The BFA HSBC British Franchise Awards will be taking place in November at the Telford International Centre in Shropshire. So you might ask why we are doing a blog about these awards now.
Recognising excellence
The reason they’re top of mind for us is because the deadline for entries closed earlier this month. Proud of the extraordinary work that many of our franchisees do within their communities, we decided to enter two of them for major awards.
Whether you’re a seasoned franchise veteran or a rising star in the industry, the BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2024 is your platform to shine. It’s an opportunity to showcase your dedication, passion, and commitment to the world of franchising.
Proud to support the BFA
Since 1977, The British Franchise Association (BFA) has become by far the largest and most influential trade association for franchising in the UK. They are well-known for their commitment to promoting franchising both nationally and regionally.
Like any other business model, franchising can be at risk of unethical practices. The BFA, working with their legal professional advisors, is working hard to stamp that out. They aim to help create a franchise sector with ethical business models and sustainable business opportunities for all. You could say they wrote the rulebook when it comes to franchise ethics and best practices.
All members must go through the BFA’s accreditation process to ensure they are ethical and fall in line with the Code of Ethics for Franchising.
But why are we such keen supporters of their awards and what benefits do we think they bring to our organisation and the franchising sector as a whole?
Encouraging higher levels of performance
In our view, these awards encourage franchisees to make the effort to step up their performance. Not everyone can be the best, but everyone can certainly be better if they have the motivation together with best practice examples to inspire them. Winning an award validates all that hard work and leads to recognition within the franchise network and the wider industry. It instils a sense of pride in the winners and fosters a competitive spirit in those who miss out.
Benefits of being an award-winning franchise
As a network, we benefit too. An award-winning franchise network finds it easier to attract a higher calibre of franchisees which is great news for everyone within the organisation as growth benefits everyone.
Award-winning franchisees gain media exposure in industry publications and press releases. This free publicity can lead to increased visibility and brand awareness, reaching a broader audience than through regular marketing efforts alone. The accolades can also be leveraged in advertising materials, adding a competitive edge and differentiating our franchise in a crowded market.
Thinking of joining the party?
Then, of course, it’s also worth mentioning that the awards ceremonies themselves are fun. It’s a chance to connect with industry peers and other successful franchises and franchisees, enabling the sharing of best practices and innovative strategies.
Growing in popularity, franchising is certainly a good thing to be involved in at the moment. According to a recent survey, around 90 percent of all franchisee businesses were profitable after just two years. That contrasts with approximately 50 percent of independent businesses that will go under within the same time frame.
Your chances of surviving and thriving are quite clearly better if your business is a franchise, particularly if you’re part of a flourishing and well-established organisation like Swimtime.
Growing popularity of swimming
Swimming is certainly a good sector for successful franchisees to be in at the moment. Over 4 million people in the UK go swimming at least twice a month. To give you another example of the scale of interest in swimming currently, there are over 750,000 searches every year in the UK for “Swimming Pool Near Me”.
Swimtime is the UK’s largest independent swim school and a flourishing franchise network. Set up over 25 years ago, we’re proud to be setting the highest standards with all of our teachers highly qualified to ensure swimmers receive a safe, fun and rewarding experience.
Better still, a Swimtime franchise comes with a ready-made business support network that’s always there when you need it.
It’s also worth mentioning that Swimtime is a BFA-accredited operator which should give you all-important reassurance that we’re an ethical and trustworthy organisation.
We have no idea whether the two franchisees we’ve entered into the BFA HSBC British Franchise Awards 2024 will end up with a trophy in November but, whatever happens, they’re winners in our eyes.
If you’d like to find out more about Swimtime and our successful franchise model, please just follow this link. We’d love to hear from you and we’ll be delighted to answer any questions you might have with no obligation whatsoever.
