It’s been a dynamic start for the New Year at the Franchise Council of Australia, with exciting new initiatives and a continuation of successful endeavours that we are proud to provide for our members.
If you’re interested in knowing more about what we offer and how to be a member and join the great community that we strive to protect, educate and promote, then please contact our head office in Melbourne today. Members of the Franchise Council of Australia are part of a unique association where business lessons, experience and information are shared freely.
Membership means solidarity: As an FCA member you belong to an association where your peers work together for the betterment of the sector, a common method of doing business, not a common business itself. If you’d like to make an impact on the small business sector supporting Australian local communities, please feel free to contact us.
THE FUTURE OF FRANCHISING
It is clear that the franchising sector continues to mature and steadily grow, according to the new 2016 Franchising Australia survey from Griffith University Asia-Pacific Centre for Franchising Excellence. Sales turnover for the franchise sector is now estimated at $146 billion which contributes to communities everywhere Australia wide.
We are seeing more and more Australian brands are starting to expand into international waters, with New Zealand remaining the most common next step due to demographic and similarities in consumer developments.
2016 has been a successful year for innovation, and gaming has led the way for maximum fun and engagement with consumers.
Boost Juice won the 2016 MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising award in Franchise Innovation due to their phenomenal success with their gaming app by Retail Zoo, Free the Fruit where users can win free drinks and prizes by helping the antagonist Mango Man free fruit from all the Boost Stores around the country – trust me, it’s just as addictive as their drinks are. In just two weeks, it was number one on the App Store under the Free Game category, with almost two million games played. The amount of brand awareness and customer experience achieved by the game is invaluable.
It seems that people are getting more accustomed to getting what they want, when they want. Home delivery is becoming more of a here-to-stay thing rather than a trend for the big franchise chains, with Red Rooster now doing home delivery and upping their game by investing a large amount of money in their delivering platform as well as partnering with Menulog.
Keep your eyes open for more technological advances- this will show a great increase of digital advances and uses, from shopping and beyond – whether or not businesses will be slow to evolve, or stay in the forefront is another story.
Millennials will continue to be attracted to franchising, due to great confidence in franchise brand systems and the opportunity that franchising provides them to own their own business. Millennials have grown up with a ‘anything is possible’ mentality, which enables them to respond faster to opportunities. Their thirst for success will be complimented by training and mentorship. The solution for franchisors is to ensure that they allow them to make their own mark, and allow the young sprouts to flourish. This could mean changing entirely the way franchisors employ franchisees by working towards their values.
The FCA is proud to assist and nurture the future of franchising, and our commitment to the NextGen initiative is one that we hold close to our hearts.
We had three finalists in the International NextGen competition: David Lindsay from Salts of the Earth; Bao Hoang of Roll’d and Nik Leigh of Real Property Photography. They have achieved tremendous success and our three finalists have a huge program of coaching, mentoring, networking and learning ahead of them.
We would like to congratulate David Lindsay, founder of Salts of the Earth who came second in the International NextGen competition. To be Runner Up against the other ‘up-and-coming’ franchises in the world is an experience he won’t forget easily.
David Lindsay founded Salts of the Earth in 2010 after seeing first-hand the effects salt therapy had on his father oversees, a long-term sufferer of chronic respiratory illnesses.
“My father tried dozens of medications and unsuccessful surgeries to clear his airways,” Lindsay said. “He did salt therapy as a last resort, and it played a huge role in improving his health and even made his medication more effective.”
Lindsay saw a gap in the Australian market, and knew there would be thousands of people with respiratory and skin conditions, or in need of sports recovery, who could benefit from ongoing treatment.
Salts of the Earth is now Australia’s fifth largest fastest growing franchise, and Lindsay said being part of the NextGen competition has been a huge asset for the company.
“The competition has provided great exposure for our brand, and an opportunity to showcase our company to some of the largest franchisors in the world,” Lindsay said.
To promote excellence in the sector, the Regional awards program has been released and entries are now open and we encourage you to enter!
These awards and the awards process have proven to be a huge benefit in raising brand awareness, creating opportunities and improving your business as part of the awards process.
If you have a franchisee or eligible member of staff that has gone above and beyond, then why not help them and nominate them for the recognition they deserve!
Our State Chapter teams are currently working through a great line up of events for all our members and the calendar is now available.
We know that one of our strengths is the capacity to share knowledge and experiences with others. This generous spirit, encouragement and energy that accompanies it, is the real value of the events program.
In 2017 I encourage you to engage with the members, share experiences with that generous mindset and look at the effect and impact that you can have by helping others to learn, grow and be successful.
On behalf of everyone at FCA, we look forward to a great 2017 for franchising.
www.franchise.org.au