For many women, starting a business can feel like a choice between ambition and flexibility, but increasingly, franchising is proving that it doesn’t have to be the case.

Across the UK, more women are choosing franchise ownership as a route into business, creating successful businesses, generating employment, building local communities and designing careers that work around the life they want to lead – and the data shows this isn’t a trend. It’s a long-term shift.

According to Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWiF), women represented 34% of all new franchisees in 2024, while women now make up 40% of all UK franchisees – the highest proportion recorded since industry tracking began.

That growth matters because franchising offers something many women actively seek: the opportunity to build a business with structure, support and proven systems already in place.

For women balancing family responsibilities, returning to work after career breaks, or looking for greater control over their future, franchising creates a route into entrepreneurship that can feel more accessible than starting entirely from scratch.

At Puddle Ducks, this story is one we see every day. Co-founded by Jo Stone, after she attended swimming lessons with her own child, Puddle Ducks was built on a belief that business success and family life should not be mutually exclusive. That philosophy continues across the network today.

Many Puddle Ducks franchisees begin their journey looking for flexibility and independence. What often follows is something bigger: businesses that grow, teams that expand and local impact that reaches thousands of families.

Recognition that matters

Over the years, women across the Puddle Ducks network have received recognition not just for commercial success, but for leadership and contribution to the wider franchise sector.

Among the highlights are:

• Jo Stone has been named EWiF’s ‘Woman Franchisor of the Year’ as well as their ‘Overall Woman in Franchising’, recognising her contribution to supporting women into business.
• Puddle Ducks’ Technical Director Ali Beckman has won EWiF’s ‘Woman Franchise Employee of the Year’ as well as their ‘Overall Woman in Franchising’.
• Most recently, Owner of Puddle Ducks Wakefield, Barnsley, Sheffield & South Leeds, Faye Burrell, was named EWiF’s ‘Woman Franchisee of the Year’, recognising exceptional business growth, resilience and impact within her territory.
• The brand has also had a number of successes across the BFA Franchisee Awards, including: Carolyn Sharpe (winner), Suzanne Horton (winner), Victoria Rowley, Ellie Cawdell and Faye Burrell (finalists) and Sarah Austin who is a finalist at this year’s awards.

Recognition like this matters, not because awards define success, but because visibility changes perceptions. When women see other women building thriving businesses, leading teams and growing multi-territory operations, franchising becomes easier to imagine as a realistic path.

However, there is still work to do. Women remain underrepresented in entrepreneurship overall, and many still don’t realise franchising is an option available to them. But momentum is building, the future of franchising will be shaped by founders, franchisees and business owners who want more flexibility, more support and more opportunity to grow on their own terms.

At Puddle Ducks, we’re proud to be part of that future, and proud to support women who are building businesses in the franchise sector.