I am sure I am not alone in finding working from home a challenge as the weeks roll on. My day to day is very different from what I am used to, and as much as I am seeing people live online all of the time, I really am missing ‘real’ human interaction. Like many of you though, I am finding time to reflect, and this week that has been reflecting on the things that we have changed and the new services we have introduced to support our Members.
I am immensely proud of the bfa team and what we have delivered in the last few weeks. So this week’s update covers what we are doing and some stats too on what we have achieved too!
Influence – as I have highlighted in previous updates, we are working behind the scenes to ensure we are lobbying on the challenges you are facing. A number of you have reached out direct with concerns, questions or problems. These are all helpful but in order to ensure we are equipped with the right information to lobby and represent these concerns effectively in a focused and constructive way, we have put together a short survey. I would be hugely grateful if you would take a 5 minutes of your time to complete the survey which can be accessed via this link – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/franchisingandcovid19 – please be rest assured that we will not share any of the individual information you share with us.
bfa Franchise Support Forum – our online Members LinkedIn Group, which launched just over two weeks ago, continues to grow day by day with 269 of you now connected and receiving regular updates. This is a safe environment in which to ask questions of your peers and engage with the bfa. If you are yet to join, you can find the group by clicking here.
The Leading Educator – again we have our programme of online surgeries taking place every day at 11am and below is the schedule for the week ahead with the relevant links. To date we have had 632 attendees across the 14 surgeries we have run. I think these figures showcase that we truly are, in unprecedented times, still fulfilling our vision to be the Leading Educator in the sector.
| Day: | Title: | Speaker(s): |
| Monday | Bank Holiday – I hope, from the comfort of your home, you enjoy eating your chocolate eggs!! | n/a |
| Tuesday | Cash is king during a pandemic – things to consider prior to seeking support through CBILS and hints and tips to preserve the cash in your business | Paul Hansen, Hitachi Franchise Finance |
| Wednesday | Supporting your people during the pandemic – keeping key workers safe, maximising wellbeing and performance, effective home working and how to support staff with a reduced workload or those that have been furloughed | bfa Board Panel hosted by Pip Wilkins with Ken Deary, Right at Home, Simon Bartholomew, Oscar Pet Foods and Roz Goldstein, Goldstein Legal |
| Thursday | Adapting your business to go online – a franchisor case study presentation looking at key considerations and guidance | Sarah Cressall, The Creation Station |
| Friday | Franchise Manuals – the when and how to amend your operations manual to reflect changes to your business model in a time of crisis. | Vicki Mitman, NMW Franchise Services |
We also have some other upcoming events for you taking place this month.
Sales Masterclass – Masterclasses were launched at the start of 2020 and are very much about you. Although the COVID-19 situation is keeping us all busy this is an opportunity to step away from the business and focus on the bigger picture for a day. Taking place on Thursday, 16th April, as a virtual solution, we will be exploring ‘Selling and Remaining Strong in Adverse Times. For more information or to book click here: https://www.thebfa.org/master-classes/
Qualified Franchise Professional (QFP) – by popular demand we have taken this online for a short time so you can continue to gain your QFP without coming to bfa HQ! The dates for the upcoming modules and bookings are all facilitated via the website at – https://www.thebfa.org/qualified-franchise-professional-qfp/
We have a new service that we will be launching to you after Easter and I will tell you more on that next week. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the Easter break and look forward to seeing many of you online next Wednesday.