FCA: Making a Difference in Australian Franchising

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. Members of the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) 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.

Here’s an update on what the FCA is doing for the franchising sector so far.

ADVOCACY

One of our main responsibilities is to educate the Government, and all sector stakeholders, on issues of relevance to the sector. When the FCA represents franchising, we represent all people within the sector – franchisors, franchisees and suppliers – to ensure the Australian franchise sector is a healthy and sustainable place to do business.

We are fortunate to have access to a dedicated group of members who have formed numerous working groups and in particular, the Legal Committee which has been active in supporting the FCA advocacy efforts. A big thank you to those members on the Legal Committee and subsequent sub committees. We are also very fortunate to have an active Chair who knows politics well and who has been working the phones over the last few months quietly advocating on behalf of the members. In the new year we will be stalking the halls of Parliament House and knocking on doors to ensure that the FCA position is well understood with respect to any proposed changes to the Fair Work Act.

We had over 47 delegates attending the International Franchise Association convention from 29 Jan to 1 Feb in Las Vegas. We had an overwhelming response of how great the convention was and how valuable the sessions and networking opportunities were. If you have yet to go to the biggest franchise event in the world, we highly advise you go next year with the FCA! As an FCA member, you’ll get great discounts on the convention tickets and other exclusive inclusions especially for the Australian delegation.

We would like to congratulate David Lindsay, founder of Salts of the Earth who came 2nd in the International NextGen competition. To be Runner Up against all the upcoming 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 longterm 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.

“Our concept and business model are both unique, and we’re fortunate to be the first to market in Australia for salt therapy. We’ve already had some international interest, so our next goal will be to enter the US market.”

NFC17

We have started planning for our own National Franchise Convention in 2017 and we have now established an advisory group of franchisor and supplier members to assist us create a program that is relevant, topical and focused on the areas of interest to the sector.

We are aiming to make the NFC in 2017 the best yet and we are returning to the Gold Coast Royal Pines Resort because members said that was such a great venue.

Look out for more about the NFC 2017 on our website in the coming months and make sure you purchase your Earlybird ticket when they’re released!

EXCELLENCE IN FRANCHISING AWARDS

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?

STATE EVENTS

Our State Chapter teams are 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, helping others to learn, grow and be successful.

CERTIFIED FRANCHISE EXECUTIVE PROGRAM

The Australian CFE program is held in high regard by the IFA who are responsible for the international accreditation and awarding of the CFE post nominal professional development designation.

We want to make it even better, and we are working with a small group of educational supplier members to ensure that CFE candidates can get a better picture of the training and learning expectations that coincide with CFE point’s allocation. This is a work in progress and we expect to be able to provide you with more information in the coming months.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE SYNDICATE

The CES creates additional value for our senior executives and larger members who want to remain connected to other industry leaders in franchising.

The CES groups in NSW and VIC are now well established with regular monthly meetings and some real dividends are being seen as a result of senior executives sharing information, knowledge and experiences in an environment that is free of competitive tension and under the umbrella of confidentiality.

With these two groups now successfully established, we are now working on the delivery of a Brisbane CES and we look forward to welcoming Brisbane members to a new CES in 2017.

Of course, there is more going on as we work to ensure we are member focused and deliver real value.

In 2017 this is the standard we want to set ourselves and as our members we would appreciate you celebrating with us when we excel and letting us know when we fall short. Our intention is to make a difference to franchising in Australia by serving our members well.

On behalf of everyone at FCA, we look forward to a great 2017 for franchising.

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