🕒 Estimated reading time: 3 min.
Established in 2004 by Rod Davies and Matthew Levington, Business Doctors is a network of entrepreneurs who are passionate about sharing their experience and skills with small and medium sized businesses. The Business Doctors franchise opportunity allows you growth potential in an exploding business consulting marketplace, with the ability to use your business acumen to develop a high income. The franchise partners provide a high-quality package to SMEs, supporting their varying needs and facilitating them to grow.
The Business Doctors franchise partners don’t just coach or train, but get right into the nuts and bolts of SMEs, helping them to achieve their aspirations for growth and profitability.
Read more about Business Doctors here
In this week's Franchisor Q&A series, we take a closer look at Business Doctors and learn why it is worth investing in their innovative brand.
Q1. What makes your franchise standout?
We are a group of 120 (48 in the UK and 70 in 14 other countries) seasoned Business People who are dedicated to helping SME owners in a holistic approach to grow and develop their businesses and people. We also help them practically, to implement the necessary strategies, and make the necessary changes to develop long term sustainability. We are the only business support organisation that takes this unique approach
Q2. Why is it worth investing in your brand?
We have been operating successfully in the UK for 16 years and have helped over 10,000 businesses to develop. WE have successfully rolled the model out into 14 further countries. We are a very collaborative organisation and provide in-depth training and support to assist our franchisees in establishing their successful businesses. We have established strong and powerful strategic partnerships with Government, funders, Banks and other business support organisations
Q3. How is your franchise adapting to the current COVID-19 crisis?
Covid 19 impact on our target market and the economy increases demand for our services and puts our core proposition – strategic planning at the top of the agenda in the in our target market. It has also increased our capacity and reach due to the massive increase in the adoption of online comms technology – we can support more business more efficiently. We have been first to market with COVID specific support and tools and have engaged exclusively with new delivery partners – e.g. SWOOP/CATAX/Futrili to provide access to finance – these are now providing ongoing referrals to support business as that return to work and recover.
Q4. What extra support and assistance are you offering your franchisees during this time?
We have reduced our Management Service Fees by 50% during the lockdown period. We have also utilised technology to provide additional support and training during the last 3 months. We have also developed significant additional collateral to enable our Franchisees to continue to operate in these difficult times
Q5. What plans do you have for the franchise over the next few years?
Until now, we have provided hands on face to face support to well over 10,000 SME owners in the UK. However there are 5.6 million businesses that also need our products and services which cannot be provided by our Franchisees alone. We have therefore developed a 5 year plan to digitise our offering, with a view to engaging with the much wider market place, and grow the market by licensing our products and services to new partners such as Accountants and Associates. This in turn will provide additional leads and Strategic Partners for our growing network of Franchisees- planning to have 120 in the UK within the next 3 years
Q6. What skills are important for your franchisees to have?
We have had 10,000 enquiries for our Franchise over the last 10 years and have taken on less than 1% of the applicants!
To be successful, our Franchisees must have the following attributes
- PRESENCE
- GRAVITAS
- THE ABILITY TO SELL THEMSELVES
- HAVE PLENTY OF SCARS AND WAR-STORIES FROM SUCESSFUL CAREERS IN CORPORATE WORLD, OR HAVING HAD THEIR OWN BUSINESSES
- BE ABLE TO AT LEAST UNDERSTAND WHAT A BALANCE SHEET LOOKS LIKE
- HAVE A PLETHORA OF SOFT SKILLS
- AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE THAT LITTLE BIT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL FLAIR TO SAY THAT THEY ARE FED UP WITH WORKING FOR OTHERS AND WANT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN BUSINESSES AND INDEPENDENCE
It is very hard to find people that have the confidence but at the same time, the humility to engage with the very fickle SME owner!
Click here to learn more about the franchise opportunities at Business Doctors