Financial services franchise offers unique opportunity

Join The Interface Financial Group, a franchise with a difference

When one talks about franchises there are usually a common set of words in the franchise description, regardless of the nature of the franchise in question. One of the most prevalent is probably the word ‘unique’.

The dictionary tells us that unique means exclusive, exceptional, inimitable, distinctive, matchless, rare and so on - a heady pedigree for any business to live up to, let alone a franchise. So why do these words appear so much in franchise jargon? Could it be that a franchise actually embraces all of these superlatives? Unlikely, but possible is maybe the best answer. Franchising is certainly a very specific niche marketplace. That having been said, there is very little in our daily lives that is not franchised in one form or another.

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When most people think about a franchise, certain fast food images come to mind. Then there are petrol stations and related automotive establishments. But when franchising gets to the realm of financial services, for example, not so many names, if any, come to mind. If a group of people were asked to name a bank that is, in effect, a franchise, few would have an answer as one would have to look far afield to find such ventures. The Australian banking sector has a franchise model, but there’s none we know of closer to home.

What about alternatives to banks? Now your search might show some results, but again it would be a limited selection. One of the names that would come up early in the search process would be The Interface Financial Group, a financial service franchise. Financial services come in many shapes and forms, but can you franchise a financial service?

In the case of Interface, the answer would be a resounding yes - a 20-year yes and on an international basis. The company has, in fact, been around for over 39 years. So why is it you have never heard of Interface or IFG, as it is often called? The company maintains a low profile and works with a very well defined market segment. It has created a ‘something different’ franchise. While words such as unique, distinctive and matchless may all apply, IFG tends to let its service and business model speak for itself.

Not only is it a franchised financial service, but it is also a home-based franchise. Franchisees enjoy the benefits of a home office without the overheads of rented premises. Because it is home-based it also tends to be a one-woman/one-man operation, meaning there’s no employees to hire and fire.

Why does that work? Because it is a franchise format and the franchisor is able to provide wide ranging support that negates the need for an extensive and often expensive staff complement.

In addition, there is no fixed territory. All IFG franchisees are free to do business anywhere, thus giving them maximum opportunity to leverage their efforts and contacts. No territory also means portability. A franchisee is not obligated to always live and operate their business in the same geographic location. Because of the international nature of the franchise, it even enables franchisees to move their franchise from one country to another as their lifestyle and circumstances dictate.

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For IFG, corporate refugees make great franchisees - and it’s a two-way affair. Individuals coming out of corporate UK invariably have a strong work ethic that has resulted in them working 40-70 hours a week. This work regime, however, has in many cases been to the detriment of their family and social life.

IFG gives you the opportunity to run your own business for 40-50 hours a month. And the difference from corporate life doesn’t end there. An IFG franchisee is very much in charge, working to their own timetable and agenda within the franchise framework. There are no long hours, no extensive travel and no boss to have to please, other than yourself.

In the conventional world of new business acquisition and marketing, franchisees often work from a fixed location with the hope that passing trade will fill their premises or they work in a typical ‘go out and get’ business environment. That ‘going out’ for business usually entails calling on prospects, cold calling, advertising, direct mail, telemarketing approaches and so on. Interface offers something different -the majority of business transacted by IFG franchisees is referred to them.

IFG doesn’t have to use superlatives to describe its business - the company just brings something different and refreshing to the franchise marketplace.’