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

The parties, the present buying, the eating, when it all comes to an end on Christmas night and the following days, we’re left to think about how our lives have changed in the last year.

Getting to hear what our friends and families have been up to can often encourage us to think about where we are in our lives, and what we might like to change.

As the world’s largest franchise directory site, we often find more traffic at this time, as people begin to think how they might go about changing their lives.

Last year, we experienced nearly a 20pc boost in enquiries to franchisors over the Christmas and New Year period.

More free time- Unless you’re in cooking mode or off to splash around the Mediteranean, more people are off work, with free time to think about their hopes and dreams, and to browse the internet.

Comparing to family and friends- Getting to catch up with old friends and family can often lead us to question where we are in our own lives. Your school friends have all found themselves in wellpaid successful careers, when you are still slogging for someone else, just getting through life.

New Year Changes -The festive period has always lead up to a spate of New Years’ resolutions, after the indulgence orgy that is Christmas. Along with kicking the fags or binning the chocolate, many people may want to change their career, or lifestyle.

So if you’re bored for a few hours before dinner on boxing day, or plodding around the house trying to avoid rows, take some time to see what you could do to change your life, and career.

From business consultancy to beauty, handyman and tshirt franchise businesses, you might just find what you’re looking for.

Sometimes it’s good to do some digging around in the past. Meeting your boyfriend’s ex-wife at a party would be hailed foolish by many, but if you’re seriously considering starting your own franchise business one of the most valuable tools at your disposal is current franchisees.

Most franchisors will introduce you to some of their successful franchisees, or invite you on a tour of their premises, where you will get to ask question and see how things are done, although this might be ‘censored’.

We’ve put together some tips to learn the nitty gritty about the franchise business that may change your life.

• If you are invited on a tour with a current franchisee and the current franchisor comes along, try to come back later so the franchisee won’t feel under pressure to present a perfect image of the business.
• Be aware that the frachisors may give bonuses to current franchisees that help get newbies on board, so try to figure out if they are being totally truthful.
• The more franchisees you talk to, the better the information you will get.
• If the franchisor supplies you with a small pool of contact details, get out the phone book and ring around other franchisees. Use Google to research what news and events the franchise has been involved in.
• Try to get in touch with a wide variety of franchisees, from the most successful, to the struggling. This way you can assess whether the business is flourishing or failing because of the business model or the franchisee themselves. Talk to the oldest franchises and the newest ones. The guy who is just scraping by six years in will be as valuable to talk to as the star new kid in town who has already broke his first million.
• Use your gut, and try to get a feeling for the motivations of the franchisees you talk to.

You should have your own questions for franchisees depending on which industry you’re investigating, but here is a checklist of must-ask things to quiz franchisees on:

It might be useful to rate these questions on a scale of one to ten:

1. Are you happy with how the business is working out? If not, what issues are affecting you?
2. How is your experience different from what you expected?
3. Have you made your initial investment back yet? Did it take longer than you thought?
4. How many hours a week do you work? Has this impacted on your personal life?
5. Was the training what you expected it to be? Was it intensive or tailored to your own needs and abilities?
6. Does the franchisor put any restrictions on products/services you can supply? How has this affected you?
7. How would you rate marketing and advertising? Does the franchisor do all you expected or they promised?
8. What support do you receive now? When problems have arisen how responsive was the franchisor?
9. What did it cost you to build and start the franchise? Were there any hidden costs?
10. What are the best and worst moments since you started?

If the average score of the franchise interviews is coming in at more than five out of ten, it could be an indication that this could be the right franchise for you!!

We know the man down the road who would get up every morning, shoes polished and suit ironed purposefully walking off to the park or the local cafe, trying to hide the shame of redundancy from wives, children and neighbour. It doesn’t have to be like this.

According to a report undertaken by de Poel on the Labour Market Outlook in the first quarter of this year:

38% of employers intend to make redundancies, breaking down as 52% of public sector and 30% of private sector companies intending to make the chop.

36% of NHS employers could be writing out redundancy cheques by the end of the year.

The plans for redundancy are highest in the Midlands, and 61% of all redundancies will be compulsory.

The average redundancy pay is just over £13,000, With public sector employees pulling up to £30,000, and private sector leaving with a more modest £7,800.

However, as a result of the coalition government’s cut in corporation tax rates some industries are set to grow.

The financial, insurance and real estate areas are set to benefit the most from the tax cuts, but wholesale and retail industries will also feel the boost.

Franchising after a redundancy

Redundancy is not the end, it can be the beginning. Of a new career, a new burst of life, or even a new family empire.

If you don’t want to rely on benefits or endless job searches after being made redundant, consider becoming a franchisee.

