Book Review: 50 Fantastic Franchises edited by Emma Jones and Sarah Clay

So you want to start a business but you haven?t got an idea of what to do? Or, you?ve got the energy but don?t like the thought of coming up with an idea which might fail, then what do you do? One answer is to consider the world of direct selling or franchises. These are businesses that are stable enough to provide an income; the rub being that you need to find some start up capital to fund initial outlays.

But what franchises would be the best one to invest in?

The latest Brightword Publishing book ?50 Fantastic Franchises?, by Emma Jones and Sarah Clay attempts to guide you through the franchise world, and provide 50 businesses that can be started with an initial capital investment. The value in this book is the 50 businesses inside. From an initial outlay of between £0 and £27k there is either a direct selling job or a franchise for you. The direct selling jobs cover the first £225 of initial cost, and then the franchises take over.

You might think that you?ve got an idea about what a franchise or a direct selling job would mean, but there is a good spread of variation in business type ? from jewellery manufacture to providing children?s fashions. Other businesses include the more traditional ones (Avon, Vie at Home and Tupperware parties), but there are opportunities in providing DIY and Maintenance, as well as becoming a travel advisor.

This is a useful little book that can give you the confidence to take the plunge and take on a franchise or a direct selling job. With its section at the back providing a list of support organisations it can be seen as a modern take on an age-old business system and very good at providing relevant information.

Incidentally, this is not where the review ends. This is because I was reading this book via Adobe Digital Editions (other ebook readers are available), rather than a traditional paper copy. I found the functionality of ADE did not detract from the experience of reading, though as I was reading it via a laptop I thought it could be a little cumbersome. A better way would be to download it onto a more portable device (Phone, tablet or ereader) which could more easily be carried in a handbag or a pocket.

All in all a very pleasant experience, and made all the better because of the colourful and bright formatting of the book.

TOTAL MARK 4/5