INTERVIEW
change to regionalise the opportunities for EWIF and this worked, meaning that more people had access to EWIF and we could spread the word across a greater geography. Eventually it was too much for us to continue with an expanding workload and we handed it back to Clive. It was great to be part of it and I am still an active ambassador for the organisation.”
“I have considerable angst that people think women will only be interested in
‘mumpreneur’ type roles” In terms of encouraging women to join
the Wilkins franchise, chimney sweeping is undoubtedly a traditionally male occupation, and the classic image of Dick van Dyke covered in soot must be a difficult one to shift. The ‘man-in-a-van’ stereotype is also problematic, and Louise prefers instead to call Wilkins a ‘mobile business’. “Not as catchy, but still as descriptive!” she laughs. When it comes to what Wilkins look for in a franchisee, Louise feels that
candidates simply need to be the right fit for the company. “We look for franchisees who are happy to work for a woman – that’s me! – and want to run their own business. We attract mostly male enquirers because the job has a traditional background, with Bert in Mary Poppins as a (hideous!) stereotype for sweeping. It is physically hard work and the sweeps get dirty. But I know that what differentiates our team is their customer service and work ethic – which is what we focus on. I would love to have a woman in the team but not at all costs… they will have to be as good as any of the men!”
How can the franchise industry work to engage more female franchisees? “As an industry, we must make sure that we are truly open. We can offer events and experiences that engage both men and women. We can ensure that advertising has no gender bias. And, of course, we can make sure that we never give houseroom to prejudice. We can offer encouragement and support to all who do a good job with no caveat. And we can help women to feel valued in their roles. I have considerable angst that people think women will only be interested in the ‘mumpreneur’ type roles. These are really of value but mums are not the only women
Peter and Louise Harris (centre) with their team of franchisees
out there – and many want to run their own business. With some strong women franchisors in place – Rachel Ray of Bright & Beautiful, Jan Mitman of Drain Doctors, Lisa Suswain of Wagging Tails, for example – we can show that franchising is a place for women and men. They are all mothers, but that’s not what defines them in the business. So we need to be fair in our positioning of strong, successful women.” Louise has some idea of how the industry can move forward.“I’d love to see the industry commission an expert analysis to see what we can do to help the messaging to women. I’d like research into why women aren’t engaging. All the evidence is anecdotal and this could be damaging.” She concludes: “Imbalance is not good in any industry – too many women would be as bad as too many men. We just need to correct the balance, although I believe that the franchise industry is ahead of our friends in the corporate boardroom, which has to be a plus!” n
LouIse harrIs
Louise can be contacted on louiseharris@wilkinschimneysweep
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www.franchisornews.co.uk
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