Feb 1, 2012 | Coconut Workshops, Events
With the franchise industry changing fast, it’s vital to keep up with the latest thinking for franchise recruitment. This is a unique opportunity to gain up to date insight on the latest marketing techniques that can help boost your franchise recruitment.
Topic: How To Improve Your Franchisee Conversion to 1-in-28
Date & Location: 30th May 2013 – Midlands
Places available: 10
View our 3 minute workshop video
Coconut Creatives is the ONLY franchise marketing specialist offering workshops that bring together independent experts in the key fields of marketing, PR, copywriting, branding, social media and events to show you how they all effectively combine to produce excellent results.
You’ll take away some really valuable pointers to utilise within your own business, including:
- Your perfect business ‘elevator pitch’ for use on flyers, prospectus & at exhibitions
- Top copy tips for franchise advertising and PR
- Franchise branding ideas to help you stand out from the rest
- Video concepts that get prospects listening to you
- An applied budget matrix to manage your recruitment
- A professional structure for your marketing
- Benchmarking your current performance against other Franchisors – see how you currently perform!
- Plus, personal feedback on our 1 to 1 afternoon sessions, worth £450!
“Warm, engaging and creative workshop. We found the day extremely motivating covering so many relevant topics inspiring us to move forward with many of the ideas given.”
Janet Walmsley, OSCAR.
Current Promotion
Places booked 6 weeks in advance will be entitle to our early bird offer – 2 places for the price of 1.
Email Lucy or call 01725 511673 to check availability, for more information, an agenda or a booking form.
Nov 17, 2011 | Coconut in the Media
Sarah Carlile, Founding Partner of Coconut Creatives, the only marketing company to be accredited by the bfa offers her advice on preparing for a successful and sustainable 2012.
![Sarah Cook](http://ishouldcoco.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Sarah-Cook1.bmp)
Whether you are looking to start a business or buy a franchise, now is a really good time of year to ask yourself some questions. What will be the best industry to be in, in 2012 onwards? How will the changes in Government affect me? What franchises are growing and providing profitable sustainable business opportunities. In the UK there are around eight hundred franchisors both from inside and outside the British Franchise Association, all looking to recruit the best candidates for their franchise network. Could that be you?
October through to April is the most important time of year to focus on business development. The kids are at school, the summer holidays are over with and Christmas provides an ideal opportunity for reflection on the previous year’s accomplishments. As we approach Christmas many people start to re-evaluate their life choices and a big part of this is their career. We are all familiar with cyclical national headlines such as ‘new year new career’ but how you maximise your chances to capitalise on business opportunities will depend on a number of factors:
It is all about timing. Being in the right place, at the right time and meeting the right franchisors for you. Here’s what you can do:
- Review online profile’s for franchisors: it is really important that you can access current information including availability of territories, current prices, quotes and case studies. You can spend time comparing information you find on different website against information on 3rd party websites. If you find conflicting information on different recruitment websites, the franchisor could be unprofessional or just not keep their communications up to date and this can give you an indication of how they might treat you if you bought into the business.
- Case studies are really useful to you to build a picture of the types of people that have already bought into the franchise. Many franchisors like the van based franchise, Cafe2U will offer video case studies which are very useful in understanding what you might do on a daily basis. The reality is that if they invest in video and better communications, they are likely to be investing more in you when you join. You can gain a huge amount of confidence by reviewing case studies and if you can’t find any that are publicly available, call the franchisor and request some.
- Social Media sites like LinkedIn can be very useful to gain an insight into the business community that you are interested in. Whether you choose a business or a franchise, ensure you join LinkedIn and sign up for some of the special interest groups. See how they communicate with each other and what discussion topics are brought up.
- Consider ALL your options including who the client/ customer will be. Is the market growing? Do you see it growing through 2012? Undertaking due diligence into the market sector, general growth statistics online can give you a good indication of whether your chosen sector and business will work for you.
- Read around the subject: Magazines such as this one and newspapers will have a number of features on business opportunities. These are great for you to review and to gather information on specific individual businesses and also sectors that you could be well suited to.
- Make sure you reach a decision! Ensure you do set yourself a deadline for making a decision about your next career or business move. It is easy to get stuck in ‘analysis paralysis’ and spend so much time deciding what to do, that you never actually get on and do it! Make sure you evaluate all your options and make an informed decision on moving ahead. Gut instinct is usually right, so let this also guide you.
