Work from home franchise, what are the best home based franchises?
Are you considering self-employment & interested to find out more about a work from home franchise? Before we start looking at some of the home based franchise opportunities available you need to first consider if home based working is right for you.
Mindset, remember it’s work
Some time ago I used to work for an IT & office equipment company. I was already spending well over 2 hours a day on my commute to the office. The company decided to move even further away making my daily commute over 3 hours! I was offered the opportunity to work from home, we were a great IT company so in terms of technology it would be no different, phone, laptop, CRM all the same so I jumped at the chance.
After a few weeks I was really struggling. I could not separate my work life from my home life. The phone would ring for things to do with the home or family, the TV would draw me it & my lunch would last 2 hours sometimes! It was really effecting my work & I felt guilty that despite my employee being so flexible & giving me lot’s of support I was letting them down. I decided I need to change everything to do with the way I was currently working. I had a very small dining room & decided to make this my office so I redecorated, put in office furniture & set-up everything the way I had it at my old office. Even though I rarely went out I made a point of being dressed for work, not jeans & T shirt & had a strict routine of arriving in my little office, lunch breaks etc & once it was 5:30pm everything went off in the office, door shut & I was home.
It worked & I found without the office distractions & all the travelling I was far more productive, less tired & enjoyed my life & work far more. Because I was more successful at home my company even started to offer home based work to more people that they felt it would suit.
Although my scenario initially was employment I have also worked for many years self employment from home using the same approach. To be successful you need to create a great work environment for yourself & manage your time strictly, if you can achieve this you can enjoy a great work life balance.
What work from home franchises are available?
There are so many options now available to run a home-based franchise, these include;
- Van based franchises – Many van based franchises do not need any premises to operate. Van franchises could include courier services, automotive repair, gardening, catering & confectionery. In fact their are hundreds of van based franchises available in the UK. Find out more about van based franchises
- Management franchises – Some management style franchise businesses also provide a great opportunity to work from home. Some of these franchises including industry sectors such as telecoms & IT, website & digital marketing, property, travel, hospitality & pet care. Management or white collar franchises are generally seeking a candidate with either previous management or supervisory experience or business development & sales experience.
What work from home franchise is right for me?
Previous career background is generally less important with franchising as most franchise business owners or Franchisors will provide training & support. What you need to consider is what franchise would be best for your character. For example if you love sales & communication with people then a management franchise involving sales could be an ideal franchise business for you. If you are a person that is great with detail, follows a system & are in reasonably good health a van based franchise maybe be a great fit.
When you love doing something you are usually pretty good at it! Therefore when you are considering investing in a work from home franchise look for something that either you enjoy doing or have a passion or interest. Remember most franchises are a minimum of a 5 year commitment so you need to believe in what you are doing & enjoy your work. If you are seeking a work form home franchise for a better work life balance & lifestyle then enjoying what you do is paramount.
What is the process of buying a franchise?
After you have browsed franchises on websites such as ours & made your enquiry you will usually be sent an email, possibly a franchise brochure or prospectus & you may also receive a call from the franchise business owner or Franchisor. After this initial contact a good process to follow to consider investing in a work from home franchise is;
- Build a shortlist of franchises – Consider as above which franchises are right for you & that you have a genuine interest.
- Attend a face to face meeting – Often called a Franchise Discovery Day but is generally a face to face meeting, sometimes on a 1-2-1 basis to find out more about the opportunities
- Ask a lot of questions! – Do your research. Find out who owns the business, company history & background, existing support staff & existing Franchisee’s & their experiences
- Seek professional advice – Once you have made a decision on the franchise you would like to run you need to carry out thorough due diligence. This will consist of both financial & legal due diligence & for this you should seek professional advice from a qualified franchise lawyer and accountant.
Good luck with your search for the ideal work from home franchise. You may find our free franchise guide useful.