurance.

One of the leaders at the original exercise group, Patricia Elson, joined as Karen’s business partner and helped run the session, so Karen and Matthew could join in the class and really enjoy it.

Karen was surprised by the instant popularity of her group. She had no idea that so many parents would wish their children to join and it soon became clear that she had started a business with a great future.

Husband Rob’s expertise, as a commercial banking manager, was invaluable in setting up the business. Karen and Rob financed Musical Minis themselves and ploughed all the profits back into the business for the first few years until they were ready to expand it.

Based close to Karen’s home in North West London, Musical Minis had taken off very quickly locally and the number of children attending grew rapidly. The potential for the business was obvious and, having satisfied a local demand, Karen and Rob realised that they could expand the classes nationally.

They started to consider franchising as a way forward when they were approached by mums who had attended the classes but then moved out of the area and wanted to set up their own groups.

Karen and Rob agreed that franchising would be the most efficient and cost-effective route to expansion. They thoroughly tried and tested all their systems and procedures until they were satisfied that they had a viable – and potentially profitable – opportunity to offer.

Seven years after they set up the original class, they opened their first franchise. They had been meticulous in checking everything with their lawyer. They had to register their trademark and became embroiled in a dispute which, ultimately, they won, but the process took a long time. The music had to be cleared and owned by Musical Minis, so they hired a music producer with a recording studio and using a male and female singer, produced their own recordings. Next they had to create the lesson tapes, apply for a licence to the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), duplicate the tapes and pay the required Royalties.

Karen continued to run classes in her area and has built up a wealth of first-hand knowledge and experience to share with franchisees, especially if they have a problem or need some guidance. She also heads franchisee training.

A new challenge with Petpals

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Having worked in the IT industry for 18 years, the shock of redundancy acted as a catalyst for Clare who had toyed with the idea of setting up her own business.

She attended a franchise exhibition to explore the options open to her and was drawn to Petpals due to her love of animals and the great outdoors. Persuaded by the advantages of being her own boss, Clare took the plunge and set up Petpals Fleet in June 2002.

Clare takes up the story: “It all started really when we bought a dog to help my younger daughter, Holly, get over her fear of dogs. Millie the golden retriever moved in with us and it all tied in when I discovered Petpals at the franchise fair.

“We haven’t looked back since and I certainly couldn’t go back to working in an office. There’s nothing to replace the outdoor life.”

Over the last six years, Petpals Fleet has built an enviable reputation for excellent service whether it’s dog walking, visiting cats and other small pets at home or boarding dogs.. and even a gosling.

Said Clare: “That was one of our more unusual requests. I was asked if I could ‘board’ a four-week-old gosling on its holiday from the farm! We get asked to do all sorts of things. One I particularly remember was when I had to feed some bearded dragon lizards while their owners were on holiday. This involved giving them live locusts, but not before they had been dipped in a vitamin powder!”

Clare and her dedicated team of pet carers work closely with the local community, including vets, the police and community groups to deliver a personally-tailored service that puts pets first.

Millie the golden retriever has been joined by Lucy the terrier cross and Esther the elderly cat, all sharing Clare’s home with daughters Holly, aged 12, and 14-years-old Beth.

Clare’s leap into the unknown when she set up Petpals Fleet has certainly paid off as she’s now one of Petpals’ top-performing franchisee. And Holly has overcome her fear of dogs.

Proven success with ComputerXplorers

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Diane Taylor
ComputerXplorers
South Midlands
Commenced Trading : March 2007
Previous Occupation: Retail Area Manager for various companies including, Adams,MK1, Claire's Accessories

Why you chose to buy into a franchise?
Support without being stifling. Proven success (over 22 years in the US). Some elements of risk removed due to being a franchise rather than being out on your own - surveys show that 90%+ of franchises still trading after 2 years versus 20% of independent companies.

Why did you choose ComputerXplorers?
Utilising all my hats i.e. Manager and Mother. Many transferable skills from retail which are appropriate also a sector that I can include my whole family in. Imagine working in Ann Summers and your children asking about where you work! Support structure without being stifling. Balance of lifestyle seeing more of my children and they can be involved in my work. New opportunity so, there is some ability to help mould the direction of the business i.e. sharing of best practice.

How have you found the training and support given by ComputerXplorers?
Excellent for a business in its infancy. Some of the US training is obviously American orientated but the overall experience of going to U.S. was excellent. UK training is focused being on marketing, sales, recruitment etc. Support when required without being too intrusive. The level of knowledge is improving weekly due to all learning from new experiences daily.

How has the business started for you?
Slowly but steady. Summer a great deal more successful than first anticipated. September will be amazing. A case of the chicken and the egg when getting started, when it comes to teachers and classes.

