Fiona Leggott will offer guidance to current and would-be franchisees and franchisors across the entire North East region
Co-founder, Fiona Leggott, has assumed a new voluntary role with Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF), a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers who provide advice and guidance to women looking for a route into the franchise industry. Fiona will offer guidance to current and would-be franchisees and franchisors across the entire North East region.
I first signed up to EWIF a couple of years ago, but there didn’t seem to be any events occurring in the North East. When renewing my membership, I asked about this and was informed that they were currently in the process of appointing a new team to oversee the region. It was then we discussed about me coming on board in a voluntary role to support the regional chairwoman, Angela Sterling, and I gladly accepted!
Primarily I will be coordinating networking to strengthen EWIF’s links, co-chairing meetings in the North East, and supporting national events. I will also be on hand to act as a mentor for franchisees and franchisors in the area who are looking for support and advice.
I’m really excited! Joining EWIF is a fantastic opportunity to get to know more people within the franchising world, encourage networking across the region, and support a hugely worthwhile cause: getting more women into franchising.
My aim is to help build and nurture a proactive, supportive, positive group in the North East. It’s been proven that women are more reluctant to enter the franchising industry, often because the expectations involved cause anxiety. But a lot of people – not just women – are still unaware of the many key benefits franchising offers, not least the incredible support that is available.
I really hope it showcases what we’re doing with the brand on a wider, yet more personable level in the franchise sector. Hopefully, people will also get to see what a fantastic franchise opportunity we offer as well. But irrespective of that, my aim is simple: supporting the EWIF network as a whole to ensure everyone’s time in franchising is a massive success.