T


he British Franchise Association (bfa) is on cloud nine after its aviation-themed Women in Franchising event, which took place at the Wokefield Park


hotel in Reading in November, proved to be a huge success.


The annual event was open to all women with an interest in franchising. This ranged from franchisors, franchisees and service providers to women who simply wanted to know more about an industry that sees 30 per cent of its businesses owned or run by female entrepreneurs, compared with 15 per cent of its non-franchised counterparts. Over 100 women attended the event, which was sponsored by Venture Marketing Group and franchise specialists Owen White Solicitors. It included a range of presentations from industry experts, including real-life case studies from successful female franchisors, and a key phrase from the day was ‘empower, engage, educate’. This was echoed throughout the day with speakers such as Rachel Ray of Bright & Beautiful, Carolyn Sharpe of Puddle Ducks, Clare Jefferies of Home Instead Senior Care and Julie Clabby of busylizzy. They all talked about how, through different


challenges, they learnt to empower themselves and how one of the most important things to ensure in business is that you are passionate about what you do.


“It is so important to empower women in business...the franchsing industry has helped so many of these women build their confidence to succeed – we are all looking forward to next year’s event already!”


The keynote speaker was ex-RAF fast-jet pilot Mandy Hickson, who spoke about the leadership, teamwork and communication required to define and realise specific goals in high- pressure situations Regarding the influence women in business can hold, Mandy said: “Women need to remember what they


can bring to the table. They bring a great deal of empathy and communication skills, but have an Ingrained feeling of needing to prove themselves. This can be a positive thing because it gives an extra element of drive, but it is important not to let that cloud your sense of worth and remember that you have as much entitlement as anyone else.“ Pip Wilkins, chief executive of the bfa, said: “It was humbling to realise how many fantastic women there are at the Women in Franchising event, and all the stories we heard were truly inspirational. “I think it is so important to empower women in business; we heard how the franchising industry has helped so many of these women build their confidence to succeed, and provide the flexibility they need to fit their business around families or other personal commitments. “This year was undoubtedly a true success and we have had fantastic feedback, the bfa are looking forward to next year’s event already!”


The date for the next British Franchising Association’s Women in Franchising event in 2017 has been set for 16 November at the Chesford Grange in Kenilworth, Warwickshire.


February 2017 | BusinessFranchise.com | 13


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  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144