More women than ever in franchises
According U.S-based franchise consultancy FranNet, female franchise ownership jumped by 83% between 2011 and 2017. Whilst traditionally more men have owned franchises than women, male ownership only rose by 13% during this time.
Thursday, 20 Jun 2019 11:07 GMT
Mayura Joshi, owner of Signs Express Colchester & Chelmsford
Over the last two years, the number of women choosing this route to self-employment has continued to grow by 20%.
Signs Express has experienced this development first-hand and says that this has even resulted in more women in general being employed within franchising businesses.
Since April 2018, the franchise has welcomed three new female franchisees to its network in Oxford, Colchester & Chelmsford and Leicester & Loughborough.
Celebrating this shift, the firm says: “Women have always had roots in the signage industry with individuals such as Margaret Calvert who designed an entirely new signage system for the UK’s roads in the 60s.
I spoke to existing Signs Express franchisees and they come from a diverse range of backgrounds that made me feel confident coming into the sector”
“Since then this primarily male industry has continued to evolve and as part of this evolution, women are increasingly making their mark.”
The sign industry is currently estimated to be worth £500m. Recognising the potential of combining the freedom of running her own business as well as being part of a successful and strong industry, Mayura Joshi became the owner of Signs Express Colchester & Chelmsford.
Describing what gave her the push to make the move, Joshi says: “Signage was interesting to me because every business needs it – that’s what drew me.
“I spoke to existing Signs Express franchisees and they come from a diverse range of backgrounds that made me feel confident coming into the sector.”
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