- Relationships are key: No matter how good a franchise opportunity, you need to make sure you get on with the franchisor you will be working with. Relationships are key for your ongoing business development, especially where training takes place.
Overall consider whether a business or a franchise is right for you. Franchises can often be seen as the more expensive choice but the reality is often that the money you invest will save you time and money later on by avoiding common mistakes.
Sep 5, 2011 | Clients in the Media
![Gee_web Gee at the Driver Hire awards 2011](http://ishouldcoco.wpengine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Gee_web-300x199.jpg)
Coconut Creatives’ client news: Driver Hire franchisee takes success into his own hands
Gee Bains owns Driver Hire’s franchise in South East London. Based in Cannon Wharf, his office is part of a nationwide network of almost 100 offices, specialising in providing recruitment services to the logistics sector. Driver Hire supplies some 3,000 personnel each day, mainly drivers and other logistics staff, to organisations in the public and private sectors.
Gee bought his franchise in May 2010 and is a fast-rising new star at Driver Hire. Recently named the network’s Office of the Month, in only his first full year of trading, Gee is on track for annual sales in excess of £700,000 – close to the Driver Hire average of £735,000. This performance is even more impressive when you consider that it is more than twice the £353,000 average turnover for a franchise in the UK, as revealed by the latest bfa/NatWest industry survey.
So how did Gee, still in his early 30s, come to choose to invest in a franchise, and more specifically in Driver Hire? His background is in IT and he had worked for a leading City law firm for over ten years. However, an entrepreneurial spirit was obviously lurking just below the surface – Gee’s father has his own successful business – and once the decision was made to become self-employed, there was no turning back.
Personal Recommendation
“I’d been looking for an investment opportunity for some time, and in fact had first spoken to Driver Hire a couple of years earlier, but the right opportunity wasn’t available at the time. A good friend of mine, Manjit Singh, is the owner of Driver Hire Enfield and he recommended the business to me. I knew how successful Manjit had become and naturally that appealed to me. Manjit is responsible for his own success of course, but he also explained how valuable being part of a successful franchise had been to him, especially through the recession. The package of support that Driver Hire provides really is second-to-none. It’s a franchise with a 50-strong Head Office team, all dedicated to helping make your business a success.”
Extensive Support Package
Driver Hire is a B2B management franchise, operating in a highly legislation and compliance-led industry. Over the years there has been an enormous investment on the part of the franchisor in ensuring that all of its franchisees have a detailed understanding of the relevant rules and regulations, but also in developing systems, processes and training that make day-to-day operations as uncomplicated as possible. This in turn enables the network to deliver market-leading quality standards.
The extensive package of support includes: administrative functions such as invoicing and payroll; a bespoke IT system which takes care of bookings, candidate and customer records, and helps to ensure legislative compliance; a National Accounts team, which delivers centrally-won business opportunities; a Marketing team providing a steady stream of professional marketing resources; and a dedicated Area Development Manager. Franchisees who follow the system and operate their business effectively can take home 10-12% of turnover and of course, build up significant capital value as their business grows.
Keeping it Simple
“It’s actually quite a simple business,” says Gee. “Recruitment is just bringing people together – finding the best match between people who are looking for work, with other people who need staff. We now also have a thriving additional revenue stream in driver training. What I love about my business is the fact that every day is different. I get a real buzz from helping my customers; sorting out their problems and helping them achieve what they are trying to do. The rewards are excellent too. If you are well organised, with great people skills and have the determination to build your own successful business, you should take a closer look at Driver Hire.”
You can find out more about the Driver Hire franchise opportunity by calling 0844 846 0031. Alternatively, visit www.driverhire.co.uk/franchise or email franchise@driverhire.co.uk
Aug 8, 2011 | Clients in the Media
![TJ & Steve_web TJ and Steve, father and daughter team at Rosemary Bookkeeping](http://ishouldcoco.wpengine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/TJ-Steve_web1.jpg)
Coconut Creatives’ client Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise partners are working well as a family team:
TJ Sutherland and Steve Brown have run their Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise since September 2010. Their unusual business partnership has gone from strength to strength showing that family really can work together very successfully.
