Franchising your business? [Archive]

jadavi

12-09-2012, 02:16 AM

Hi has anyone done this or considered doing it?
A neighbour is interested in doing the childminder course but not running her own business. I thought about the idea of having another facility at her house run by her (as a fully qualified childminder.)
She would operate under my policies planning procedures etc, I would find and monitor the work and would basically underwrite it on my Ofsted status. She wants to Childmind but not do any paperwork (except lj and risk assessments) she would obv be rated by Ofsted too.

Just throwing it around in my mind... If we had large free premises we could run a Childminding facility together that offered funded hours as well but of course we don't have that luxury... Nor do I partic fancy it.
Any thoughts much appreciated. If it worked - what percentage would I charge?

jadavi

12-09-2012, 06:26 AM

Should say the person in question has her own baby so would only want two other children under five x

moogster1a

12-09-2012, 06:28 AM

So she'd be doing all the hard work of looking after the kids and doing lj's etc. but would be willing to give up a slice of her income for the sake of someone else writing down her tax returns?!!!( which an accountant would do if she's that adverse to losing a Sunday afternoon) How odd.
She'd still have to do all the risk assessments, write her own policies and have inspections as she's minding on her premises. In fact, apart from the tax return and maybe yourself finding the parents ( which she can also do herself) I'm struggling to see what on earth she would get out of the arrangement.
In fact, even if you found the parents for her she would still have to have all the meetings , discuss progress , be first port of call as she is cm at her house.
What an odd idea!!
What do you mean by you would"underwrite it" under your OFSTED status?

miffy

12-09-2012, 06:57 AM

It sounds a bit like the agency model Elizabeth Truss was talking about.

Miffy xx

JCrakers

12-09-2012, 08:23 AM

Not sure.

Sounds like she wants to reap the benefits of childminding without everything that comes with it.
Plus there's not that much extra paperwork once youve done the LJ and RA is there?
Tax returns are a pain but she would have to do them.
Most of my paperwork is LJ and observations. She'd have to have all the other bits like attendance records, records for each child and permission forms.

Im not sure how it would work.

Cant she just become your assistant?

hectors house

12-09-2012, 08:34 AM

It sounds like your neighbour/friend wants to be your assistant but in another premises, so don't think Ofsted will allow it, is there no way you can childmind from your house or don't you have the required space? The easy answer I suppose is to ring Ofsted and ask them. Let us know what they say.

rickysmiths

12-09-2012, 01:07 PM

You don't have to have written RAs or Policies now anyway if you don't want to.

Greengrass74

12-09-2012, 01:33 PM

You don't have to have written RAs or Policies now anyway if you don't want to.

Isn't there some that we still have to do such as safeguarding, equal opportunities and no smoking policy, I might be wrong but I thought we did. I know we don't have to risk assess every outing now which is great or a complaints policy

Bluebell

12-09-2012, 08:34 PM

Could you not take her on in your house as an assistant but get her registered as a co-minder? If you ever wanted to give up minding she could then continue your business by taking it on in her own house. I have thought of this because I would like to expand my business but ultimately I may want to do other things (not now - in future)

jadavi

12-09-2012, 09:46 PM

Thanks yes she wants to be my assistant but has a child so can't take uo a place here as it wouldn't pay.
We were just looking at the idea. I would advertise get the work share my policies and do her planning. Just like a franchise can more or less guarantee the product in that we Wd work v closely together.J agree there's not much incentive for her except she doesn't want all the bother but wants to be a child minder. She doesn't want to go into competition with me and lives ten doors away....

Bridey

12-09-2012, 09:48 PM

I too am unclear as to what paperwork she is trying to avoid ... accounts? Get an accountant.

If she thinks that by avoiding a little bit of book keeping that she is avoiding the hardest part of the job then she's in for a shock! ;)

I wouldn't want to be associated or responsible for any other minder who isn't working under my roof. What if something goes wrong? Who's responsible then? Would you want that slur on your reputation?

jadavi

12-09-2012, 10:00 PM

jaswinder bedi

12-09-2012, 10:26 PM

moogster1a

13-09-2012, 06:33 AM

But she would have to do her own planning, policies and assessments as in OFSTED's eyes she would be a childminder working in her own home the same as all CM's.
The only difference is she would have someone passing on details of parents wanting care.
I don't get it.

rickysmiths

13-09-2012, 08:02 AM

The idea is that I would train her up with me when I have an extra space for her child. It's the policies and planning assessments etc she doesn't want to do not the accounts. Also the advertising and liaising with parents. It's like she would be an assistant ten doors away.... Not sure how Ofsted would see it and obv she'd need to do the diploma or course.
This could be a non starter but I have been a head teacher and it wouldn't really be that different. I just wouldn't know what to charge for my service to her...

