February is Love Franchising month, a chance to celebrate franchises and the contribution they make in our communities both economically and by bringing needed services.
As the leading network for Homeshare organisations in the UK, we currently support a network of 25 programmes and have ambitious plans to triple the number of Homeshare providers over the next five years. We are currently in the process of rolling out social franchise opportunities that will bring specialised, local Homeshare social businesses to more areas of the UK.
All this makes it the perfect time for a catch-up with Homeshare UK’s Social Franchise Manager John Wilberforce, to find out his latest news…
We’re just over one year into our social franchising journey and, following the underpinning work of mapping and creating content, processes and training we have recruited and are now training our first social franchisees, one in South Yorkshire and a second in Hampshire. Both have backgrounds in nursing, are passionate about the Homeshare model and we are delighted to have them as part of our network.
We have a really strong pipeline of applicants and expect to have our first ten franchisees on board and operating by the end of 2023.
Our aim is to make Homeshare available to everybody in the UK – and having 10 people owning their own Homeshare Social Enterprises in the first year willbe a brilliant start. I am really encouraged by the volume of enquries and the range of backgrounds of those people enquiring.
“…all you need is a willingness to learn, a commitment to helping others and a sociable demeanour.”
Being a social entrepreneur is not for everyone,. but if you want to feel incredibly good about your career, and you want to own a business whose fundamental aims are around happiness, independence and mutual support, then I can’t think of many better options. Our franchise fees are among the lowest available in the UK, and you need to next to nothing in terms of working capital – all you need is a willingness to learn, a commitment to helping others and a sociable demeanour.
“Franchising is all about collective success in achieving a shared goal.”
We still have lots to do – our journey as a new franchisor has been equally challenging but rewarding as we “learn along the way”. We would love to hear from people across the UK (especially in Scotland!) who are ambitious and want to make a positive impact in their local communities. Franchising is all about collective success in achieving a shared goal.
Keen to find out more about how you could run a Homeshare UK social franchise that will benefit your local community?
Get in touch with John via [email protected]