Franchise Opportunities Live Preview What franchisees say
Franchise Opportunities Live features many options to investigate. Here franchisees discuss how they benefited from their decision to go into business
Rhys Little and Max K Thompson Plug & Play
Plug and Play Southampton began trading at the start of 2010, becoming the first arms- length franchise in the Plug and Play network. Led by budding entrepreneurs Rhys Little and Max K Thompson, they have quickly become one of the leading web design agencies in Hampshire. Within two years they have built up a diverse portfolio and expanded to a team of five full-time members of staff to cope with the ever-increasing requirement for work. With the Southampton office thriving, they made the decision to expand their immediate territory and opened an office in Winchester, enabling them to offer services on a wider scale.
Carolyn Jarvis and Charlotte Evans KARE PLUS
K are Plus franchisees Carolyn Jarvis and Charlotte Evans, having had previous careers in social work and nursing respectively, turned their ambitions towards building a healthy business together in the care sector.
“Simply making money wasn’t enough for either of us,” Carolyn explains. “We wanted to be successful and profitable obviously, but also we wanted to provide a high-quality service in an area where we had considerable combined experience and knowledge – and where we knew we could make a difference to peoples’ lives.” The pair opted for Kare Plus, the UK’s leading domiciliary and healthcare franchise that offers medical as well as non-medical care service provision –a key attraction for both women. “Home care is more of a slow burn, it’s a highly complex marketplace, so although the rewards are there in the long run, the nursing side of the franchise meant that we could build income quickly while we developed our services on the domiciliary front,” says Carolyn. “On top of that, we liked the drive and dynamism of the management team – we felt they were really forward-thinking with a great vision, and wanted to be part of that.” “Because we previously worked in the sector, we understand the
pressures staff face in the workplace and can empathise,” Carolyn adds. “This has helped us attract and retain high-quality staff – and build strong relationships with them and with our customers. We had no previous experience of recruitment, however, so being part of
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With industry and client requirements ever changing, the need for cutting-edge web design and development is ongoing so the opportunity for new business is never far away.
Peter Richman, Plug and Play’s managing director says: “The Plug and Play franchise is a fantastic offering that has no comparative competition in the marketplace. The business model itself is ideal for someone ambitious who really wants to achieve something for themselves. “You don’t need any specific technical knowledge as our development team look after the complex delivery, so you just need to be outgoing, ambitious and self-motivated.” n
Kare Plus was a major benefit. We had a lot to learn about compliance requirements, for example, and head office has really helped!” Over the last 12 years, Kare Plus has established itself as one of the leading providers of quality nursing and domiciliary care, supplying medical and non-medical personnel to NHS hospitals, GP surgeries, private health and nursing care facilities, as well as care for people in their own homes. Kare Plus is one of very few private care service providers in the franchising arena licensed to supply to the NHS and also fully accredited by the CQC (Care Quality Commission), and so is perfectly placed to benefit from the huge opportunities opening up due to forthcoming health reforms. The new Health and Social Care Act aims to increase patient choice whilst reducing NHS costs. Great news for franchisees says Kare Plus managing director Steve Welsh: “Our franchisees are already able to capitalise on national contracts we have negotiated including some of the largest private hospitals and nursing home groups in the UK. Over the next four years, we expect to be tapping into contracts worth an estimated £140 million, as well as meeting the rapidly increasing demand for elderly care.” Charlotte and Carolyn have successfully achieved CQC
accreditation and are poised to extend their business into the domiciliary care marketplace. Carolyn comments: “We believe that people are better off cared for in their own homes – the elderly particularly benefit from, and deserve, the dignity of assisted independence. Kare Plus has provided the ‘safety blanket’ that we need to operate in this highly regulated sector – all of the required procedures, policy documents and compliances are held at head office and access to their experience and expertise has proved absolutely invaluable. We are both passionate about offering excellent care and are determined to deliver the best possible service – our Kare Plus franchise will certainly enable us to achieve our goals!” n
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