What parent would want her looking after their children if she doesn't want to liaise with parents?? Its a daft idea and I can't see without a lot of deception, how she would get through her inspection especially as Ofsted are going to be ringing our parents during the inspection. She just needs to become your assistant or work with you in your home as a co minder.

Seriously if you carried through this idea how many Childminders do you think you could 'support' in this way?

Mouse

13-09-2012, 08:41 AM

What parent would want her looking after their children if she doesn't want to liaise with parents?? Its a daft idea and I can't see without a lot of deception, how she would get through her inspection especially as Ofsted are going to be ringing our parents during the inspection. She just needs to become your assistant or work with you in your home as a co minder.

Seriously if you carried through this idea how many Childminders do you think you could 'support' in this way?

Where has this come from RS? I haven't heard anything about it.

AliceK

13-09-2012, 09:48 AM

Where has this come from RS? I haven't heard anything about it.

Me neither. They'll be lucky to get hold of any of mine, they are all police / prison officers / NHS workers. Don't think they will be able to stop in the middle of their shift to have a chat with Ofsted :panic:

xxx

rickysmiths

13-09-2012, 10:40 AM

It was in something Sarah wrote in one of her bits and it did make me smile too because I can hardly get hold of parents at work sometimes!! However there is a great emphasis on working with parents and Ofsted will be looking at how and what we do.
I can't see how the OP and her friend will be able to do this if the CM does all the interviewing, seems an odd arrangement. Doesn't demonstrate working with parents very well?

Mouse

13-09-2012, 10:55 AM

Me neither. They'll be lucky to get hold of any of mine, they are all police / prison officers / NHS workers. Don't think they will be able to stop in the middle of their shift to have a chat with Ofsted :panic:

xxx

Same here! A lot of mine are in jobs where they can't take calls in the daytime. I can just imagine the midwife stopping mid-delivery to take a call from Ofsted :p

bunyip

13-09-2012, 11:51 AM

It would be hourly pay you could do, as its helping you out and she is under your care i suppose and she is not quiet doing paperwork it will be on you. I know some one use that person's service daily, hourly and pay. OR you could go half's......??? Definately ofsted will be ok just have o go through the procedures..

Not sure where you're coming from with that idea. :huh:

Either the 'other' person is a CM or an assistant.

If a CM, then they have to have their own paperwork, deliver EYFS, work with parents, etc. They can't just say, "I'm letting someone else do all that as a business arrangement."

If an assistant, then they have to be based in the CM's premises and cannot have sole care for more than 2 hours each day.

I just don't think the franchise business model fits this business.

Katiekoo

13-09-2012, 12:17 PM

I know in my town a cm was criticised for having her assistant take care of children without cm present at the assistants house. So she'd need to be a full cm. Is it possible to co mind in separate houses, not sure?

I think I get what you want to achieve, but I don't think childminding is something you can franchise. It's quite hard to get a franchise approved I believe, you need to prove it's a transferable business, that there is a significant beneficial brand, concept and business structure you'd be sharing. I think it's a formal process, because there were a lot of 'not so good franchises' a few years back that took people's money for businesses that weren't viable, didn't have a strong brand or business structure and the franchisees felt ripped off when their franchise failed.
Investigate it though, but I'd make sure whichever way you do this, you make sure it's fully understood and approved.

jadavi

14-09-2012, 02:53 AM

Thanks for your thoughts.
Guess it's co minding or Setting up a nursery then
Xx

jumpinjen

14-09-2012, 06:16 AM

There is a minder round my area that has another house that she sleeps at sometimes so she can di 'childcare on domestic premises' - basically she runs it like a nursery and has assistants and other cm's that work for her and she dispatches them off to various cm groups, toddler groups etc, depending on the children. They all wear the company t shirts and follow her policies etc - she sleeps there sometimes so it can be classed as a home and not a nursery premises - dodgy ground in my opinion and not really childminding but it means she avoids business rates etc......

Jenni