!"#$%&$'()*+) -&.'(./0#1/#2'+34.$#'*01$+
A-Star Sports is carrying on the Olympic legacy by making sure children in the future are able to benefit from a comprehensive sporting education.
The franchise, which started in November last year, offers multi-sports coaching for children from two to 10 years old, teaching them to play individually, in games with a partner or in teams.
The franchise was founded by three couples – Gary and Sharon Bassett, Kevin and Caroline Key, and Alister and Lorna Ramm, who have already won a clutch of awards from within the sector. Each couple had been involved in sports coaching in the private sector and had worked in a variety of roles
prior to that, including a highly paid executive position, fireman, primary PE teaching specialist, joiner and in business leadership and development. Sharon said: “The Olympics are wonderful for profiling sports which don’t usually get much attention. The Games stimulate interest among children and create new commercial opportunities to service that interest, making sport more accessible to children from all backgrounds.
“The excitement and drama of London 2012 has brought into sharp focus what has always been our sporting mission – to make sport fun and enjoyable as well as promoting a healthy, happy lifestyle for many children, which could well include Britain’s sporting stars of the future.”
!"#$%&'(#)*#+%&,
Name: Richard McConnell Franchise: The ZipYard
Richard, 32, opened his ZipYard, in Altrincham in 2011. Although established in Ireland, Richard’s is the first ZipYard in England, offering on-site repairs and alterations in purpose- designed premises with fully trained staff. He and wife Marie have a one- year-old daughter, Darcey.
561/$7.8**8# 6*$%0/.8*# 4**6#
*9$*''*/$*# :."7#1:16(8
Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) has joined a growing number of franchises that awards peer- nominated members conference, with the introduction of a new award voted for by the franchise network itself.
The ‘Franchisee’s Franchisee of the
Year Award’ gave recognition of best practice and excellence amongst fellow colleagues. Mark Davis, ERA consultant since 2001 and Sue Cooke, associate
Mark Davis
since 2005 and winner of the ‘project specialist of the year’ award in 2010, are joint winners of this year’s award. On winning the award, Mark commented: “I am very honoured to have received this award from my peers within the network. It is very encouraging to know that the service I provide to my colleagues is so appreciated.” Sue added:“It’s such an honour that my colleagues took time to vote for me. I’m honoured that the work I do is so valued.”
Started out: Previously, I ran my own driving instruction business. We wanted to start a family, but my hours were unsociable – during evenings and weekends – so I started looking at different opportunities. We’d saved up a bit of money and investing in a franchise seemed a less risky option. We did lots of research in the franchise press and online, and my wife noticed the ZipYard ad and thought it was a fantastic idea. We did some research and quickly realised that there was no real competition in our area. Most clothing repairs are a bolt-on service at dry cleaners; the turn-around time isn’t very good and they don’t offer a wide range of services. We went to meet Nigel Toplis, the franchisor, and visited a centre in Wales. Nigel and his team helped us to source the premises and even helped us to negotiate the lease.
Today: It’s going brilliantly and we are getting busier every week. In the first six weeks we saw our sales rise by 600 per cent. The reaction from customers is amazing. They seem genuinely ecstatic that we are here and their faces light up when they come in to the centre. They are delighted that we can breathe new life into clothes that they can’t wear or that are damaged in some way. In the future, once we’ve got this centre up and running to full capacity we would love to open up a second one. Marie would also like to get more involved with the business once Darcey has grown up a bit.
November 2012 |
Businessfranchise.com | 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100