DP project details

The CREATE project aims to create equal access to enterprise for groups at disadvantage in the labour market. Our particular focus is to maximise opportunities that are available through using franchising and other structured business formats (SBFs) ( such as direct selling, lisensing etc) as a route to enterprise.

Our primary client groups are the disabled, young people, 3rd agers and ethnic minorities. We will also be working to develop the concept of social format franchising as a growth strategy for social enterprises.

We will be looking to develop and mainstream innovative solutions to combating the barriers that these groups face including flexible learning, mentoring, an opportunities brokerage service and investigating the feasibility of establishing an adventure finance scheme.

We will be looking to develop and mainstream innovative solutions to combating the barriers that these groups face including flexible learning, mentoring, an opportunities brokerage service and investigating the feasibility of establishing an adventure finance scheme.

The CREATE project aims to create equal access to enterprise for groups at disadvantage in the labour market. Our particular focus is to maximise opportunities that are available through using franchising and other structured business formats (SBFs) ( such as direct selling, licensing etc) as a route to enterprise.

Franchising as a business concept employs c327,000 people in the UK. There are some 720 franchise networks operating in the UK in 2004 an increase of 3% from the previous year. 88% of franchisees state that their business is profitable and the average length of time a franchise business is trading has increased from an average of 6.8 years to 9.9 years. These statistics demonstrate that franchising delivers higher survivability rates than new businesses generally. Direct selling employs 540,000 independent sellers the UK with a turnover of c£2bn. Typically initial investment is under £100 and of all direct sllers, 66% are women and 98% are part-time. This offers flexible self employment and (as we will demonstrate in section 4) a nursery bed for Enterprise, with individuals gaining in confidence and using their skills to operate larger businesses of their own or via a franchise.

Knowledge of these sectors is limited and they are often mis-understood. As a result a number of these formats have developed a bad reputation based on the actions of a few un-ethical operations with poor or no business foundations. However, the stats prove that there is a wealth of start-up opportunities that are available and CREATE aims to make our beneficiaries knowledgeable customers, better able to exploit the opportunities that are available. In addition, we intend to support the social enterprise sector to utilise these concepts to develop trading opportunities, which can build capacity to meet social objectives.

CREATE as a round 1 DP has developed bespoke training, information and advisory services related to franchising for Social Enterprises,Ethnic Minorities, women, young people, 3rd agers and the partially sighted. We are sustaining our work in these areas and our new project will extend our services to incorporate opportunities within direct selling and focus on 4 target groups at disadvantage, namely people with a disability, young people, 3rd agers and ethnic minorities. There is good evidence to suggest that these formats offer opportunities suitable for and accepting of our target groups. We need to promote awareness build confidence and knowledge (in addition to combating discrimination) to ensure that target groups are able to take advantage of suitable opportunities.

We intend to develop innovative solutions working with and mainstreaming to the established business support infrastructure across the 9 English Regions. The partnership consists of:-

Hertfordshire Business Services Ltd and the Small Business Service provide policy, product development and service delivery experience for entrepreneurship and small business development.

The British Franchise Association, WhichFranchise.com, the Franchise Alliance and the Direct Selling Association provide technical experience and expertise of Franchising and SBFs together with providing a communication channel to networks.

Association of Disabled Entrepreneurs/Disabled Entrepreneurs Network, Princes Trust, PRIME and TIE UK offer knowledge, expertise and access to the primary target groups that we are trying to reach.

Community Action Network has direct experience and skills in working with social enterprises and has explored the concept of social format franchising and the replication of social firms.

Netcel provide web development and innovation expertise to assist and enhance the development of the Propject’s planned flxible learning programmes.

CREATE will work collaboratively within our partnership, our transnational partners and the local business support infrastructure around 3 strategic objectives.

1. Improving the capacity of the Business Support Network to advise on franchising and other structured business formats

2. Initiating the sustainable growth of social format franchising

3. Creating sustainable opportunities for low cost entry to structured business formats.

In support of these objectives our work plan includes the development of bespoke services including flexible learning, mentoring and local delivery of bespoke workshops for target groups. Training and accreditation for advisers supporting individuals with SBF opportunities. The development of Social Format Franchising Networks and assisting social enterprises to take up commercial franchising opportunities. An opportunities brokerage service for SBFs together with investigating the feasibility of an adventure finance service for SBFs.