Many franchises are now actively seeking women to operate their business model. They realise that women have special talents that make them ideal potential franchisees. Women are usually better listeners than men and therefore are a pleasure to teach new skills.

Running a business requires almost the same skill sets as managing a home and family. You need to be able to juggle a lot of priorities in the air and deal with all of them at the same time! Due to the practice gained from looking after a busy household, women tend to be well organised and capable of multitasking.

Many franchise exhibitions now have zones specifically focused on the opportunities that are more likely to attract women. Women often prefer to start a business via the franchise route as the risks of failure are lower and the chances of success are usually higher than starting a business on their own.

According to a survey carried out by the Bfa jointly with the Nat West bank, two years ago, more and more women in the UK are buying franchises and they now make up over 40% of all franchisees!

Many women choose to leave work when they start having children. As the children get older and more capable, they decide to enter the job market and find that their skills are no longer as up to date as employees require. They now face 3 choices: attend further training, take a low paid part time job or look at launching their own business.

With a franchise, they get the additional training they require, included in the initial fee and the franchisor offers additional support throughout their business life. The training and support programmes are ideal for many women as they offer them a way back into working life with a potential for great rewards. The ongoing tuition and help from headquarters also reduce the likelihood of the business failing due to lack of business knowledge; exactly what many women are looking for!

With a franchise business, they also finally gain control over their own destiny and become their own boss rather than having to take orders from other (possibly inferior?) men! Although the scope for building a massive empire is limited, chances of success are much higher with a franchise and the opportunity offered for creating a very good income stream and a business they can sell on in the future is ideal for many women re-entering the work place.

Many new internet franchises can now be run from home allowing women even more flexibility to look after their family and build a residual income stream at the same time. This means that being a mum and having a family are no longer a barrier to starting a business. Ambitious women can now juggle a home life with a desire to achieve more and get the best of both worlds.

The benefits of a franchise model are now so apparent to many women that we predict that members of the opposite sex will soon outnumber men within the world of franchising!