Franchising vs setting up your own business
posted 4th May 2022
I’ve had this question quite a few times over the last 10 or so years. People asking me if they could pick my brain because they were thinking of starting to run their own cookery classes and asked what they need to do to set up on their own. They also asked "is it hard to set up on your own?".
Now, I’m sure some of you will also have thought about setting up on your own too so let's chat about it.....
I don’t mind telling you, the short answer is YES, it is hard! I’m sure you’re more than capable, I don't doubt someone else's ability at all…. but there is a very good reason people choose a franchise and that is because it is SO, SO, SO much easier.
Note I didn’t say ‘easy’ but 'easier'….it is still hard work (running your own business is) BUT it is a way easier route into running your own business. There is also a much higher success rate with taking a franchise (google it if you're not convinced!).
Along with my head office team, we have learnt the lessons the long, hard, expensive way and when someone invests to join our team…it is for very good and sensible reasons.
With a franchise you’ll largely bypass all the hassle and stress and can just crack on with the fun stuff!
For the people who are thinking of starting their own business let me give you a little run down of what you need to work on BEFORE you even start thinking about the actual fun stuff of running of the classes….!!
Here goes....in no particular order of importance (it all has to be done...) this is what you need to figure out:
The serious stuff
This is the heavy stuff that you can't get wrong!
The legalities, laws and rules you need to comply with, the qualifications you and any staff need, the type of insurance you need, where to get insurance and the level of cover you’ll need, how you get a DBS organised for you and any staff, what other qualifications you need, what level of first aid is appropriate and where to take the required courses, the contracts you need in order to work with organisations and what copy is needed to protect you and them, how to write terms and conditions and what they should be, the law around GDPR and what you need to do to keep customers information safe, what to do if you receive a subject access request, how to write a privacy policy statement and where you need to show this, website cookies policy, how to register your business so it is legal, and what legal status to set up as and what the tax implications are and what assets are at risk if you don’t understand, how to inform HMRC, what tax you need to pay and how and when to pay it, how to employ people, how to write an appropriate employment contract, how to ensure you are HR compliant, how much holiday to pay, how to ensure you are employing someone lawfully, what legal action to take if someone doesn't pay you, or what action to take if you identify copyright infringements, how to make sure you are registered as a food business, how to get a 5 star food standards rating, how to write a safe guarding policy, who you need to report to if you have any safe guarding concerns, how to write a risk assessment, how to write a health and safety policy and a fire policy, how to ensure you are keeping customers as safe as possible with allergies and intolerances, the laws around food labelling and your obligations, finding an appropriate nutritional programme to analyse the recipes you chose that complies with legislation, how to design, write and professionally print recipe cards, how to write a non disclosure form to protect your business in certain situations, how to write a cancellation policy, how to protect your intellectual property, what staff ratios are required at session, if you need to be registered with any governing bodies, how to keep a record of your accounts, what it needs to show and how long you need to keep records.
I’m sure there is more, but you get the idea…..
The technical stuff you need to figure out
How to purchase and secure a URL, how to build a website, how to make sure the website is google optimised, how to get company e mail addresses, how to make sure you can name your company what you want without any legal repercussions, how to register your business, how to trademark your company name and logo, what trademark categories you need to apply for, how to design print ready items, what different file types are needed for print, how to purchase the correct font, how to design leaflets, banners, posters, social media adverts, merchandise, offer items etc etc, what design system to use to amend existing designs to keep it evergreen, how to set up a google business listing, how to set up an independent customer review referral site, how to set up a CRM system, how to set up an e mail automation system, how to build a sales funnel, how to integrate different apps to automate your processes, how to set up business pages on social media sites and very importantly how to market through social media paid adverts and other avenues and the list goes on….
The accounts stuff that needs working out
Do you need an accountant, how to find an appropriate accountant and what you need them to do, how to register with HMRC and make sure you’re paying the correct taxes at the right time. How to set and achieve business goals, how to write a business plan, what are your objectives and your sales and marketing strategies, how to apply for funding and fulfil their lending criteria, who to apply to for funding, what are the businesses fixed costs and the variable costs, how to calculate financial forecasts, how much should you be spending on marketing and are you seeing a good return on investment, making sure your business is viable, profitable and sustainable.
