Jo Vowles Harmony at Home

New figures incoming

With a new survey due out in the next few months, we expect to see increases in these figures as women have discovered that franchising is a very female friendly environment and are recording notable successes not only as franchisees, but as franchisors too.

It's fair to say that traditionally women fared well in children's interest franchises such as swimming, dance and theatre to name but a few, and this remains true, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

A harmonious relationship

Jo Vowles owns two Harmony at Home nanny agency franchises in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. She bought her first territory in 2021 and her second in 2022.  There are 17 franchises in the Harmony At Home network.

From PR to go-go-ga-ga!

Jo describes what brought her to franchising: "I worked as a nanny for high profile clients for over 15 years, so was always interested in working with children.  At the end of my nanny career, I worked alongside a previous nanny boss in her office, as she was setting up her own PR agency.  I worked with her for 18 years and helped the business grow from four people to over 60.  At the start of 2020, the company was due to be sold, so I left.  The world then had two years of the Covid pandemic, which gave me plenty of time to think about what to do next.  I had enjoyed the business side of helping to run the PR agency, so I looked at possibly starting my own nanny agency.  I soon realised there was an easier way.  I looked at a few different nanny agency franchises, but Harmony at Home, who are a well-respected recruitment agency in the nanny world, shone out as being the best."

Tried and tested

When asked why she chose to buy a franchise and the positives to it, Jo said: "Buying a franchise is a tried and tested way of running a business.  Although the business is ultimately your own, with the flexibility that comes with that, you also have the backing of the franchisor and the network, so you never feel that you are completely alone.  I have always worked hard in any role, but I enjoy the flexibility and the feeling that if I work hard now, I reap the benefits."

ROI and expansion

Jo says: "Business is going well.  I recovered the cost of my original franchise purchase within the first three months and went on to buy the second territory within nine months.  I have just had my best quarter so far with Buckinghamshire."

Kaajal Pandit

Kaajal Pandit is an optometrist franchisee of Boots Opticians in Corby, Northamptonshire. She has one practice which she franchised 13 years ago and employs five members of staff.

Her journey with Boots Opticians began 27 years ago as a 16-year-old optical assistant Sunday girl. This inspired her to become an optometrist which she achieved with the support of Boots Opticians and her family. Her career journey was from optical sales advisor to Uswep student, pre-reg optometrist, optometrist, clinic support colleague and finally she reached her goal as a franchise partner.

Challenges

Kaajal says: "Being a female franchisee does present challenges balancing business life, family life, being a mum of two and focusing on providing the best clinical care as an optometrist. However, owning my own business is incredibly rewarding and I use these challenges to motivate me to achieve the best business performance and to be a role model to my two daughters."

Lack of female franchise partners

Sadly, within optics female franchise partners tend to be the minority even though female optometrists are the majority and Kaajal says she would wholeheartedly encourage any women considering franchising to just go for it.

"The benefits outweigh the challenges"

"You have to be very organised and committed but as a franchisee you can take advantage of the business structure already put in place by the franchisor. If you have a good support network around you that definitely helps and build a good rapport with your team, enhance their skills and in turn they will help you grow your business. The benefits far outweigh the challenges and I find the personal growth development and independence achieved, is highly rewarding," says Kaajal.

Free BFA support for franchisees

Boots Opticians became members of the BFA a year ago and Kaajal was asked to be their franchisee champion. The BFA encourages all franchisees to become members and take advantage of their free guidance and benefits.

Kaajal said: "I have found the BFA to be very supportive in business growth, opening networking opportunities, hosting insightful virtual events with guest speakers from all different industries and sharing best practice from their experiences, which I can use and apply in my practice. Support from members of the head office team has been fantastic too; they are always available for Teams meetings to discuss any concerns and offer guidance. I always look forward to BFA events and enhancing my business acumen. Thank you BFA."

Pip Wilkins CEO of the BFA said: "Kaajal and Jo are two great examples of women doing well in the franchise sector. They are both working in industries they know and love and growing their own businesses with the help of their franchisor."

EWIB (Empowering Women in Business)

She continued: "On 19th September in Leicester we will be welcoming hundreds of women to our annual EWIB event. Open to all, this is the ultimate day of empowerment for all women; every year we come together to celebrate our achievements, discuss the challenges of being a woman in business and learn from others how to navigate the working landscape. It is the highlight of the year and I hope any woman thinking of entering into franchising will come along to meet me and my team, and to find out more about the wonderful world of franchising for women.