Franchise Focus Business News…

With more people living longer, and pension incomes falling, the home care sector is an area that will see considerable growth in 2012 and coming years.

By 2030, over 15 million of the UK’s population will be over 65’s.

The home care industry will continue to grow for two categories of pensioners and retirees.

The Newly Retired

Over 65’s experience better health and quality of life today, than ever before. Many people who will retire at 65 are very active and healthy, and take on part-time work to boost their income.

Within the home care industry, there are opportunities for these Newly Retired to work as a home carer, calling to the houses of the sick and elderly for a few hours every week. Calling in on the elderly can involve preparing meals, helping with light cleaning and assisting with hygiene. This allows Newly Retired people an extra income in a flexible and fulfilling environment.

A survey conducted by Prudential Insurance entitled ‘Class of 2012′ has discovered that the income retirees of 2012 can expect has fallen by £3,100 since 2008 to a paltry £15,500 per year. One fifth of these people will live on £10,000 or less.

At the same time, pensioner expenditure has increased, leaving a “perfect storm” brewing for retirees, according to Vince Smith Hughes, the Prudential Retirement Income Expert.

“The impact of the credit crunch, banking crisis, recession and concerns over the eurozone, has been reflected in the fact that expected retirement income levels have hit a five year low”, he said.

The opportunity to work in the home care industry may be a possible incentive for those who want to continue some part-time work upon retirement. Over 65’s don’t have to pay tax or national insurance, and can keep all income along with their pension. If their state pension is under a comfortable level, they can defer their pension and pay ‘Top Up’ national insurance which will increase their pension when they decide to take it.

This year alone there are 22% more retirees than in 2011.

The Golden Aged

The average life expectancy of British women is 82.6 years and 78.4 years for men. For those who are a almost a generation older than the Newly Retired  (although unfortunately illness can strike at an age) care in the home is an option preferred to residential care homes, both personally and by families.

Emotionally, the bonds and ties the elderly have to their home and way of life have immense pull. The average cost of a single room in a residential care facility is £24,292 and in times of such economic hardship, many families cannot afford to pay for residential care for elderly relatives, even if they come to make this heart wrenching decision.

Care at home allows the elderly to retain some independence in the comfort of their own homes.

The home care industry offers a solution to concerns raised over Britain having and elderly population. For many Newly Retired, the realisation that they may not be able to give up work can be hard to face, but helping their older counterparts and working in their homes can provide a gentle transition and opportunity to keep earning.

If you are approaching retirement,and would like to operate your own home care business, we have a selection of home care franchise businesses, which can offer the guidance and support of an established and profitable business model and staff.

If you would like to start your own business, and want to invest in this growing industry, one that will continue growing within your own lifetime, a franchise can be the right model to get your business up and running.

Caremark Minimum Investment : £29,500

Everycare Minimum Investment : £30,000

Bluebird Care Minimum Investment £32,500

Surecare Minimum Investment £25,000

Abacus Care Minimum Investment £22,000

247 Professional Health Minimum Investment £15,000

Where did you get the inspiration to start your business?

I have always had a great love of dogs and had dogs when I lived with my parents – the first thing I did when I moved out on my own was buy my dog Bella. I became unhappy in my job and watch a film one weekend with Jennifer Lopez walking 6 dogs down a beach and I thought that would be an amazing job! And so Kelly’s Canines was born!

What was the hardest part of setting up your own business?

The hardest part had to be taking a financial risk. I got myself a little part time job in a local estate agents and spent my afternoons pushing Kelly’s Canines. Working long days for little money was hard work but well worth it in the end.

How did you manage with household duties and running your own business?

To begin with I was very lucky and had lots of help for my partner who works from home. It is always important to take time out to do other things so this made cleaning etc my ‘thinking’ period. But now the business is up and running successfully I have a lot of time at home to do household duties.

When did you set up the business?

I set up Kelly’s Canines in May 2009. But I didn’t run it full time until Jan 2010

Why and when did you decide to franchise Kelly’s Canines?

I decided franchising was the way forward in early 2011. I already have one member of staff and so to grow the business any further without still being able to work it would be hard. After a few people came to me and asked if I wanted them to set up a Kelly’s Canines in the surrounding villages it seemed silly not to look into Franchising.

What’s your favourite and least favourite part of your job?

It’s hard to pick out a favourite part of my job as I love so many different aspects of it, obviously working with different dogs each day is great and I love puppy visits, but I also love that I’m my own boss and I choose my working hours and lifestyle! The least favourite part is the amount of poo I have to pick up! Lol

How do you deal with shy or awkward animals?

Working with shy animals is always challenging. It’s so important to build a bond with each dog who comes to us, especially if they are home boarding with us for a few weeks. We spend a lot more one and one time with them and gradually build a trusting relationship.

Have you any pets? What breed are they/ what are their names?

Yes we have three dogs, Roxy is our Boxer. Bella is our Patterdale Terrier Cross and Daisy is our Maltese cross Shi-Tzu. We also have two rats called Carlisle and Kimba.

What’s the best food and music for new puppies?

It’s hard to say which food is best – there are so many and it comes down to breed and personal preference. What I can say is don’t be shy to ask what’s in the food you are giving your dogs. There can be a lot of chemicals in dog food and so it’s important to find a food with a good balance of everything your pup needs. Music wise… Mine are Britney Spears fans.

If  you love dogs, why not consider becoming a Kelly’s Canines franchisee?

Or check our directory for other pet franchise listings.

