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

Mumpreneurs

Maternity conditions have improved dramatically in the last two millennia, as has the role of the mother.

Many women are now choosing to open small businesses for some extra dosh (always handy at this time of year!) and a better work life balance.

With crèche costs becoming prohibitive for many who would return to the workplace, running  a business from home can be the perfect opportunity to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

We’ve selected eight franchises which can be run from home on a part-time basis with low investment requirements, perfect for those would-be mumpreneurs out there.

With a franchise or business opportunity, the business has been proven to work for others, so you can get on with making money instead of trying to find and test out a new idea.

Highlight what skills you have and play to your strengths.

Mitchy Titch is a business providing yoga-based fun and fitness classes for babies and toddlers in children’s centres, nurseries and similar venues throughout the UK.

Big Local App is a dedicated local resource directory bringing together businesses, local news, events and information to provide real value to members of each of its edition areas in a way that national directories cannot.

Snak Appeal is a local franchise business opportunity in the charity sector providing a service to business and leisure premises with our quality sweets and snacks.  Dropping off and collecting the honesty boxes, you can fit this around the school run and take time off for the summer holidays.

Laser-It Technologies is an affordable, easy to operate with huge consumer demand. This unique franchise system uses cold laser technology to reduce wrinkles and eliminate body fat.

When The Music Stops If you can’t help but try and marry friends and family off, use your matchmaking skills to run a dating business organising fun events, online dating or both.

Link Telemarketing With this telemarketing business opportunity, your clients will be provided for you, leaving you to concentrate on running your own business successfully. All you need is a telephone and laptop!

Sing Your Name is a distributorship offering a wide range of hugely popular personalised children’s products unlike any other company in the world. Put a smile on someone’s face with story books and audio tapes

LCF Jazz Mataz is an educational music and fun club for children. It is both a social event for both parents and pre-schoolers and a programme using music, rhyme and song to enhance development.

View more home-based franchises

View more part-time franchises

View more children’s franchises

View more health and beauty franchises

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.

There are lots of opportunities for you to start your own business in the children’s fitness or education sector, to explore some of these please visit our directory of children’s franchises.

Performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (to give it its proper title) are usually associated with up and coming Beckett wannabes, soul searching thespians and struggling comedians however this year’s festival is currently playing host to an interesting combination between stage and SME.

Rachel Bridge (pictured right), Sunday Times business journalist has brought her very own one woman show, entitled How to Make a Million Before Lunch, to Edinburgh this year in order to give budding entrepreneurs a quick tour through the ins and outs as well as the do’s and don’ts of starting their own business.

In an article in last week’s Sunday Times, Bridge explained her reason for doing the show, “Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur these days, thanks to shows such as Dragons’ Den, and the one thing I do know a lot about is entrepreneurs [...] what people really wanted to know was how successful entrepreneurs such as Simon Cowell and Peter Jones had managed to make it work, and how they themselves could make a fortune – ideally in the shortest possible time. I could tell them some short cuts so they didn’t get bogged down in the time-wasting stuff.”

If you’re in Edinburgh this week, you can catch Bridge at Pleasance Courtyard at 12.30 pm daily until Sunday, August 29th. If you won’t make it all the way up there, you can also get your hands on Bridge’s new book also entitled “How to Make a Million Before Lunch” from Virgin Books available on thesundaytimes.co.uk/bookshop. For more information on Rachel Bridge, visit her personal website: http://www.rachelbridge.com/