What has been the response of customers (schools, parents, children)?
When they experience the classes they love it. Very few drop out from one term to the next.

How do you see the business progressing?
I would forecast that the business will be catering to in excess of 25 schools by January. Nurseries are slow on the uptake but I would envisage approximately 6 by the same time. As people become familiar with the brand it will grow. Brand awareness is the key to its success.

Do you have any advice to anybody considering ComputerXplorers as a franchise?
You need to be self motivated and passionate about the sector. It can be lonely but very rewarding.

Natalie Davies launched her Auditel franchise

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Name: Natalie Davies
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire
Franchise: Auditel – Cost and Purchase Management Consultants
www.auditelfranchise.co.uk

Why I chose franchising:
I needed flexible working hours as I have three children. My options were working part time or working for myself, I chose the latter so that I could keep control over my own success and didn’t have to sacrifice salary.

What I did before taking up a franchise:
I was a Senior Business Analyst for a large financial institution. I loved my job and my colleagues, but found that childcare was increasingly becoming a headache, I dreaded every school holiday. I tried part-time hours but found that I was not taken as seriously as full- time employees and was constantly side stepped for challenging projects.

Experience of Recruitment Process
After researching franchises for some time, the question was not whether to choose Auditel or another franchise, but whether to choose Auditel or nothing. Throughout the entire process, the Head Office team were open, honest, friendly and helpful. The network of Affiliates is one of the many benefits the organisation has to offer.

How I raised the finance:
We sold our house and used some of the equity to pay for the franchise. I have a very supportive husband. I also agreed a £10,000 overdraft for working capital.

The training and support I receive from my franchisor:
The training and support I received was fantastic and way beyond my expectations. Head Office and fellow franchisees have also kept me motivated and sane throughout the early stages and the ongoing training is limitless.

The challenges I have faced:
It can be distracting working from home and I have to maintain focus when there is housework to be done. I still find it hard to juggle work and childcare, frequently working evenings and weekends. However life is infinitely easier than working for someone else and my work life balance has improved significantly. I am now able to rearrange my working week in order to attend school events, nurse sick children or manage the school holidays.

My advice to someone thinking of buying their first franchise:
Go for it, I have never had any doubts. Find a franchise that fits with your personality, skills and interests. There is no point buying a client-facing franchise if you don’t like speaking to people. Above all research your franchise, my due diligence took 2 years!

Progress in the marketplace so far:
I am way ahead of my business plan and the outlook is good. It’s amusing when I think back to my initial concerns, none of them have materialised. I have been faced by new challenges that I hadn’t anticipated; surprisingly these are mainly my own personal traits such as time management and organisation.

My plans for the future:
The plan is for my husband to join me in the franchise and achieve the ultimate work life balance. We would both have complete control over our time and finances. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

No Regrets in Franchising

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I had spent 15 years working as an accountant in multi nationals and was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the ever increasing workloads and the headcount slashing mentality.

Female entrepreneurs enjoy benefits of franchising

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Domino’s Pizza franchisee Juliet Liebenberg, is an example of a female entrepreneur who has chosen franchising a career that enables her to enjoy the benefits of running her own business while also allowing the flexibility to work around family life.

Juliet and her husband Kevin decided to take the plunge and opened their first Domino’s store in Sandhurst in 1998. Juliet explains: “We had always wanted to run our own business, but with a young family at the time, we wanted to set up a company with a level of security that just wasn’t possible if we had started up a business from scratch. Domino’s was the ideal choice for us as we knew we were buying into a proven business with a well-known brand and that we could also count on the advice and support of the franchisor.”

Following the success of their first Domino’s store, Juliet and Kevin went on to open a further four in Brighton, Bagshot, Hove and Peacehaven. The couple have three children, aged 15, 11 and nine years old. “Running a franchise is ideal for our lifestyle and allows us to get the best of both worlds,” continues Juliet. “I can work from home and fit it in around my family commitments so I never a miss a sports day or school assembly, but at the same time, it offers the great benefits and rewards of owning your own business.”

Leading the class with a Dream Doors franchise

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Three years ago, mother-of-four Elaine Ryan knew nothing about franchising. Having worked for ten years supporting children with special educational needs she felt ready for a change, but to what she didn’t know. Then, while having a coffee with her husband John at a franchise exhibition, she spotted the Dream Doors stand.

“We found ourselves sitting directly opposite Dream Doors, and some of their team were demonstrating how quickly and easily an old kitchen could be made to look like a new kitchen – just by changing the doors and worktops. I was impressed by what I saw and said to John: ‘that’s something I wouldn’t mind having done in our own home’. It was at that point we realised there must be a market for people who would rather have a quick kitchen facelift than have their entire kitchen ripped out. That was the moment we started to think about buying a Dream Doors franchise.

