Transworld franchisor: “Fail to prepare and prepare to fail”

Franchisees and franchisors share how they are adjusting to the new normal

As more of the UK turns to self-isolation and social distancing, balancing personal and professional lives with home-schooling and other duties, remaining positive through these trying times is paramount.

In this new series, we speak with franchisees and franchisors from across the UK to find out how they are coping with “the new normal”.

We speak with Henry Ziff, managing director of Transworld of London, about the home working environment, establishing a routine and being pro-active on the job.

“Firstly, working from home is proving to be a good thing. When you’re used to spending an hour or more commuting to work each day, you now have an extra hour to achieve something for yourself. Learn a new language or skill you’ve been putting off or read more.

“Moving to working from home when you’re used to be in a workplace environment is all about re-establishing a routine which works for you.
• wake up at the same time,
• workout at the same time,
• eat at the same time.

“Don’t just sit on the sofa in your pyjamas all day!! You will not feel motivated to do anything.

“Also, turn the news off and reduce the time you spend on social media. It’s overwhelmingly negative and likely to make you feel anxious.

“Finally, at Transworld, we are supporting our franchisees and network with town hall type video calls. The reason behind investing in this is to maintain continuous communication with everyone in the network and check on their wellbeing, as well as workload.”

On coping with the pressure

“I have always been pro-active. Weeks ago, when we saw what was happening, we drew up plans, ready for when changes to how we work and socialise were introduced to the UK. Now, we have implemented these plans and it’s a case of sticking to them. This helped with the pressure many businesses faced, around re-learning how to work together and follows one of my favourite quotes, ‘Fail to prepare and prepare to fail’.”

On balancing your new work schedule and personal life

“One of the biggest strategies for Transworld Business Advisors in finding new clients is through networking. But with it currently banned, I decided I would try and reach out – from a distance – to around five to 10 people on my daily walk. I can follow this up with a FaceTime call.”

On staying positive

“I meditate regularly and have increased this, with the extra time I have. This, combined with sticking to my ‘new’ daily routine, is easing the stress of adjusting to working from home.”