If you’re facing the concrete-like reality of redundancy, consider the personal assets you’ll be walking out with. Experience and skills put to practical use in the workplace.

You have a few options, if you liked your old job, why not use the skills you’ve honed in your time there to start a new venture? (Obviously not exactly the same, if you were made redundant there was obviously an issue with the business model), but how about a tested and tried franchise business?

Redundancy also offers you the opportunity to carve your name into the history books, with your own dream job as your own boss. If the thoughts of running your own magazine, or opening a creche get your heart beating with excitement, you can invest your redundancy package into making your dream a bright reality.

Franchises offer a proven business model, training and support. The huge choice of franchises opportunities can be daunting, but try and asses what you want.

We’ve handpicked a few suggestions if you are thinking about planning for like after redundancy.

Retail - Snak Appeal

Minimum Investment: £5,127

Description: Local Franchise business opportunity in the charity sector providing a service to business & leisure premises with our quality sweets & snacks. Ideal for a single person or a couple.

Financial- The Financial Management Centre

Minimum Investment: £6,500

Description: As a franchisee of Financial Management Centre, you can start up and operate your own financial management consultancy business in the SME industry with the support of an experienced franchise team.

Real Estate: Open House Estate and Letting Agents

Minimum Investment: £5,995

Description: Start your own Estate Agency business with low start up costs and excellent potential for a great return on your investment.

Well, we wouldn’t if we didn’t have a good reason…For all you eager-beaver entrepreneurs out there, it’s time to consider cashing in on the spending extravaganza that is Christmas time!

Harrods and Selfridges have had their Christmas shops up and coughing up glitter since the end of July, selling over 2,000 baubles before the August evenings drew in. The brainboxes at these hugely successful chain stores are leading the way in cashing in on the ‘Peking Pound’, this is demand coming from China, spent by tourists in the UK. British decorations are viewed as perfect souvenirs.

It’s not just the marble staircases of department stores that can benefit from the spending mania that will carry us through to the end of the year.

According to a Christmas 2011 Spending Poll conducted by ICM for the Guardian newspaper last week, in the face of recession 52% of people intend on spending the same or more as last year (£414 on average). People aged 18-24 particularly intend to blow their budget and spend more to make it a great Christmas.

Although a surprising 4% of responders have already completed their shop (it’s not our place to judge how people spend their time, dear readers!) and 3% of Bah Humbuggers aren’t bothering to buy presents at all, 70% of shoppers won’t be filling stockings with presents until late November and December, so there’s still time to get your franchise business up and running in time for the year’s biggest splurge.

More and more of us seem to be seeking refuge from the ordeal that is the high street before Christmas, as around three quarters of us will be buying the same or more presents from the comfort of behind the computer screen.

25-34 year olds are stepping up their online presence and giving up the high street hunt for presents, with 45% intending to make more online purchases this year.

With all these new figures, we’re bringing you some hot tickets to get you thinking about being your own boss and kick-starting your own business with a Christmas boost!

Your Own Store

With Christmas shopping the largest expense at Christmas time and the internet market booming, think about opening a YourOwnStore affiliate marketing franchise. By choosing a particular niche, i.e. Mens’ Watches or Blu Ray Players, you can direct shoppers to what they want for their wife, dad or brother for the cheapest price. Thrift guru Martin Lewis recommends that consumers shop through these sites to save money in his 12 Saves of Christmas!

My Chocolate Explosion

It wouldn’t be Christmas without an Aunt or Sister regaling some family member with their woes of Christmas weight gain, but we all love to indulge with some choco-luxury under the mistletoe.A ‘My Chocolate Explosion‘ franchise offers the chance to run your own gift-giving business and help the country smile in a haze of chocolate-induced delirium.

They incorporate both high-end and everyone’s favourite chocolates, are delivered both locally and to lucky individuals across the UK. Created in various colours using a huge variety of wrapped sweets, chocolates and accessories, unlike a baked product or flowers; this product has the advantage of a long shelf life. It does do not go stale, wilt or die, (so it can be regifted the next year)…

The T Shirt Store

The Christmas spending stats point at the younger generation to push up their Christmas spending, both online and on the highstreet, so the T Shirt Store could be an ideal venture to cash in on the fashion conscious who are aware of choosing personalised gifts for family and friends and getting fed up up the standarised offerings available.

The Cash Generator

Christmas can leave more things red than we might like, including our bank accounts. A small minority of people in this survey will be cutting back on spending this festive season, so could do with some help from Cash Generators. Another of Thrift Guru Martin Lewis’s tips to consumers for Christmas is to sell gold if it’s a struggle to fund under the Christmas tree. With a Cash Generator franchise, you can help this small number of people get through with some festive cheer by buying unwanted gold or gifts. You can also sell second hand and new items, so Santa can deliver at a knock down price.