What is franchising?

Franchising is a term that you may have heard but you might be unsure about what it means.  We all come into contact with franchises on a regular basis, often without realising it; companies like The Body Shop, Haagen Dazs, Clarks and Toni & Guy are all franchise businesses.

Many people describe franchising as a low-risk way to start a business. The franchise business creates the business concept, idea, brand and support material and the franchisee buys the license to use these within a specified region, and build their own business within that area. This means the franchisee has the opportunity to build a successful business of their own without having to come up with an idea and develop the concept, brand and marketing material from scratch.

It can also be a great option for those who would love the flexibility of working for themselves but have no prior experience of running their own business.

If you want to learn more about franchising, we’d recommend these two guides from business website Smarta; What is business franchising? and Is buying a franchise for me?

You can also find out more at the British Franchise Association, the official body for franchising in the UK. Pyjama Drama are proud to be members of the BFA.