First Class Accounts - Bookkeeping and Franchising Blog

Congratulations to Serge Crismale of First Class Accounts Picton who has won the 2012 Franchisee of the Year award. Serge was declared as the winner at the annual First Class Financial Group Conference Gala Dinner. Held in the famous beach resort town of Hua Hin, Thailand, this was a landmark conference as it was the first held overseas by our network. The announcement was met by rapturous applause from the crowd of 140 that included franchisees, partners, event sponsors and national office staff.

The award caps of a highly successful year for Serge after he was named Runner Up in the NSW Franchisee Community Service Award in June, whereby Franchise Council of Australia acknowledged Serge's contributions to his local community through his work as Treasurer and now Senior Deputy Captain at the Lakesland Bush Fire Brigade.

Congratulations to Debbie Stanton, who has been named the 2012 Field Support Manager of the Year at the Queensland and Northern Territory Excellence in Franchising Awards. Debbie was announced as the winner at an awards dinner in Brisbane on July 21.

Organised by the Franchise Council of Australia, the awards are designed to recognise, showcase and reward outstanding work in the franchising sector.

Most people who inquire about franchise business opportunities are in a state of flux about their working life, career direction or business investment options. There are many that people consider, such as:

• Lack of satisfaction or opportunity for growth in their current job versus security of employment
• Is my current occupation/job fulfilling my needs for personal growth?
• Does my current role offer the prospect for meeting my goals for income generation and security in the future to provide for me and my family's needs long-term?
• Do I want to be in business for myself and do I have the confidence to go it alone?
• Do I have the ability to build a business concept from scratch?
• What are the risks or benefits in buying an existing business?

In evaluating issues such as those above, many come to see the franchise sector as offering opportunities with proven business systems, defined investment, coupled with training, support and marketing. There are, however, over 1200 franchise systems operating in Australia, with varied levels of success and development. The quality of training, support from the franchisor, brand marketing, their unique selling proposition or intellectual property that provides any competitive advantage, and, critically, the satisfaction of the franchisees within the system – are all factors to be evaluated.