Key to Myhome's success, for both the franchisee and franchisor, is the comprehensive training and development programme that it provides to its franchise partners. One of the main reasons that people buy a franchise rather than setting up on their own is to have a business partner that has been through the vital learning curve and successfully developed tried and tested systems that will guarantee success. The main tool for transferring this knowledge to the franchisee is the Training and Development Programme. Myhome has an outstanding programme designed to ensure the franchise succeeds...fast.

Myhome takes its training extremely seriously. Franchisees don't just turn up on the day of the course to receive some product training and leave sometime later weighed down with reading materials, rather the training starts the moment the Myhome franchise partner signs up. Their training programme assumes nothing, it starts right at the beginning and teaches franchise partners everything they need to know about running a successful business.

Their programme is based on a system that begins with the Myhome Getting Started guide which shows franchisees how to prepare for business. It takes them step by step through all the essential things they need to do before opening for business and advises on opening a bank account, registering for VAT and NI, accounting practice, getting Myhome vehicles on the road and organising phone and computer lines. The Getting Started guide also prepares franchise partners for the centre piece of the system - a five-day, highly intensive residential training course.

Using a range of development techniques from video role plays to practical demonstrations, the course provides franchise partners with the skills they need to get off to a flying start. Winning and keeping customers; working on your business, not in it; and building and managing your team are just some of the areas covered.

It is important that the information is delivered well. The practical, video-taped exercises are often tough, but the benefits gained by being able to analyse your approach before you are in front of a customer and receive structured feedback are invaluable. Myhome's training course is challenging, but is delivered in such a way that participants leave fired up, excited and ready to build their business into a successful venture.

But the training doesn't end there. After the course, franchise partners begin Myhome's 90-day nurturing programme. During this three-month period Myhome supports franchise partners in a number of ways. As well as being on hand to help every step of the way, Head Office surveys customers who have signed up to the service after a meeting with the new franchisee, as well as those who haven't, checking that the franchisee's customer service techniques are working.

This process is carried out three times over the 90-day period. Whatever the outcome of the research, the franchisee obtains invaluable feedback, support and ongoing training and development at a critical time of their start-up.

Myhome's business format, together with its training and operating systems, have been perfected over the last 10 years. Myhome's Training Director Richard Lambert says: "Myhome has established all the necessary business systems to provide a turnkey operating system that guarantees to lead franchise partners to success. It's an outstanding programme of development, unique in the franchise world. More importantly, it's a system designed to train franchise partners how to become successful...fast!"

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR MYHOME FRANCHISEES...

Sue Filsell and Simon Glenister are two of the newest franchisees to join the growing and successful Myhome partnership. Sue and Simon both graduated from Myhome's comprehensive training course at the end of January and began trading just a few weeks later. Since then, their business has gone from strength to strength.

Sue and Simon previously ran their own successful multimedia company. Having been in partnership together for some time, Sue and Simon knew they made a great team and were looking for a change of direction and a fresh and exciting business challenge. When they came across Myhome they realised this was their perfect opportunity - by working in partnership with an established and respected company, they would benefit from the business support system Myhome offers to its franchisees. As Simon tells us: "The reality is, we're running our own business, but we're never on our own!"

As with other Myhome franchisees, Sue and Simon were prompted into their new venture after coming across an increasing number of people who were dissatisfied with their domestic help. Says Sue: "We both relate to the busy lifestyle that people have today - dual income households, working long, hard days, the last thing you want to do when you get home is clean! We also have friends with families who have no time to clean and elderly people who need help with their cleaning from a company they can trust to get it right and feel secure with. It's so hard to find a reliable cleaner with high standards, when we heard about Myhome it seemed like the perfect opportunity for us."

According to Sue, as well as demonstrating a franchise model that virtually guaranteed success, the partners were really impressed with the training programme Myhome had to offer.

"Myhome provides one of the most thorough programmes in the franchise business with ongoing training, support and advice every step of the way to ensure our franchise succeeds," she reflects. "The training programme assumed nothing, started right at the beginning and taught us everything we needed to know about running a residential cleaning business!"

Adds Simon: "Becoming a franchisee has really changed my life in a positive way. I don't mind doing that little bit extra as I know that my actions reflect directly on my business. You must be prepared to work hard and enjoy working and communicating with people. People like to see that you are a local business working within the community and remember that every job could lead to a potential reference! We definitely have more control over our lives and what we do with our time which is great and I can confidently say our franchise has exceeded our expectations!"