Before you start to run the classes:
What venues are suitable, what to cook, what recipes and equipment are age appropriate, what recipes are achievable in the time, how long should classes be, what is a good varied selection of dishes, costing each recipe to and make sure it's viable to make a profit, what kit and equipment to buy and from where, what quantities of kit, how you get merchandise items personalised and what suppliers to use, how to market to gain customers, how to retain customers, what class booking software to use, how to set up booking software and what you need to include, what customer and parental consent and information needs to be gathered, what terms and conditions do parents need to agree to, how to use social media to market…..I could go on and on…..
haven’t even got onto the actual cooking classes, the huge topic of marketing to gain customers....or any of the practical or fun stuff!!
I could keep going, there is LOADS more. I really do know - I've spend years figuring it all out!
Hopefully this is helping explain WHY people wisely opt to take a franchise.
It’s not because they can’t be bothered, or they are not capable - it’s because why would you start from scratch when everything you need has already been done for you?! Why when there is an easier way and you don’t need to do this massive list?!
We have spent YEARS perfecting our business....pretty much 9 years to the day I first had the idea to be exact!
It's been 9 years of solid work to get Cook Stars where it is today. It has been a labour of love that's for sure! But it's been worth it, we are now the 'go to' children's cooking company and are the fastest growing children's cookery franchise in the UK!
We have designed and written over 3 years worth of recipes* so you don't need to think about any of that either. Each recipe has nutritional info, a lesson plan, an accompanying tutorial video, a shopping list an equipment packing list plus hints and tips. In itself creating hundreds of recipes has been a heck of a lot of work as I'm sure you can imagine!
We also have 35 workshops and 6 different party options - all with full detailed comprehensive plans and costings plus professionally designed adverts.
Everything has been tried and tested and we know is loved by our little customers and their parents. There is no guess work. It just works and you get to take advantage of that!
When you take a franchise with us it means you can just come along and start a million paces ahead of anyone just starting out and going it alone.
You can bypass all the not such fun bits I've told you about. I can't pretend I enjoyed learning and paying for all the legal, financial, technical and accounting stuff. It was hard (and often boring!). But we've done - which means you don't have to!
You will start from a place of HUGE advantage compared to anyone starting from scratch.
On Day 1 of starting we will have already helped you sort out everything you need in the background (we will have set up your webpage, designed and printed your marketing material, set up a booking system, provided an e mail address, given you personalised adverts and loads more!). It means you will be liberated to start focussing on the fun stuff ie. getting lovely customers along to your classes and focus on running them!
Our franchise is REALLY good value for what you get.
Our knowledge and support alone if invaluable. Although that may sound conceited, I say it with nothing but pride for our amazing team at head office.
We have had people earn their initial investment fee back after just a few months! One franchisees earnt MORE than her initial fee back in just 6 weeks running sessions during the summer holidays ..... after she'd not long started!!
The initial fee is AMAZING value and arguably does not reflect the significant earning that can be made.
Some people in our team are making serious money after a very modest investment. This is down to a combination of their hard work and implementing everything we have taught them. THAT is what you pay for. THAT is why people opt to take a franchise.
If you want a quicker, slicker, more efficient and more cost effective route to running your own business then franchising is an excellent route for you to consider.
Starting your own business costs a LOT of money. I am confident going it alone would very likely cost you a LOT more than our initial franchise fee in professional fees, costly mistakes and decisions. I know because I have been there, done it!
Taking a franchise isn't for everyone and that is just fine. But if you think franchising is probably is a good option for you then get in touch and let's see if Cook Stars is also right for you.
We are speaking to lots of amazing people at the moment who are excited about what we do and what Cook Stars can mean for them and their life. If you’re interested too…...take the next step and book a call with us.
Thanks for reading this. I hope it is helpful :) Please get in touch if you've got any question at all.
Cathy (Cook Stars founder)
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