Women in Franchising
Sue Hills (right) bought her Caremark franchise more than 10 years ago after leaving a career in nursing. She runs the Haywards Heath-based business with co-director and registered care manager Sarah-Louise White (left). Sarah began her career in Caremark (Mid-Sussex and Crawley) as Sue’s fi rst careworker and has worked her way up through the company to the position she holds today.
Caremark
What did you do before franchising? I enjoyed a varied career, including travel, media and health. I trained as a mental health nurse in 1996 and spent over 10 years working for an NHS and social care trust. At the time I left, I was a senior manager. I always had an entrepreneurial spark in me and had run a handful of part-time businesses over the years. Approaching my 50th birthday, I decided to leave the NHS and start my own business, and the care sector obviously made a lot of sense!
What attracted you to this franchise opportunity? I wanted a franchise where I could make my own mark, as well as being supported by a franchise model. When I joined Caremark in 2007, the business had only been franchising for a year and had just a handful of franchisees. This suited me as I felt I could grow with the network. I was also impressed with CEO Kevin
Lewis’s track record and found him very inspiring, plus everyone at head offi ce was very friendly and committed to the brand.
Any standout moments so far? There have been many, many standout
moments, the most important being the heartfelt “thank yous” we regularly receive from our wonderful customers. We have also been featured on BBC News and Sky News. The icing on the cake for us was to be awarded the Caremark Mark of Excellence award at our annual conference this year!
How have you found being a woman running your own business? When I started the franchise, the existing franchisees were all men, which I felt was strange given the sector. Even today, while there are many more women, I still think the majority in business are men. Women make great businesspeople and excellent leaders. I am passionate about what I do and I think people see that rather than the fact that I am a woman.
In my opinion, more women should get into franchising, as there are a lot of advantages to being a woman in business.
What qualities do franchisees need to work within this sector and to be a successful franchisee?
Over the years, during various meetings, I have observed many diff erent franchisees’ perspectives on what they think their role is.
You are buying a business, not a job. It is your responsibility to build that business, no one else’s. Being part of a franchise means that you are not alone; you will receive support from the franchisor, you have a network of franchisees to connect with and, of course, you have the power of the brand and the system behind you. You still need the same qualities as if you were starting independently. These include organisational skills, resilience, leadership, time management, an element of risk taking, a can-do attitude and a sense of humour!
Would you recommend franchising to women?
I think franchising is a perfect business model for women. Most of us are naturally collaborative and enjoy being part of something bigger. A franchise in the care sector is the perfect choice for those looking to make a diff erence in their local community while also taking responsibility for their own future. Caremark is now a well-established leader in its fi eld and in franchising overall. Over the past 10 years I have seen many improvements to the brand, and anyone joining now will enjoy the benefi ts of this.
May 2018 |
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