[Ian Lancaster]

Just buy Ians package for £1500 and away you go!

Couldn't have put it better myself

Thanks Mark

[davids3511]

I hope somebody has told "burger" king about this.

[Smudger]

i hate to get involved in any RW threads ( usually just like to watch  )

but a few points i'd like to make -

1. your name is not to 'descriptive' i had " dial a dog wash " come and give the German Shepard a wash and brush up today - he's a franchise with deascriptive name ...

2. over the years i've had several customers ask if i was a franchise - some just interested in how i started out and a couple 'fishing' to see if they could get a 'franchise' for themselves - does not mean it's a good idea

3. as mentioned you don't really want to franchise do you - your just looking at ways to employ but negate your responcabilities

4. Franchising i feel would really suit you Richy - but you would have to it set it up correctly and do all the legal stuff which unfortunatly i feel you'd gloss over and end up with bigger problems


try to focus on your biz - get back to basics - go and clean windows


Darran

[davids3511]

The problem with a franchise is that you have to convince the prospect that you are worth punting 1000's on and possibly giving up a full time job.

Now Richy sounds like a decent guy but reading his posts on here I don't think he could convince me to let him have thousands of my hard earned in the hope of him setting me up.

[Perfect Windows]

no ian we were just told it was too descriptive of the service im offering maybe in was wrong advice, il look into it furthur it was just general enquiries at the time so didnt really take it any furthur but its a route id be interested in taking

No such thing!!  A business name OUGHT to be descriptive.  Whoever advised you, I hope you didn't pay him!!

I suspect that the franchise guy was referring to Richy making his name a registered trade mark, when the rules mentioned do become a problem.

Vin

[keyser soze]

i really like your business name richy . i wouldn't part with that. basically i think you dont want to be a window cleaner i can see that it probably bores you but the business side appeals to you. lets face it you couldn't get many businesses less basic than window cleaning.i wouldn't ever employ anyone. they have too many benefits that a small business cant afford. self employed is the way forward but one guy is not gonna make you any money.

[GS CLEANING SERVICES UK]

what % is your domestic and comm Rich

[Paul H]

Dragons Den .. few years ago.. UK COMMERCIAL CLEANING .. franchise... similar descriptive type... 

As Sir Richard Branson says "screw this let do this"...  so screw it and do it!

[boshravie]

The problem with a franchise is that you have to convince the prospect that you are worth punting 1000's on and possibly giving up a full time job.

Now Richy sounds like a decent guy but reading his posts on here I don't think he could convince me to let him have thousands of my hard earned in the hope of him setting me up.

Hence Richy should go and see Ian Lancaster, he has been doing it for few years now, and successful at it,  £1.500 he charge is nothing compare to all  those guys in a suite, who charge Arm & Leg to give you a wrong advice.

So go and see Ian- Lancaster Richy.

I am glad I did , it was one of my best investment I have done. 

[Window Washers]

The problem with a franchise is that you have to convince the prospect that you are worth punting 1000's on and possibly giving up a full time job.

Now Richy sounds like a decent guy but reading his posts on here I don't think he could convince me to let him have thousands of my hard earned in the hope of him setting me up.

Hence Richy should go and see Ian Lancaster, he has been doing it for few years now, and successful at it,  £1.500 he charge is nothing compare to all  those guys in a suite, who charge Arm & Leg to give you a wrong advice.

So go and see Ian- Lancaster Richy.

I am glad I did , it was one of my best investment I have done. 

do you have any franchisess Bosh ?

[richywilts]

to be honest its light years away for me at present it wasnt me who rang the franshise company so im not 100% on what was actually said maybe it was the trademark or something about having to trademark your name to get the franchise process going.

the idea is simply a friend of mine who aint great with marketing covers runcorn and chester and the lad who works for me lives in the wirral (bit too far for me to travel for domestics) if i could get maybe one more franchise to work an area close by we could begin getting the brand out there

moneys not a major goal of mine what i visioned was building a brand and having lots of vans about, having gone down the employing route i have found it difficult maybe im just still a bit young and not ready to fully commit

[stuart mc]

richy it isn't that daft a question mate to be honest, there is a firm round here, and I don't know how they do it legally, but lots of vans and everyone is self employed but all with the same company name on the van, it is nearly all commercial but I can't answer your question, as I don't know who owns the vans and how they work it, but as far as I know it isn't a franchise, so it is a question worth asking.

I can only imagine they are breaking employment laws or have found an in between route, or they all sole traders, trading in the same company name and brand, but with separate accounts etc, but I can't see that being easy to run or legal

[rosskesava]

I don't think it's that complex.

I know a bloke around here who was a handyman who came up with the idea to call his one man business 'dial a hubby'.

With almost no experience of business and no knowledge of franchising, in 3 years he now has an incredibly successful franchise business.

I know he hit on a really good name in 'dial a hubby' but he had no prior experience.

[stuart mc]

and richy, I will just add, whenever I used a well printed leaflet to deliver etc, I was often asked was I a franchise people aren't used to a sign written van and uniform at their door, I wouldn't read to much into it though, the vast majority just aren't used that small bit extra professionalism you are showing.

not that I think it did me any good on a sales level, did much better with black and white and a tattie old van but hey that is the public for you

[stuart mc]

I don't think it's that complex.

I know a bloke around here who was a handyman who came up with the idea to call his one man business 'dial a hubby'.

With almost no experience of business and no knowledge of franchising, in 3 years he now has an incredibly successful franchise business.

I know he hit on a really good name in 'dial a hubby' but he had no prior experience.

yes ross, but he wants to know if it can be done without actually franchising

[GDwindowcleaning]

Franchising can be done in alot of ways, it doesnt always have to involve big sums to buy into so it can be done anyway you see fit...

[stuart mc]

Franchising can be done in alot of ways, it doesnt always have to involve big sums to buy into so it can be done anyway you see fit...

YEH BUT he didn't ask how to franchise, he asked if you could just use the idea and employ, self employed lads using his brand   so why are you all going on about franchising?

[rosskesava]

yes ross, but he wants to know if it can be done without actually franchising

I take it then that Richy means can run his business in the same way as he sort of does now but with workers self employed?

In a word 'NO'.

Self employed as in 'self employed but working for another' has very strict definitions. They can be found on the HMRC website.

Years ago when I worked in a partnership and ran a sizeable small business window cleaning, we looked into it properly.

Franchise or employ. Both require a type of legal contract. Those are the two options. There's no middle ground as far as the tax man is concerned.

Self employ but using Richy's brand makes no difference. It's how, and who for, and in what manner, that the work is done that the tax man goes by.

Also, before Richy or anyone asks, subcontract is something different entirely.

[GDwindowcleaning]

But you can put a franchise agreement in place without the need for large amounts of money, so yes you can have guys working for you without employing...

[stuart mc]

But you can put a franchise agreement in place without the need for large amounts of money, so yes you can have guys working for you without employing...

so it will be a franchise then, where is the hit my head off the table icon, he asked if it can be done without actually franchising