Investment
Everything you need to know about the investment

 

Business
Information about the business opportunity, setup and your launch

 

operations & Support
We support our franchise partners every step of the way

 

Growth & exit
Expand your franchise empire or sell successfully

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Franchising

Get detailed answers about becoming a Pitman Training franchise partner.

BUSINESS SETUP

BEGIN YOUR PITMAN TRAINING BUSINESS JOURNEY

We are delighted that you are interested in joining our franchise network. We have an in-depth franchise recruitment process, and franchises will only be awarded to individuals following a thorough 2-way process that ensures we are both comfortable with our long-term business relationship.

Yes, as we will both need to satisfy ourselves that what you project in your business plan is both realistic and achievable. To help you prepare your business plan, we will supply you with our business planning template. We will guide and assist you through the process but cannot construct the plan for you. We will want to review your plan once drafted to make sure it is in line with our commercial model and is realistic & achievable.

Each Franchisee will be awarded the rights to their local franchise area, which will have sufficient potential so that your business can thrive and grow. This is obviously in our mutual interests.

From start to finish, we estimate that the process of opening a Pitman Training™ franchise will take around 12 weeks – including an initial 1-week training period. We support Franchisees every step of the way through our pre-launch planning process with our “Getting Started Guide” and of course my delivering a fully detailed training programme.

Assuming you have decided to own and operate your own business, franchising may be your best option as it offers many clear advantages over creating a new business from scratch. You will be able to use our existing business format, brand, systems, processes, training materials, and technologies, operational expertise, supplier relationships, and marketing, thereby reducing the risk and cost of starting up an entirely new business or working in a new industry sector. We are successfully operating in the marketplace – both in the UK and internationally. You will have much more credibility with your clients, who see you as part of a larger organisation and brand. This will give you the time to focus on growing your business with the confidence and knowledge that we are with you to advise and support you.

This simple answer to this question is no! As with any business, success does not just happen. It requires hard work, dedication, and a positive, can-do attitude. We will be there to help guide and support you all the way, so with your commitment and our ‘know-how,’ systems & processes, technology, marketing, business development, and many years’ experiences, everything will be in place for a sustainable and prosperous business future.

INVESTMENT

SMART FINANCING OPTIONS FOR YOUR PITMAN FRANCHISE

At the start of the franchise agreement, there is an initial franchise fee payable for your franchise. The fee is a one-off fee for a 5-year term, with the right to renew for a further 5-year term (no fee applies on resigning, except any legal fees applicable at that time) on the basis that you have an excellent track record as a Franchisee and have complied with the terms of the franchise agreement, our operating practices and client-service ethos. This is industry standard in the UK. The fee also gives you the right to use our trademark and branding, ‘know-how,’ systems, and processes. Your investment includes our Franchise Package, as detailed in Section 7 of this document.
Our franchise fees start at £40,000, depending on the territory, the location, and the population within the franchise area. For example, city centre, London, outside the UK.

The Franchise can either be financed from personal capital or a business loan – most of the major clearing banks have specialist Franchise Departments as they view Franchising as a “safer way” to start a new business. Banks will usually provide competitive market rates and a higher lending proportion of the required start-up capital than might otherwise be available to stand-alone start-ups. You should also discuss options that suit your personal circumstances with your accountant and/or financial advisor and include this in your Business Plan. An additional funding option that might suit your needs is the UK government’s Start-Up Loan programme. Please visit the British Business Bank website: www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/start-up-loans/

OPERATIONS & SUPPORT

COMPLETE GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT YOUR FRANCHISE BUSINESS JOURNEY

All Franchisees will receive comprehensive initial training to run their own business. Your initial franchise fee covers the cost of the initial training (except your own travel and accommodation expenses to one of our owned Training Centres). Training includes our business model, our extensive range of courses, training & development materials, technology platforms including myPitman™ Learning Management System, pricing, sales, marketing, relationship management, client service and full instructions on how to operate the business on a day-to-day basis. We also provide each Franchisee with Operating Manuals for your reference and, of course, we are always available to offer advice, guidance, and support on an ongoing basis.
For your franchise to be a success you will need to commit a lot of your time to the business and any distraction from this could damage your prospects of success. That said, we are willing to award franchises to suitably qualified businesspeople with strong proven leadership and people skills, who operate in sectors with synergies to ours. In this instance, Franchisees must have the people, resources and dedicate time and effort to promote the business in their franchise territory.
Weekly business and product updates are issued to the whole network to ensure everyone is kept fully up to date with all the very latest news and updates. We hold regional meetings annually, which give all Franchisees the chance to network as well as allowing us to provide detailed feedback on marketing campaigns, course releases and affiliations. In addition, we encourage Franchisees to put themselves forward for the Pitman Training Advisory Council (PTAC), which meets regularly throughout the year. Delegates at this meeting include members of the Pitman Training™ board and senior operational staff as well as franchise partner representation from each area of the country.
Like any new business, success of a franchise is driven by the skills and work that the owner puts in. A small number of franchise locations do close – though not necessarily each year and not all for the same reasons. This is normal in any franchise network but importantly, closures remain significantly lower than failure rates for small, independently owned businesses.

BUSINESS GROWTH & EXIT

Expand your franchise empire or sell successfully

After a minimum of 18-months successful trading as our Franchisee, you may apply to purchase an additional franchise area, assuming a geographically convenient area is available, and you can clearly demonstrate that you can successfully operate multiple franchises. We will discuss this with you as/when appropriate.
The good news is, yes! One of the benefits of owning a franchise is selling the business and receiving the capital appreciation you have built up over time. We will want to first approve the new franchise owner before issuing a new Franchise Agreement, just as we will with you before your acceptance to our franchise family.
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Please submit the form below to begin your franchising journey with Pitman Training.

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