I saw my mum doing well in business, so took the plunge
WHeN Jo French started her own business, she only had to look to her family for inspiration.
And she is now encouraging other women to take the franchise route, too.
‘My mother had her own business, so I’d never seen running one as related to one sex or the other,’ says Jo, 41, who decided to become selfemployed after a career in finance.
She invested in an XPress Legal Services franchise and now offers property search services to solicitors and conveyancers.
‘I liked the fact that a franchise offered a triedandtested business model, and my research showed that XPress offered good support from the franchisor and the network of other franchisees,’ says Jo, from Stansted, essex.
‘After four years, I’m expanding into a new office and recruiting people. I have also benefited from the experiences of other franchisees. They have exactly the same kind of business as I do, so their advice is always relevant.
‘It’s this kind of networking that can make franchising particularly appealing to women. Women are also said to be good at multitasking — an essential skill in the business world.’
Lynne Lister, director at XPress Legal Services, says: ‘Almost 60 per cent of our network is female and half of our XPress award winners are women. Women seem especially suited to franchising: they work hard, and can lead and be team players simultaneously.
‘But we welcome interest from ambitious, hardworking women and men, because gender is irrelevant to success.’
The £29,750 XPress franchise can be run from home.
Former mathematics teacher Claire Roberts, 26, is now a franchisee with Magical Maths, running afterschool maths clubs in Staffordshire.
‘I saw the franchise as a lowerrisk way to start a business. The structure and system are provided, leaving me free to grow the business,’ says Claire, winner of the young franchisee category in the Natwest eWIF women in franchising awards.
Magical Maths founder Colin Bradford says: ‘Most of our franchisees are female. The business fits round a family. Women often have networks that include primary school contacts, which helps with marketing.’
Investment starts at £15,995. Teaching experience is not essential.
X-Press Legal Services, 01925 393 333; Magical Maths, 0116 202 9944.