WOMEN FRANCHISORS INTERVIEW


Companies need to be actively looking for women to shake up the old boys’ club. There should be a woman on every board of the FTSE 100


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still a good idea. Companies need to be actively looking for women to shake up the old boys’ club. It took 10 years to get to the bfa board and a lot of work went into lobbying and talking to members – it wasn’t easy. When I was fi rst elected to the bfa board in 1995, things were a lot different. If the same amount of effort went into pushing women forward as before, then we would be much better off. Women need a fi ghting spirit and defi nitely shouldn’t be sitting on their laurels. Without a doubt, there should be a woman on every board of the FTSE 100.


You are a successful businesswoman with three children and fi ve grandchildren. What do you make of the expectations placed on today’s working mothers? Things for mothers have come a long way


– before it wasn’t so fl exible. Women need to time-manage effectively in order to give time to children as well as work, and this makes them generally more productive. Women always feel guilty, which means they will purposely set time aside for family. But they often leave no time for themselves, losing their identities to ‘mother’ and ‘wife’ labels. Recently, I took a franchise owner to an exhibition and she commented that it was the fi rst time she felt herself – and not just ‘wife/ mother’ – in over 10 years. Similarly, I went for a manicure the other day with a lady who was overcome with guilt for having that time alone.


As a woman, you have to juggle time. I’m an early riser personally, and I fi nd myself more productive in the mornings. I like having things done by 8am. Molly Maid is also an early-rising business, with maids out on the road early in the morning.


What does winning awards mean to you? Winning the Outstanding Contribution Prize at the EWIF awards was special. It was voted for by people that I’ve worked with for years, so it’s great to know I’ve made an impact. I’d like to say thank you to everyone involved; EWIF is such a brilliant organisation.


How important is training to you? Training is very important to me, and to


Molly Maid. It is a business format franchise, so franchisees have to be keen and eager to learn the system. Women are particularly brilliant in this respect; they say ‘show me how it’s done’ and are willing to be taught new things. To work with Molly Maid you have to like people; people who run businesses aren’t usually shy or retiring. After all, people buy people. We put effort into our training


programmes. There is a saying we have at our conventions that ‘you learn things you didn’t think you needed to learn’. Instead of just telling our employees to make a room look better, we show them how. We don’t presume that they know already, and an active and open mind is required to learn constantly. I don’t believe you can ever train too much, as it is so instrumental in building self-esteem. Our maids work with us for a long time because we instil confi dence and look after them. They are fairly paid, and can take pride in the smart uniform we provide.


What do you think about the bfa’s role in promoting franchising and maintaining its standards?


The bfa is very important. It is the only


standards-based association in franchising. Having a code of ethics is very much in line with the way I run a business, and the bfa protects the franchising industry.


What are your plans for the future? I hope to expand the number of outlets we have and increase the current turnover of £15million. I also want to build the brand, so that people automatically associate housekeeping with Molly Maid. We are progressing towards the level of success Molly Maid has in Canada. Some customers only need us for a short period of time, while others have been with us for 10-15 years. I am also noticing that people who have grown up in a house that hires Molly Maid are eventually hiring Molly Maid themselves. It’s like how my grown children all have a dishwasher in their houses, because they are now so used to the one I tore down cupboards to install! n


” PAM


REVEALED… HOBBIES:


Gardening and reading. I’ve just returned from the Hay Literature and Arts Festival in Wales. I was even caught on camera when Sky were filming Mariella’s Book Show!


CURRENTLY READING: ’Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: The Official Biography’ by William Shawcross. It’s a huge book, but fascinating.


FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION:


I named my dog ‘Monte Carlo’ which suggests how much I love the place (above). It’s so beautiful there.


DREAM DINNER GUEST: The Queen, of course. She is a brilliant lady. I got to meet her briefly when she presented me with an OBE and noticed that we were neighbours (I was living near Windsor at the time). I’d like to cook her dinner.


Franchisor News | 25


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