Sometimes referred to as ‘The Rose of the Shires’, the county of Northamptonshire’s main industry was once the manufacturing of boots and shoes. However, the last bastion of the trade to remain in the area is R Griggs and Co Ltd, the manufacturer of Dr. Martens. Other large employers in the county, which has a population of 723,000, include Weetabix, Carlsberg brewery, Avon Products, Siemens, Barclaycard and Golden Wonder. MyWaggyTails, The Wheel Specialist and Diamond Home Support are all franchises that operate in the area.
There are numerous ways to make money running a business. Franchising is a way of running your own business, but with the training and support of an established national - or even international - company. There are hundreds of business opportunities that are classified as franchises operating in dozens of market sectors. Franchisors give full initial and ongoing training, so you don’t necessarily need any experience of the market you wish to enter. In addition, the success rate of franchises is many times greater than independent start-up businesses.