According to EWiF (Encouraging Women into Franchising), over the past 3 years, 37% of all new franchisees joining the industry have been female, a huge increase from 20% back in 2015.
Home Instead’s COO and EWiF’s Ambassador of the Year Ruth Brown, has herself played an instrumental role within the business in encouraging other women to join the franchising sector. Whether that’s through women-led franchise partnerships such as mother & daughter, aunt & niece, sisters, or women who have the desire to set out on their own.
Ruth began her journey into franchising as a franchise assistant, working for a stationery company who themselves were just venturing into the world of franchise. She then moved on to work for confectionery company, Thorntons. It was within this role where Ruth worked to open around 80 of their franchise stores with them, ahead of starting her career with Home Instead in 2010.
This opportunity allowed Ruth to bring together all of her previous experience into a company that makes a difference with a really strong purpose, pioneering the way that home care is delivered in the UK.
Now, there are very few people who don’t know and admire Ruth Brown within the franchise sector. As a successful woman in franchising, Ruth is passionate about mentoring and empowering those around her to grow and achieve. Ruth is forthcoming when it comes to sharing the knowledge she has gained throughout her career to benefit others, whether that’s encouraging other women to join the sector, as well as internally through the development of her franchise team.
Under Ruth’s leadership, her team have been encouraged to become QFP qualified to further solidify the expertise of those around her, and many of the senior positions within the franchise development team are held by women.
One example of a successful women under Ruth’s mentorship is Imogen Clarke. Imogen studied business and communication at university, before entering the world of franchising, driven by her passion for entrepreneurship and making a difference.
On joining Home Instead in 2013, Imogen worked in the marketing department before moving into franchise development in 2016. Imogen has since gone on to head up the team and manages the inhouse resale brokerage.
Being responsible for supporting individuals looking to become Home Instead franchise owners, seeing them grow incredible businesses and then guiding them when they are looking to sell their resale business, is something she really enjoys.
Imogen is often asked to share her experiences about how she has been so successful in attracting the right people to the industry and how she has helped shape both their future and that of Home Instead.
Imogen is fully aligned with Home Instead’s commitment to leading the way in home care and is part of the Home Instead Operational Excellence Team. Imogen is not only a great example of a successful woman in the sector, she is also a successful mum in business and advocates for other women in a similar position, featuring on podcasts discussing the topic of balancing a career with having children.
Ruth commented: “Looking at the statistics from EWiF that more women are coming into the franchising sector is both encouraging and exciting. I joined the sector and never looked back! It’s really inspiring to see the women within our franchise network growing their businesses and delivering outstanding care in their communities. Also it’s great to see the women within our national team, such as Imogen, who are continuously developing their expertise in order to then in turn benefit the network with the support provided”.