Make or break time for UK franchising

by Catherine Woods - Friday, 26th September 2008 -

Mike Goddard, the founder of Belvoir Lettings and chairman of the British Franchise Association, says the nation’s business franchise community is at a crossroads in its history.

“We’re nowhere near as strong as we can be and we’re nowhere near as well understood by the consumer as we should be,” he says. “However, we’ve got a very strong association and a very strong board of directors. There’s a lot of work to do but also a great opportunity to put franchising on the map of the UK.”

The BFA is a voluntary trade body to which the majority of business franchise organisations belong. Goddard has been chairman since February and is passionate about raising public awareness of franchising and widening the BFA’s remit so that it looks after the interests of all business franchise owners, not just franchisors.

He’s also a great believer in “the concept of franchising done properly”. Goddard franchised his residential property management business 13 years ago and now has 143 franchises operating throughout the UK. Turnover currently stands at £20m.

“If done properly, franchising is a win-win scenario,” he says. “Having been in the military before starting Belvoir, I knew the power of being able to systematise a process so that's what I did: I systematised my business and then replicated it by franchising.

“I’ve broken down the business into component parts and put them into a system. It’s defined via our manuals, training, the way we operate; everything is our system. If you follow it, then you’re successful although clearly the key is getting it right in the first place.”

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