From little acorns grow great oaks and this is true for many entrepreneurs. Many businesses are started from home as an experiment, a hobby, to satisfy a curiosity or as a serious business venture and grow from there. In fact, Apple was started in the garage of Steve Wozniack and grew from there to become one of the most recognised and revered brands in the world.

Starting a business part time from your own home can offer you the flexibility of starting small and growing from there without the worrying overheads of office rental and staffing and you retain the choice of remaining in secure employment whilst spending your free time on your new business.

Of the 300 franchise and business opportunities listed on Franchise Direct, exactly one half (150) of these opportunities offer the potential franchisee the option of operating the franchise part time.

It is a commonly held belief that part time franchising is also franchising for stay at home mums, but with such a wide variety of part time opportunities available, almost anyone can find a concept to suit them which they can operate part time.

With the property crash, the male population has been the most affected by increasing unemployment figures, and as a result, the franchise industry is looking towards providing opportunities suited towards the male saturated unemployed population. However, because of a lack of funding, starting a business can be a financially invalid option for many. Remaining in paid employment if possible and starting your own business part time is a very wise decision.

Part time franchising can also offer households with a much needed additional income during lean periods. There are many benefits to doing this including the added income, the chance to try out the market before going it alone on a full time basis, as well as your own growth as a business owner while the business is still small rather than diving in the deep end. In fact, some franchisors encourage new franchisees to begin their business on a part time business to easy cash flow during the difficult early months and then enter full time operation when the business has grown.

Examples of Part Time Franchises

As mentioned before, a huge number of franchises today offer part time options. Some of the more successful and “workable” part time franchises can be in retail distributorship, which can easily be worked in the evenings and at weekends, and for current business owners, taking on a distributorship relevant to your industry can add to your existing business, for example taking on the licence to carry out an exclusive hair removal method in your existing beauticians business.

Other viable part time franchises include kids’ party franchises can be operated at weekends and online business franchises which can be operated in the evenings and weekends.

With the obvious benefits of course comes the stress of working in paid employment as well as on a new business venture, however if the business grows to become an enormous success then it will all have been worth the while and if not? Part time franchising can often work out cheaper than full time so the initial investment at risk is a lot lower and you can fall back on your paid employment salary if needed.

To explore the options available to you in part time franchising, why not visit our directory of part time franchise opportunities.

Despite the current economic climate, cleaning franchises are still performing well. People are more strapped for time than ever before, as they struggle to make ends meet by taking on second jobs or starting a new business for job security reasons. And they still need clean homes, so they are increasingly turning to domestic cleaning services for help.

In the last three years, the UK domestic cleaning market has grown at a rapid pace. In fact, 2.7 million UK households and 1.3 million Ireland households are spending approximately £11 billion on domestic cleaning. The cleaning industry’s overall immunity to the economic downturn is an attractive reason to consider investing in a cleaning franchise.

If you don’t want to actually do the cleaning, most domestic cleaning franchises offer the option of a ‘management franchise.’ This means you will find clients who want their homes cleaned and match them up with cleaners that you employ. You ensure that the clients are happy and take care of the administrative duties, such as scheduling, whilst the cleaners actually go to peoples’ homes and do the cleaning. This option is attractive for people who have more experience with management and administration, and want to apply those skills to a new business.

There are other benefits to cleaning franchises that will contribute to a successful business turning a healthy profit. They include:

• Abundance of niche markets. There are a plethora of domestic cleaning opportunities that exist, apart from the traditional residential maid services. There are carpet cleaning, window cleaning, tile cleaning and driveway brightening franchises available for those who either specialise in one of these areas, or who want to pursue a slightly different market from the traditional house cleaning market. You can always find a niche that has untapped potential in domestic cleaning, as there is no shortage of things to clean in a person’s home!
• Low overheads. Since you don’t have to rent out an office space and you don’t have to purchase a lot of inventory stock to sell, you won’t have to worry about high overheads that detract from your profits. Cleaning franchises usually give you the flexibility to work from home, so you save money on expensive leasing and commuting. They also are designed so that you won’t have cash flow problems, since you don’t have to buy lots of stuff that you have to sell to turn a profit.
• Flexible lifestyle. Working from home means you can achieve a greater work/life balance. It also allows you to spend time with your children, if you are a stay-at-home parent. The best part is you can usually operate a cleaning franchise part time or full time. That leaves you with ample time to pursue other important priorities in your life, or you can maximise on the opportunity to work full time and create a very large profit for yourself.

If you are interested in pursuing a franchise opportunity with these benefits, Franchise Direct’s comprehensive directory of domestic cleaning franchises is the best place to start your search.

Part-time franchises can help individuals create a profitable second income while retaining a healthy work/life balance at the same time. I am sure you are probably wondering how this is possible, and as many of you are already aware, holding down two or three jobs can be stressful and extremely time consuming. But it need not be that way if you invest in a part-time franchise. Why? Simply because many part-time franchises enable franchisees to work from home and this saves a franchisee having to commute and allows them to be more time flexible.

Fair enough you will have to put in the extra hours to make your part-time franchise successful, but how much time and extra money you want to put in and profit with is entirely up to you. You are at the end of the day, the dictator of your own destiny and in essence your own boss. In some cases it is possible to make a lucrative second income while at the same time maintaining a healthy work/life balance. You need to be motivated and highly organised before you consider embarking on investing in a part-time franchise.

Everyone knows we are experiencing what may be referred to as an “economic downturn” but this does not mean we have to react negatively towards our work or career goals and save all the money we make! Rather if we look positively on increasing our incomes by entering into a recession proof part-time franchise that is low-cost and low-risk: you could secure a viable and profitable business for your future, one that if you wanted to, you could turn into a full time profitable career.