At first, even though John was happy to get stuck into working full-time in the new business, I was nervous about leaving my existing job and losing a main income. All of my experience in the past had been working with children, and although I loved the job it didn’t give me the flexibility I wanted. Now, running my own business, I’ve found ways to merge work and home life more effectively, and I get to see more of my own children.

In the early days, when John was getting things off the ground, I did seriously think about working part-time at the school and Dream Doors, but it soon became clear that this would be unrealistic and that it would make more sense to commit fully to the franchise. I definitely made the right choice and don’t regret taking the step to becoming my own boss.

Some people might think that being a Dream Doors franchisee requires a lot of technical knowledge, but it doesn’t. In reality you don’t need any kitchen industry experience at all. Everything I wanted to know was covered in the training provided; I’ve never fitted a kitchen in my life, and would never want to, but that didn’t matter because our franchise manager Polly helped us recruit a great team of fitters.

For John and myself, the bulk of our daily work involves selling. Although it wasn’t something I was completely comfortable with at first, I’ve been out on sales visits a lot more recently and have discovered that I’m very good at it. In fact I’ve been successful with nearly every appointment I’ve had lately, so I’m enjoying it a lot more.

One thing I would say is that running a franchise with someone you’re so close to can be challenging. John and I often have very different ways of working, but if you’re mature about things you can use these differences to benefit the business. Most Dream Doors franchise owners are husband-and-wife teams. What we’ve learnt from listening to them, as well as from our own experiences, is that when the doors to the showroom and office close in the evening, any work problems should be left there to deal with the following morning.

Enthusiastic for Razzamataz franchise

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Ellen Jameson
Littlehampton
Razzamataz Theatre Schools

Why I chose franchising
I decided to go down the franchise route as it provided me with the opportunity to have a national brand in a local area. The Razzamataz brand had achieved a high profile through its successful investment on the television show ‘Dragon’s Den’ (BBC). Capitalising on that meant customer recognition and an understanding of what to expect from Razzamataz Theatre Schools.

What I did before taking up a franchise
Before buying my franchise I was the President of a theatre company in Miami Beach, Florida. Prior to moving to the States – I had been a BBC broadcaster and Fleet Street Journalist.

How I raised the finance
I funded 50% of the franchise fee and start up costs from savings and raised a Business loan on the other 50%.

The training and support I receive from my franchisor
The start up and on going support has been comprehensive and unfailingly encouraging – all aspects of legal and statutory requirements regarding the training of children in performance arts; launch procedures, dealing with customers, increasing students numbers and marketing, advertising and direct mail outs have all been thoroughly explained ; administrative and accounting processes have been facilitated through templates and a dedicated resources site.

There is no aspect of setting up, running or maintaining a theatre school that has not been covered in the manual and the management team are approachable and accessible by emails and telephone support.

The challenges I have faced
The challenges have involved moving from a comfort zone of knowing how to mount productions but now needing to oversee the bigger picture and manage all aspects of running the business. This has proved to be beneficial now that I have a hands-on approach to the overall company and can guide members of staff in delivering the complete Razzamataz experience and philosophy. There has also been the challenge of increasing sales and pupil retention while continuing to deliver value for money.

My advice to someone thinking of buying their first franchise
I advise anyone thinking of franchising to buy into a business model in which they have either experience or a true enthusiasm – or preferably both. It is time consuming and worrying running your own business and you will initially likely be overwhelmed with taking care of the business almost to the exclusion of everything else. You will also need to ensure that you have the support of family or partners – business or personal – as you will require help in many areas other than those for which you are in a position to employ and pay people. Crucially you will also need their understanding of the need for you to be completely committed to your chosen venture. Also be realistic about profit potential – it will probably take longer than you anticipate to grow your numbers and be in a position where you are not needing to put all profits back into the company.

My plans for the future
Although I would have liked to pursue an ambitious expansion programme into other areas, I have now modified that proposal to allow me to concentrate on developing and growing the current school offering extended and diverse services. Customer loyalty is hard won in a competitive market and my commitment is to servicing those customers and building a long term client base.

Lighterlife franchise gives confidence to Yvonne

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Yvonne has felt the impact of LighterLife in both her personal and professional life. After losing 4 stone on the programme and reaching a slim size 10, she became a self-employed LighterLife Weight-Management Consultant, helping others like herself throughout Wokingham.

