Blog
Key Franchising Insights: Your Monthly Round-up September 2026
And here we are, just about to launch into the final quarter of 2026! It’s a great time to take stock and look back over the last 9 months. How has franchising fared this year? The answer, as ever, is: it depends on who you ask and what you measure. The bfa WorkBuzz...
Thinking of franchising? Come and find us at the NEC, 2 & 3 October
The National Franchise Exhibition returns to Birmingham's NEC on 2 & 3 October, and we'll be there across both days - maybe you’re planning to go yourself so you can learn more about franchising ahead of franchising your own business? If so, that’s a great plan....
Meet the newest voice on our international team – and read his first piece
You're used to hearing from me about international franchising — the emails, the webinars, the meetups and events. None of that is going to stop. I did, though, want to introduce you to someone you'll be hearing a good deal more from. Over the past twelve months, I've...
What if you started with the candidate, not the lead?
Everyone in franchising has been talking about one big thing over the last couple of years: recruitment has become much harder. The same questions keep coming up, too: is it me, is it the market, or has something changed for good? There's no simple answer, of course -...
Is franchising still a smart way to grow a business?
You don't need us to tell you the business world has felt harder these past few years, because you'll have lived that yourself. You may well have heard that franchising has become tougher, too. It has. That hasn't stopped it being one of the smartest ways to grow a...
Good franchising has very few shortcuts. International franchising has even fewer.
Twelve months working across borders taught me the fundamentals don't change - they just become far less forgiving. I’ve worked in franchising for a long time, across operations, franchise development, franchisee recruitment and supporting franchise networks, so when...
Peak recruitment season is here. 5 questions to test whether your systems are up to the job
The next few months are usually the busiest of the year for franchise recruitment. September taps into the post-holiday itch that so many career-changers feel once summer is over, October brings the Franchise Show at the NEC, and the run-up to Christmas and the New...
More leads than ever – so why are franchisees harder to sign?
Do you feel like Franchise Recruitment is harder than it used to be? If so, you’re not imagining it, and you’re certainly not alone. It’s something we hear from almost every franchisor we speak to. We work with more than 20 brands at any one time across a wide range...
Is your most valuable recruitment resource pulling its weight?
Successful franchise recruitment depends on a lot of moving parts - lead generation, follow-up, your prospectus, Discovery Days, and the conversations you have. What's changed is where that process begins: more often than not, well before you even know the prospect...
Problem Franchisees: Tolerate, Terminate, or Mediate?
Is there a franchisee in your network who isn’t doing what they agreed to do? Maybe they’ve stopped using the reporting tool you prescribe or aren’t submitting their figures on time. Perhaps they’re simply a constant source of conflict and headaches. Or are they...
Back to the same old grind? Or are you finally done?
Well, there it is – summer's coming to an end, the holidays are over, and it's back to work in earnest. The same old office, or the same dreary old warehouse... that miserable commute, the politics. Not to mention the paycheque which feels like it's barely worth it....
Built for franchisees – turns out your customers need it too
How confident are you that the people you deal with regularly are getting the information they need, when they need it? Not just your team and your franchise network, but your actual customers too. For example, are you: A care provider trying to keep relatives...
Anyone rethinking their future today could be your first franchisee tomorrow
Right now, thousands of people are gearing up for a well-earned break. Even people who are deeply unhappy in their jobs can put that feeling aside while the sun's out, the holiday's booked, and life feels good enough. The dissatisfaction doesn't go away. It just goes...
How do you actually know how much content you need?
Not in the abstract - everyone knows they should be blogging, emailing their database, showing up on social, etc. I mean specifically: how many pieces, in what mix, and what it's going to cost you. Most franchisors I talk to can't answer that with any confidence, and...
Want this year’s conference to do more than just fill a day?
Chances are your conference is still ahead of you this autumn, and you're already thinking about the agenda, the messages you want to land, and what success looks like once everyone's back at their businesses. The biggest reason franchise conferences fall short...
Finding the right executive for your franchise just got easier
Until very recently, there was one name in franchising that franchisors turned to when they needed to fill a senior role and couldn't afford to get it wrong: Shirley Hughes. Over the course of a remarkable career, Shirley built the kind of deep industry relationships...
Your best recruitment window of the year is closer than you think
September through to November is the peak season for franchisee recruitment. Every year, without fail, we see the same pattern: new leads spike, and older, nurtured leads suddenly re-engage. It’s a very real window of opportunity which can lead to great results, but...
Six-figure functionality. Three-figure price tag.
One of the things I love about running the TFC Software House is the moment when something lands on my desk and I think “Yes, that's it. That's the one that actually solves the problem properly.” That happened recently with HolaTeams, and I wanted to share it with you...
Key Franchising Insights: Your Monthly Round-up June 2026
Summer is here, and with it comes something of a moment to take stock. We're now well past the halfway point of 2026, and the franchising world has been anything but quiet. Whether you're actively recruiting franchisees right now, thinking about taking your brand...
Are you actually focusing on the right leads? Or just the loudest?
You've built a process that captures enquiries, follows up consistently, and keeps prospects moving through your pipeline. So why does it often feel like a handful of leads consume most of your time, despite not being the ones who convert? Could stronger prospects be...
