The 2006 NatWest/British Franchise Association (bfa) UK Franchise Survey reveals that over 50 per cent of those looking into franchising for the first time take the time to attend either a franchise exhibition and/or an educational seminar.

The decision to consider franchising as a route to running a business is an important one. There are many considerations and many different sources of information - the difficulty is knowing where to start.

The bfa has spent 29 years as the voice of franchising in the UK and part of our work is involved with ensuring that people investigating franchising spend as much time as they need learning about the industry, the concepts and the ways of evaluating their suitability.

Starting a business through franchising will involve a long-term commitment and a sizeable investment so it is important that new franchisees go into the process with their eyes open and spend the time and money to ensure that the investment decision is the right one. Attending a one-day bfa franchisee workshop is an ideal way to learn more about the industry and hear from franchisees, franchisors, banking and legal professionals all brought together in one location for a real induction into franchising.

Course content

• What is a franchise?
• The benefits of franchising as a means of starting your own business
• The advantages and disadvantages of franchising
• What is a good franchise opportunity?
• How to assess the opportunity
• How to finance the right proposition
• Understanding the franchise agreement and the importance of independent legal advice
• The support and advice that is available

If you are still in full-time employment and unsure as to whether franchising is the right thing for you, attending one of the bfa's evening seminars is an ideal way to learn about franchising before you make up your mind. An evening seminar will provide you with an introduction to franchising and examples of some of the systems in operation in the UK.

It is vital that anybody considering franchising understands at the very least the basics and jargon. We have for some time run one-day workshops which cover franchising more comprehensively, but this new programme allows us a chance to introduce the sector to the 'franchise curious'. By running seminars in the evening we can whet the audience's appetite, and also spend time telling them where they can learn more.

The first event took place in London on the 29th March and was fully booked. 100 per cent of the attendees commented that the evening was "good" or "excellent". Among the positive feedback one delegate said: "This seminar was a great place for me to start my franchise journey."

Workshops and evening seminars take place in London, Bristol, Manchester, Reading and Birmingham throughout the year.

For more information visit or to book a place, please complete the response form below.