Inside Story
growth. Virtually every franchisee started out as a Water Babies client or teacher; even international franchisees began their journey attending UK classes before growing the Water Babies family overseas.
“We are a small company with a big vision. Being recognised by our peers was a huge honour”
In the last 12 months, Water Babies has helped set new standards for the baby swimming industry. At the Houses of Parliament in October 2015, a British Standards Institute-recognised code of practice for the teaching of swimming for newborns to four-year-olds was offi cially launched. The ASA-supported standards were co-authored by Water Babies managing director Steve Franks. Water Babies’ venture into China –
the fi rst purpose-built Water Babies centre offi cially opened in Xi’an in July 2016 – has been another signifi cant landmark for the company. It followed a trip to China last October where Steve and Paul were keynote speakers at the China Child and Infant Development Forum in Beijing, and at the Maternity Baby Child Development Forum in Zhengzhou. Water Babies is the fi rst western brand to enter the baby swimming market in China. With further franchises planned in Shenzhen and other territories, the next few years look promising for Water Babies in China.
It is these bold moves that enabled
Water Babies to pick up the HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award at the bfa ceremony in Nottingham. The company fought off opposition from six other fi nalists – including McDonald’s – to receive the highest honour in the UK’s £15billion franchise sector. After fi nishing as runners-up in 2013 and
fi nalists the following two years, Paul was delighted to have landed the big one this year. He said: “What I am particularly proud of is the team effort. We have a sense of family and culture that is so strong, Water Babies is seen as a benchmark of what good and nice look like. That has been built by every franchisee, administrator, teacher and staff member over the last 14 years. “It is so tangible, so special, that others outside our family feel it and want to be part of it. That is why the room erupted when we were announced as the winners with genuine sincerity – I felt the collective
September 2016 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 23 Collecting gold at the bfa awards
franchising industry really, really, really wanted us to win!
“Everyone who has ever had anything to do with our story, from the kitchen table to the moment of that announcement last night, ran through my head in a collective nanosecond. Water Babies has given me a lot of proud moments over the years – this was right up there!” Steve added: “We are a small company with a big vision. Being recognised by our peers was a huge honour. This is about how we do business: doing it the right way, doing it creatively and doing it successfully. “We believe that you are only limited by your own imagination and in the art of the impossible. We are truly humbled to be ambassadors for British franchising and we take that responsibility very seriously.” The Water Babies business enjoys a
reputation for offering a level of support to franchisees that is unrivalled, with a head offi ce staff of 30 to support the network and each franchise.
The support covers 12 specialist areas, including aquatics, photography, products, pools, marketing, fi nance, IT, and even data analysis. This means that each Water Babies franchisee has a team of 12 people dedicated to the success of their business. The most signifi cant area of business support is the fi nance relationship service, which undertakes all fi nance functions for each franchise, including business planning support, invoice processing, bill payments, bank reconciliation, cash management and annual accounts. If you are interested in taking on a Water Babies franchise, get in touch with the team.
Water Babies Swimming instruction
waterbabies.co.uk 01404 548348
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