Driving Miss Daisy franchise background
Although many of the best-known franchises operating today are involved in food, retail, finance or another commercial industry, there are also a number of franchises in the UK that are primarily concerned with social issues. Offering help around the home, personal care and even medical services, these socially minded franchises help thousands of people around the country every day.
In 2015–16, the UK public sector alone spent £220.2 billion on health, social care and benefits to support people with disabilities and health conditions, with many millions more spent in the private sector as well. With the UK’s population become increasingly older and issues like obesity affecting more and more people across the country, this spending is only set to go up.
Although many of the investors looking to put their money into a social franchise are doing so for altruistic reasons, the fact that the sector offers significant potential for profit is a real bonus. As more of us begin to rely on third party companies to provide care for ourselves and our relatives, it’s likely that the number of care franchises will increase.
One franchise that’s leading the way in offering a high quality of care and a high potential for profit is Driving Miss Daisy. The company offers a transportation service for those who are unable to drive themselves to hospital appointments and other essential meetings and events. Rapidly expanding around the world, this innovative business is using the franchise model to help as many people as possible launch this much-needed service.
Origins of the Driving Miss Daisy franchise
A number of different people came up with the idea for Driving Miss Daisy. In New Zealand, Melanie Harper began driving her aunt Trish to appointments at the local doctors’ surgery and hospital as Trish was no longer able to drive herself. As well as providing an essential service, Melanie realised that Trish enjoyed the companionship of the drives and the chance it gave her for a little human interaction. After a while, Melanie, together with her husband Jack, began thinking about how many more people were in need of both transportation and companionship and about how they could offer this service on a wider scale.
While researching their business idea, the couple came across a company named Driving Miss Daisy which was based in Canada. The founder of this business, Bev Halisky, had begun offering the service in 2002. The company mainly worked with elderly people in the Alberta area, however due to the overwhelming demand they experienced for the service, Driving Miss Daisy began to sell franchises to other investors in the local area. After seeing the success of the Canadian franchise for themselves, Jack and Melanie Harper decided to launch their own venture in New Zealand in 2008. The franchise now operates in most parts of New Zealand and has recently launched in the UK and Australia.
Services offered by the Driving Miss Daisy franchise
Driving Miss Daisy is primarily a transportation service with a bit of love and care thrown in. Clients can use the service to travel to medical appointments, visit the hairdressers, go shopping, meet friends, enjoy outings and much more. Driving Miss Daisy allows its clients to live more independently as they will no longer have to rely on friends and family for their transportation needs. As the service is offered by a recognised brand, clients can be confident that their journeys will be safe and secure and the franchise works hard to ensure all its drivers are 100% reliable.
Unlike other similar services, investors operating Driving Miss Daisy franchises offer a more personal touch. This gives customers the companionship and interaction they need while still getting them to their destination on time.
The benefits of running a Driving Miss Daisy franchise
When it comes to social care and home help services, people tend to choose brands that they know. Customers want to know that they can trust the company that’s providing them, or their loved ones, with these vital services and so are unlikely to take a chance on a new start up or unknown business. By investing in a Driving Miss Daisy franchise, you’ll be able to work under a trusted name from day one. This will give the reputation of your new business a real boost and help to raise brand awareness in your local area.
By following the operating steps detailed by the brand, you’ll be able to build a good reputation of your own while offering people in your community a vital service. They’ll provide you with the training and information you need to ensure your vehicles and your drivers are reliable and roadworthy and that your services meet, and even exceed, the expectations of your clients.
What qualifications do you need to start a social care franchise?
The qualifications that are required to invest in a social care franchise will vary from business to business. Often, you won’t need any official qualifications to become a franchisee, however experience working in the area is a bonus and some companies may even insist that you have a certain number of years in the industry. To find out exactly what qualifications are required to invest in your chosen franchise, get in touch with the franchisor as soon as possible.
What does it cost to invest in a Driving Miss Daisy franchise?
If you want to invest in a Driving Miss Daisy franchise, you’ll need £20,000 plus VAT and you’ll need to purchase a liveried, fit-for-purpose vehicle from which to operate your service. For your money, you’ll receive the necessary training and information you need to get started as well as on-going support as you grow your business into a success. As Driving Miss Daisy franchises are mobile, start up costs and overheads are generally lower than other types of business. Once you’ve bought your vehicle, your running costs will be minimal, allowing you to focus on offering a great service to your customers.
Another benefit of investing in a Driving Miss Daisy franchise is the on-going marketing support you’ll receive. The brand will also provide you with social media training and call handling of client enquiries. You’ll receive one-to-one support during the initial set up phase of the business and the corporate arm of the company will take care of registration with HMRC for Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE. Before you begin operating your franchise, you’ll receive thorough first aid training, an extensive introduction to the company and its process and a selection of manuals covering key areas.
With all of these resources behind you, making a success of your new venture will be a lot easier than starting your own business from scratch. This should give you a major advantage over competitors, helping you to build your brand quickly and secure your place in the local market, all while helping people in your community to live more independently.
For more information on investing in a Driving Miss Daisy franchise, or to find out about other community transport franchises that are currently available, take a look around our site today.