Last month, TJ and Steve generated £4,800 and they are still in their first year of trading AND both working part-time! They are working closely with Rosemary’s Marketing Director Sarah Cook who writes a specialised marketing plan for every new Franchise Partner that comes on-board.
“People looking for a franchise are mainly concerned about 2 things: how to earn money and win business. We follow the monthly marketing programme that has been written for us which, combined with our weekly marketing calls with Sarah, keeps us on track to earn more money and win more business,” explains Steve.
Established in 2002, this is a proven, solid and reliable bookkeeping business which has been further strengthened due to new Government initiatives. Franchise Partners work in the SME sector, where the Government is making plans to investigate up to 50,000 small businesses with potential £3K fines if they find their books in disorder. This means that small businesses have never been keener to work with a professional bookkeeping service like Rosemary.
- 50% average net profit margins being achieved
- Run by yourself or build into a management style business (projected earnings over £200K)
- 2.16 Million Customers NEED this Service! According to Federation of Small Businesses
- Tailored training allows delivery within 6 weeks
- No office premises required – work from home
- Benefit from 60 years collective industry experience
- Week-by-week business development support even AFTER 5 days initial trainingNo former bookkeeping qualifications or experience necessary
“A low cost, high profit margin, service business, operated from home. You simply need to follow a system, backed up by Rosemary support,” Lisa Curteis, Rosemary Director.
Come and meet TJ and Steve at a monthly Rosemary Bookkeeping Discovery Day and see if this is a business you could do. The discovery day includes informal seminars in the morning, networking lunch and 1 to 1 workshops in the afternoon led by the Rosemary team: Claire Watson-Bardot, Joanna Dennis, Sarah Cook and Lisa Curteis.
It is a ‘no stone left unturned’ day for you to ask whatever questions you like in an open and informal environment where you’ll get a real taste of the Rosemary Culture and how their unrivalled support in the areas of Bookkeeping, Operations and IT, Training and Marketing will ensure your business success.
For more information email: franchise@rosemarybooks.co.uk or call 01442 800147.
Aug 8, 2011 | Clients in the Media
![ActivityMix-logo_NEW_strap activitymix logo: more than just fun and games](http://ishouldcoco.wpengine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ActivityMix-logo_NEW_strap-300x104.jpg)
Coconut Creatives’ client activitymix explains why their management franchise is contributing to a new era of employee engagement:
Organisations are asking their staff to do more and more to ride the wave of economic uncertainty and HR managers are looking for ways to motivate staff without offering substantial financial incentives. Recently Peter Wilde, Global Head of Engagement at Unilever and an expert in the field of employee engagement, completed research which confirmed that businesses who use employee engagement programmes see increased profits but that they need to change their emphasis from traditional staid programmes in order to achieve the same engagement impact!
One company that has a proven impact on staff productivity and a record of keeping track of changing trends is activitymix, a management franchise business currently operating in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London.
activitymix, is an employee engagement business that uses sport and physical activity to help companies increase productivity and reduce absenteeism, and can boast a consistent client retention rate of 80% year on year with global brands such as Shell, BP, BarclaysCapital, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Over 20,000 people have participated since 2003, and participation rates within individual companies are increasing with the original activitymix territory reaching a turnover of £350k.
Founders Jules Lancastle and Richard Johnston see this enviable retention rate as an indication of good market analysis and excellence in service delivery. They have worked hard to protect their business model which now offers an exciting business option for future franchise partners with a desire to combine sport with business objectives.
Could your company benefit from some activitymix treatment? Or could you be the next activitymix franchise partner? It’s a great business because they invest in keeping up with the latest techniques to keep staff motivated:
- 7 years of experience & systems development
- Produce proposals that work for board directors and company executives
- Initial 5 day tailored training course for franchise partners
- One-day additional training course EVERY month for the duration of the 5 year franchise agreement
- Only choose the most budding enthusiastic entrepreneurs as franchise partners!
You can find out more about activitymix as a franchise opportunity at one of their discovery days.
- An open, honest and transparent opportunity for you to ask all your questions about any aspect of the business
- Join in a group activity to see first-hand what the client experience is like!
Call activitymix for more information or to register for a discovery day on 0845 2700160.