The biggest thing for her was that LighterLife had given her the confidence to succeed in her career. “I used to be a European HR Director for an IT company and my fat would hold me back. I had no confidence at work and often felt fat and stupid. I wouldn’t take on extra assignments or go for a bigger job with more responsibility because I had no self-esteem in the workplace because of my fat”. Yvonne’s change of direction was a big leap but once her confidence grew due to losing the weight, she could re-assess her career, and realised that her previous job wasn’t making her happy.

Before LighterLife Yvonne would never have thought about starting her own business but afterwards her confidence went through the roof. “I knew that it would work and would put me in a win/win situation. Having tried other diets and weight loss programmes, I thought that the whole counsellor impact of the programme was revolutionary. It opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about food and I knew that it would work for the masses”.

Setting up the franchise was easy for her and within the first four months she had 90 clients, purely from word-of-mouth, the LighterLife website and referrals. Being the first counsellor in Wokingham she had a huge area covering Berkshire, High Wycombe, Newbury and Basingstoke; however, with her new-found confidence and passion for the programme Yvonne found this no problem and relished the challenge.

She now has 200 clients coming through her door and is planning on opening a second location due to the amazing success of her venture so far. Business is good and she has a certified nutritionist to speak to her groups quarterly, as well as recently starting a quarterly newsletter. It certainly keeps her busy, but she manages to balance her work and personal life well, making sure weekends are ‘family time’ and driving her children to school every morning.

Yvonne’s LighterLife career has gone from strength to strength and she would have no hesitation recommending the franchise to anyone else, especially during these tough economic times. “If you want to be able to manage your own destiny, then running your own business is your best opportunity as it leaves you in charge of what you want to do. From an industry point of view, LighterLife’s weight loss programme outweighs the competition because it works. It is much easier running a business with a product that has such a high success rate”.

From secretary to Plumplanet franchisor - with a lot of hard work!

Information on women in Franchising at WhichFranchise.com

I turn 50 this year, and have worked hard my whole life since leaving college. Leaving college with only 5 GCSEs in those days meant I could either become a nurse, housewife or secretary, I chose the latter.

I worked in a number of secretarial posts, including one in a large manufacturing company. At the age of 23 I decided that paying rent to get someone else rich was doing nothing for me, so I purchased a studio flat. I was made redundant the next day!

The caretaker of my new flats then told me about a new software company that was potentially looking for administration workers. I approached them and started shortly after as a secretary. Whilst in the job, I was intrigued by the job of the salesmen. Watching them I felt I could do their job easily so I asked for the chance to do more, and it was granted.

My initial sales areas were tough as the company had no penetration in them i.e. Dublin and Scotland. I finally got to work in the London area with major blue chip organisations and banks such as Bank of England, NatWest, Lloyds Bank etc.

Just as things were going well for me, I got an injury to my back which paralysed me for 3 months. After I recovered, I got a new job in a software company as the branch manager of a branch that was turning over £3 million.

Then disaster struck again, the company collapsed overnight putting 350 people out of work. This led to myself and two colleagues setting up a company called Oaktree Software; we turned over £¼ million in our first year. The partners in the firm had families to feed and were taking too much out of the company, so I left to start something new as I knew the company would never be allowed to grow to its full potential.

In 1993 I got married, and in 1994 we had our daughter. I was still keen to work but wanted to do something that allowed me to work around my daughter.

One day a friend asked my advice on a computer course he had been recommended to invest £500 in. It was completely over the top for what he needed so I spent some time talking him through what he did need, based on all my previous experience in using them for work. As it seemed to help him, he suggested that I should start a business teaching people how to use the computer.

In 1994 I started Keystroke Associates. I took a teaching qualification as well as a one day a week Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) for 2 years.

To widen keystroke’s exposure I took on self-employed trainers; all of whom are still doing well and enjoying the flexibility and independence that the job offers.

We also all enjoy the troubleshooting aspect of our job because you are learning new things all the time as technology changes almost by the hour. We have exceptional relationships with our client base as it is such a personable business and your clients almost become friends.

Because of the success of the trainers working locally, my husband suggested franchising out our business. We created a Ltd company under the name of Plumplanet; formed from “plum” my nickname, which also means desirable and “planet” because we want the world to be part of our franchise.

I decided to franchise because I wanted to give other people the thrill of running their own organisation just like I have, but with the added bonus of support all the way. I also wanted to see Plumplanet’s name around the country.

It has been tough at times. I’ve lost a long term friend in creating the franchise and I have met sceptics and disbelievers, but I believe in the service we offer and the way we offer it. We want other people to enjoy the fantastic feeling you create for yourself being your own BOSS.

My vision is to create a business that is known throughout the UK and to see our company name outside a number of office blocks. I want to see people grow and develop with their business as I have, and to feel that marvellous sense of achievement.

Enormous benefits with Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness franchise

Information on women in Franchising at WhichFranchise.com