In a time of economic uncertainty with the cost of living increasing, it would seem more people are turning to franchising to safeguard their futures. Results from the recent NatWest/British Franchise Association 2008 UK Franchise Survey show that the UK's franchising industry has grown by an additional 5.8 per cent franchised units in 12 months, with 36,200 franchised business now in operation.

Even though the average age of a franchise owner stands at 47, surprisingly more than one in 10 of franchises are operated by an under-30. The question is why are so many young adults keen to become businessmen and women and why are they turning to the franchise industry?

Stu Anderson, Executive Director of Shell Livewire which has helped 600,000 16-30 year old entrepreneurs explore the avenues of starting a business, believes young people are keen to own a business so that they can "build a respectable career and have more control over their lifestyle."

Control over one's lifestyle is something that The Work Foundation and Trades Union Congress (TUC) has found does not exist for the majority of Britons, "who work more hours than almost all of their European counterparts putting in 36 million hours of free overtime each year, resulting in unhealthy lifestyles, with workers attempting to reconcile long working hours and family responsibilities."

However this control can be gained by starting up a business alone so what are the benefits of owning a franchise for people under the age of 30? Franchise Development Services Managing Director Roy Seaman CFE explains: "Through franchising, young people can learn faster in a safer environment and also benefit greatly from the advice and guidance provided by a franchisor. If a franchise does not work out for them, for whatever reason, they are able to sell the business on. Independently however, they could potentially lose everything."

"I HAD FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE OF HOW DIFFICULT STARTING A BUSINESS FROM SCRATCH IS"
Brother and sister Philip and Emma Holt own a MOLLY MAID franchise in Southport. They joined the MOLLY MAID network in October 2006 when Emma was 27 and Philip 21. Their decision to invest in a franchise was not based on a lack of business experience, as Emma explains: "Our parents ran their own business as did our grandparents, so we grew up in a business environment. After graduating from university I ran my own cosmetic shop business for a number of years and learned quickly that retail can be a costly sector. The shop is still running under my mother's guidance as I decided I needed a new challenge. I wanted a business concept that could be expanded and would bring me nearer to my goal of an early retirement, while being the boss and working the hours I choose.

"I found domestic cleaning franchise MOLLY MAID in The Franchise Magazine. The thought of using a tried and tested business model in a recession-proof industry with the potential to grow was appealing, especially as I had first-hand experience of how difficult starting a business from scratch is. The benefit of investing in a franchise is that you have an idea of how much you need to put into the business before you get a return because the initial costs are upfront. When you set up on your own it's not as clear.

"Although I already had business experience the training and support package has made the whole experience of launching our franchise easier. MOLLY MAID taught us every aspect of the business, which really helped Philip who joined me straight from college. Since launching our franchise, we are never completely on our own with a network of franchise owners, support office and a legal advice helpline to call if we have problems.

"Being part of an internationally recognised brand means we have been able to establish our customer base a lot quicker than if we had set up alone. At present we have 120 customers on the books and seven members of staff. The national and online promotions that MOLLY MAID has run with major supermarkets and brands including Tesco, Fairy, Morrison's, Cillit Bang and Dettol have also been beneficial."

Emma and Philip are happy to work all hours if it means their business will be a success, allowing them to retire before 65. They are willing to let their social life take a backseat if it means they have financial security and an established career in the future.
Read more about MOLLY MAID on page 69.

"YOU FEEL CONFIDENT KNOWING YOUR INVESTMENT IS SAFE"
Another graduate-operated franchise is the commercial cleaning Dublcheck franchise based in Cardiff. The franchise owners Gabor Ivan (26) and Hayley Ward (21) - like Emma and Philip - have previous business experience and share the ambition of an early retirement. Before the launch of their cleaning franchise in February, the couple operated a pizza franchise.

Gabor and Hayley liked the thought of investing in a franchise because of the support network, scope for growth within their territory and ability to be their own boss and choose the hours they work. Also, in the case of Dublcheck the promise of a guaranteed turnover in a recession proof industry meant they could focus on building up the business confident their franchise would make the projected turnover.

"Franchising is definitely the easier route to starting up a business on your own," says Gabor. "You have the help and advice of the franchisor to hand, so if you are investing in a new industry like we have, you feel confident knowing your investment is safe. We like the fact that we are still our own bosses, make the decisions that will affect our future and with the guaranteed turnover we know how much we need to invest in order to make the returns we want.

"Hayley and I were aware that the first 12-18 months of running the business would involve a lot of hard work. We are prepared to sacrifice holidays if it means we can achieve our long-term goal of running a successful business and having the choice to decide when we retire. At the moment we are focusing our energies on building up a good, reliable team who will help us to push the business forward. In fact within our first two months we secured £30,000 worth of contracts. We are confident that we will achieve our guaranteed turnover level of £62,500 by the end of this year."
Read more about Dublcheck on page 92.

"I HAVE MORE MONEY THEN WHEN I WAS WORKING...NOW IT IS JUST A QUESTION OF TIME!"
Lettings specialist Belvoir franchisee Keith Morrison was 28 when he decided to launch his Aberdeen-based franchise in May 2006. A Business Studies graduate with a family business background, Keith was in a similar position to Gabor, Hayley, Philip and Emma with similar aspirations.

"I had always wanted to work for myself, make my own decisions and was prepared to work twice as hard to get a business established if I would reap the benefits and could be in control of my lifestyle," he reflects. "Originally, I was looking to go into property development and had researched the housing market in preparation. My friend's father, a successful businessman himself, advised me to look into a franchise because it is a lower risk alternative especially in the housing industry. I found Belvoir in The Franchise Magazine and followed up my interest.

"In retrospect there is no way I would be where I am today if I had set up on my own. The Belvoir branding, support and training have been excellent. Once Belvoir had taught me the ropes I was left to run the business on my own. I had a great first year turnover and despite the credit crunch I am still accruing properties but at a slightly slower pace. I moved to a shop-front premise earlier this year, which has helped as my office is now situated in a much more accessible location.

"Building up the business has taken up most of my time, so while I have been unable to take a proper holiday I have gone away for weekend city breaks to Barcelona, Munich and Madrid. I do have more money than I did when I was working for someone else, but now it is just a question of time as there is always something that needs doing at work! However as December is a quiet month I am travelling to Thailand and Singapore to visit friends for a few weeks.

"I may be younger than the typical franchise owner, but running my own business has not really affected my social life because I still go out on a Friday night if I want to. If anything it means I now spend less time in front of the television of an evening!"
Read more about Belvoir on page 2.

Interview by Jess Sturman