Singing Pig

Hi everyone,

 

OK, this is my first post so please be gentle if I'm waffling on!

 

Bit of background. I'm a mum of one and along with my friend we have set up an arts, crafts and messy playgroup for under 5's in our area. We started planning in May last year and got up and running in November. This is our second half term of trading. In that time we have gone from 2 sessions a week to 3 and as of 27th Feb we will be running 5 sessions a week.

 It's proving to be hugely successful and we're really pleased at the way it's going, there is nothing in our immediate area like it, and cometition throughout our region as a whole is minimal and isolated.

It was always in our pipe dreams/furutre plans that we'd look into franchising the business, but that appears to have come around and bit us on the bum before we expected. Basically the next local group has closed due to personal reasons, so we took the groups' stock and a lot of their trade (unable to actively take it over due to it running on the same day as us). That leaves a huge area of our region up for the taking. Potentially, off the top of my head we could probably open sessions in another 5-6 villages and towns as there is nothing like it there, but there is demand. We know this as we have people attending our sessions from far and wide.

 

So to say we are a bit overwhelmed is an understatement! We desperately want to take advantage of the situation. However:

1. We both have young (and probably still expanding) families so there are childcare issues. So we can't be out there working full time, in any case it defeats the object of why we set up the business in the first place, to work around our family lives.

2. We're unsure as to whether we're a bit too young a business and a bit of an unknown quantity for people to want to be franchisees. I know people don't get big by thinking small but we've technically only been running sessions for 9 weeks. Would anyone really take a chance on us?

 3. Is there any kind of middle ground in between paying someone a wage to run a group for us and franchising?

 

Any advice would be hugely welcome.

 

Splodger

First of all, congratulations on what sounds like the makings of a successful business.  Before you go to the expense and commitment of formalising a franchise, you really need to run your pilot for a year or so.  Any prospective franchisee would want to see a properly conducted pilot operation before taking up a franchise.  In the meantime, there is a middle ground; you could form some kind of affiliation of "licensees" operating under a common banner.  These affiliates could progress their businesses in association with you, and later on, if you were to offer a formal franchise to them, some of them may be prepared to operate as franchisees.  Good luck!

I would wait at least 4 months before franchising your business. I know when I looked for my franchise(s), this was the main part. 9 weeks just isn't long enough for someone to take the risk on you! :)