ScaleUp Institute Endorsed!

A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A GREAT FUTURE FOR YOURSELF WHILST HELPING OWNER MANAGERS TO BUILD GREAT FUTURES FOR THEMSELVES!

This is not just any business franchise! The BizSmart Franchise enables you build a highly profitable 6 figure sustainable business based on recurring income by helping owner managers to overcome the challenges in scaling their own businesses.

If you are fascinated by the ‘business of business’ and passionate about helping others to master it and create freedom and control for themselves through their business, then we want to talk to you about how you join us as we disrupt the rapidly expanding coaching market for small and medium sized businesses!

Forget the image of a ‘so-called’ business expert telling owner managers to do what they did 20 years ago, or some ‘wet behind the ears’ youngster whose read a few books – this is real support that delivers. Our proven ScaleUp system has recently gained endorsement by the ScaleUp Institute – alongside organisations such as Goldman Sachs and Cranfield School of Management – based on the tangible impact we are delivering. We are the only business coaching franchise organisation with that endorsement.

You will need to be able to be credible to business owners as a leader in your own right. You may have carved a successful career in business already, or you may have been successful in another field – either way we can teach you the business skills. But you will have already had success and reached a position of leadership and have a fascination for business.

If you have, then we can show you how to build a highly rewarding (not just in financial terms) business of your own that will provide you with a great future – based on helping others to create a great future for themselves.

AVAILABLE LOCATIONS:

Opportunities available across the UK

BUSINESS TYPE:

Franchise

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

£35,000

FINANCING ASSISTANCE:

Yes, through a third party.

TRAINING PROVIDED:

Yes

HOME-BASED:

Yes

FRANCHISE ASSOCIATIONS

BFA Provisional Member

BizSmart® franchisees use their skills with our systems to help business owners scale up their businesses and gain more control and freedom as a result.. Our approach establishes ‘clear water’ from other franchises and is derived on 3 core areas:

Our unique approach to and understanding of the ScaleUp Journey as a series of ‘stepping stones’

A unique suite of resources (including software, video and printed tutorials, Annual report on the Challenges Scaling Up as well as a thought leading supporting book) to address the key challenges in transitioning to the next stepping stone

Harnessing the power of peers at different stages of the scaleup journey through peer to peer working supported by additional 1:1 support

Owner managers can engage with us through a range of trademarked programmes, enabling franchisees to build multiple recurring revenue streams and retain clients for extended periods. The average retention on our SmartBoards® is over 4 years.

A BizSmart® franchise provides the freedom of working for yourself. Your business would be:

Thought leading – ScaleUp Institute endorsed

Independent – you answer to yourself – freedom from suffocating corporate life

Supported – you’re not on your own; we help you build a robust business

Dynamic – peer to peer techniques are highly effective compared to typical business coaching methods

Systematised – our software and automated processes maximise working efficiency

Driven – we give you access to well proven business building techniques

Rewarding – for those with determination and ambition six figure earnings are achievable

Saleable – you’ll be building an asset for future sale

The effective methods we have devised allow franchisees to build a strong portfolio of clients within an exclusive territory. The business enjoys the benefits of recurring revenue due to its monthly membership fee and the quality of the support BizSmart® provides ensures strong client loyalty.

About BizSmart®

BizSmart® has a clear mission: to radically improve the advice and support available to the owners of small businesses. We aim to help them scale and transform performance. And our franchise is an excellent platform for those keen to be business mentors.

Our founder and MD, Kevin Brent, is at the forefront of peer to peer and scale up business support. Having set up BizSmart® over 10 years ago, he has challenged the conventional approaches to business coaching to take full advantage of the growing demand from businesses for external support, particularly as they respond to the pandemic. The innovative programmes that Kevin and his team have created combine collaborative forums, workshops and 1:1 tutorials designed to inspire and motivate, delivering excellent results – meeting the rigorous endorsement standards of the ScaleUp Institute review panels

At the core of our business is an old African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”

BizSmart® franchisees facilitate, enable and guide their clients through a collaborative process, stimulating ideas, solving problems and focusing on achievable goals as they navigate the scale up journey.

Business owners derive huge benefits from the scale up peer to peer approach that BizSmart® has created. Sharing experiences, ideas and feedback with other owners provides the extra inspiration and motivation they need to kick on and really fulfil the potential of their business. For franchisees, the business is hugely rewarding, giving them a central role in the success of their clients and the prospect of a six figure income.

What We Offer

Our turnkey package comprises:

Exclusive franchise territory.

Use of our innovative scale up programmes – Flight Academy®, Smart90®, SmartBoost® and ScaleUp Club®

Full training in our range of coaching products, resources and techniques.

‘Rocket’ launch marketing programme.

Suite of software programmes

Comprehensive manuals and video tutorials.

Digital marketing programmes

Ongoing mentoring support from Kevin and the team.

Business stationery

Sales literature

Social media support

Assistance with Local Government tendering

Comprehensive Operations Manual

Approved suppliers offering concessionary terms

What’s required?

If using your leadership and commercial skills and experience to work with business owners, sharing your expertise to help them flourish, is something that excites you then a BizSmart® franchise would be the ideal franchise. You would organise action learning forums with small teams of like-minded MD’s and senior managers and conduct 1:1 coaching sessions. So, the prerequisites are proven business management experience, great communication skills and a genuine passion for business. Combining these qualities with BizSmart’s® innovative coaching programmes creates a powerful, winning business partnership.

The 6 Biggest Misconceptions About Purchasing a Franchise

If you’re considering purchasing a franchise, the best thing you can do is make sure you are well informed.

There are many common misconceptions about the franchise industry but, by doing your research and speaking to those who have already been through the process and know it first-hand, you can differentiate between fact and fiction and make an educated decision about whether franchising is right for you.

Here are 6 of the most common mistaken beliefs many people hold about purchasing a franchise, and some insight based on our discussions with prospective franchisees.

1. It’s cheaper to start your own business from scratch

One of the biggest misconceptions people hold about purchasing a franchise is that it’s expensive and it’s cheaper to start your own business from scratch.

In my experience, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It has taken us eight years to get our business model right, and we have invested far more into it than it typically costs to purchase a franchise.

Franchising investments can usually be worked to your own budget, but an important thing to remember is that purchasing a franchise will likely come with several benefits that a start-up would not.

2. You won’t have any independence as a franchisee

Another myth I hear a lot is that you won’t have any independence as a franchisee because the franchisor makes all the decisions, but this is simply not the case.

Of course, you do have to follow the franchisor’s basic system or ‘business blueprint’, but you will normally have flexibility in key business decisions, such as your location, who you hire and how you promote your business in the local area.

If you do have any concerns about this, before you commit to buying into a franchise, have a conversation with your potential franchisor and find out directly from them how things would work and what their level of involvement would be, so you can be certain flexibility is guaranteed.

3. The franchisor will build the business for you

Although the franchisor does set up a selection of frameworks and systems for your franchise to work within, owning a franchise isn’t a passive form of income and the franchisor won’t build the business for you.

While brand recognition, location, and a developed business system can take you far, you will still need to spend time developing, managing and growing your business - the benefits of franchising do not automatically guarantee you success.

Owning a franchise is hard work, and the only person responsible for making your business a success is you.

4. You need a lot of prior experience

The level of experience you will need to successfully run a franchise depends on the franchise model, but you may not need to already have specific industry knowledge.

Of course, having previous experience working in a well-established business at managerial level will aid your success as a franchisee and provide you with the foundation knowledge to run your own business. However, it is far more important to have the right attitude, as the franchisor will provide the specific training you may need.

5. The well-known franchises are the best

Many assume that the well-known and well-established franchises are the best, but this is not necessarily true. Clearly a well-established franchisor is likely to have a large number of franchisees and will be able to point to some successful ones, but this doesn’t mean new and emerging franchises are no good - quite the opposite, in fact.

Established franchises may well become complacent, whereas a good new franchise might be disrupting the market with new ideas and technologies, adapting much faster to changing needs. You may also find a more established franchise more restrictive, and a younger one more adaptive to you and accepting of your ideas.

To decide the type of franchise that is best for you, you need to decide what kind of business would give you satisfaction to build, however any good franchise, young or well-established, should:

• Have created a differentiated product or service that gives them a competitive advantage and leads to a sustainable [and profitable business model

• Be doing things ‘properly’. For example, are they members of the BFA [British Franchise Association]? This indicates that they are taking franchising seriously and have ‘jumped through several hoops’ to satisfy the BFA requirements

• Be good at engaging with and delighting customers. Do they have a proven route to attract new customers and systems to engage them in the business?

• Excel at training and developing new franchisees. What is their training programme like and how do they help their franchisees to be successful?

Even franchisors looking for their first franchisee should be able to demonstrate the above if they are to be taken seriously.

6. You should wait for the perfect time and the perfect franchise

Many people ‘fantasise’ about starting their own business, whether it be a franchise or not. They may have great ideas, but the timing isn’t quite right, or maybe the business idea is quite perfect. They are waiting for the stars to perfectly align and of course they never quite do – so 99% will never actually start a business.

It is the same with franchising. Only around 1% of people looking at the idea of franchising will actually take one up. The other 99% will say they haven’t been able to find the ‘right’ business. Perhaps the investment is a little bit too high, the returns not quite ‘guaranteed’ enough, or maybe a little bit too much work is required.

The 1% will decide that ‘now is the time’, do their due diligence, find a good franchise that suits their goals and make it work for them. At some point, you just have to make the decision that you are going to do it and set the wheels into motion. Are you in the 1% or the 99%?

Conclusion

Franchising is an amazing way to branch into entrepreneurship, but there is a lot of misinformation out there holding aspiring franchisees back from ever getting started.

By arming yourself with as much information as possible, and knowing the untruths to overlook, you can ensure you buy into a franchise for all the right reasons. But at the end of the day, you need to decide to leave the 99% behind!

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will you help me get clients?

A: Yes, you will have access to our proven business development techniques and our training and mentoring will equip you to maximise lead conversion. The BizSmart® Scale Up programme is unique and often sells itself.

Q: How long is the franchise term?

A: The franchise agreement has a duration of 5 years, with an automatic right to renew for a further 5 year period.

Q: How extensive should my management career be to qualify?

A: It’s important that you can demonstrate very good commercial skills and have personal attributes that will enable you to communicate effectively. This may be based on just a few years of managerial experience, preferably in different market sectors. We do not have a fixed view on the length of business career that a franchisee has, the important requirement is that they have the knowledge and attitude to lead in a positive manner

Q: Do I need business premises?

A: No, a BizSmart® franchise can be run from a home office

Q: What fees do I charge?

A: We give you guidance on the fees that you may charge clients but the decision about the exact amount is down to you.

Q: How much should I expect to earn?

A: The level of earnings that could be achieved are dependent on the amount of effort you apply and the success you have at retaining clients. As a guide, a well-run franchise has the potential to generate an annual turnover of over £200k and with low overheads the net profit is expected to be well into six figures.