 |
 |
 | ||||||||
|
Fleurs de Provence
) What types of people are you looking for that would be reading these questions?Someone who wants to totally change his or her war of life. They would want to work abroad and the appeal of working in exotic locations with a better climate together with building up their own business would be what they were searching for. That sounds like me. Let me ask some questions about the business? I see lots of TV programmes at the moment of people wanting 'a place in the sun' not only to live there but work there too - is this the sort of thing? Yes, but the trauma of trial-and error has already been experienced and conquered by us and we pass on this knowledge to you. Have you been on TV? Yes, we have appeared on both BBC business shows and on many Endemol productions (which produce the Sky TV Style programmes) together with French TFI1 productions. ) And radio?Lots of interview programmes and chat lines on a questions and answers basis. And films? We have worked for major film production companies and the stars and crew involved with these including Columbia Tri Star, Paramount and Victorine film studios. Would I work for this type of client? It depends on the Country you choose. Most places where people can afford the luxury of a secondary residence attract the rich and famous. You need to be discrete and handle emergencies of any eventuality when dealing with this type of client. So the work is very 'people' orientated? Yes, a great deal. You have to really like people and- enjoy looking after them. It doesn't sound like a usual run of the mill type of franchise. No, it's highly individual and with a better quality of life and style than most. ) Do I have to speak another language?This all depends on the country but on many occasions, you will be assisting English speaking Residents. What other qualities should I have? Dynamic, hardworking, prepared to work as a family team if needed, husbands and wives could work together. Mature, stable with a sound marriage/relationship and prepared to educate children abroad if necessary. Could suit ex military personnel used to working in different Countries. Can you give me some examples of the type of work I would have to do? Management, staffing secondary residences, sales and rentals, catering, banqueting, Staff training. In other words absolutely anything and everything to do with Villas. Can I also do this in the UK? Yes, four areas are available but the work is a little different to that abroad. ) Why is the South East UK Master Franchise more expensive than the others?Because it includes London. But the UK doesn't really have ex-pat communities so what applies there? Looking after residences for rental and service and the industries connected to these including Staffing, maintenance and banqueting. Also the care industries. So specific countries need more specialist knowledge than others? Yes, each country is individual but the basics are all similar. For example, a country with a seaboard with luxury yachts would embrace the training of interior Yacht Crew whereas this may be inappropriate for another where training may be better used for land based work. ) Are you Estate Agents?No nothing like that really although we do include some elements of sales of property. How many years have you done this? Owned and rented out properties in France since 1981 and the Company in its present format since 1994. In addition over 23 years of experience in franchising. Which Countries are available? 'Master' Franchises for Countries worldwide and 'Area' franchises within France. What's the difference between a 'Master Franchise' and an 'Area'? With a 'Master', you are the owner of the area, with an 'Area' you work under the control of the Master Franchisor for that Country. Can you give me some idea of these and prices? Well you could 'own' a third of Spain outright for £25000 and then Franchise yourself within your country boundaries. Or buy a normal franchise' Area' within France from £8000 to £l5000. 'Master' prices range from £22 to £35000.00. ) What is the advantage over buying say, a third of Spain 'Master', as opposed to a French 'Area'?Within your country, you can then, in turn Franchise yourself which means you could get all your capital back and make a profit too. Your local knowledge acquired once you are in the country, will enable you to decide which areas you want to market and as you would 'own' your own country, you can decide it's future. If you are a real self-starter with big plans and highly motivated chose a 'Master'. If you need more handholding, chose an 'Area' which is not as demanding. So why a 'third' of Spain and could I boy all 'three' areas? This is a very lucrative Country for our type of work and it naturally divides into three very prosperous 'Coasts'. 'Yes,' all three are available (as of March 2004). Are any countries whole areas and not a portion such as 'a third of Spain'? Countries are available that you could manage and are not too big. In the case of America, you could have a 'State' whereas in, for example, Cyprus, you could 'own' the island. Could I then divide any of these areas up in turn? Yes, you could either have smaller area franchises or allocate larger areas, which in turn would franchise smaller sub areas for you. Each One has to pay you an ongoing commission and an annual license fee too. ) Do I have to get permission from 'Fleurs de Provence Worldwide' to do this?In the case of splitting areas info too small ones, we reserve the right to veto this on the grounds that the whole company must have integrity and also that any one with a Franchise be it 'Master' or 'area', must be able to make a good living. Everyone needs to succeed well. Do I need to have lots of working capital and how much could I earn? Enough to cope with basics for two years and working carefully on our guidelines until you are fully established. After that, with hard work, the earning is limitless. Are any 'Areas' franchised already? The Southern Var area, called 'Fleurs de Provence in the Var', four years ago. The Master Franchise for France is also under license to 'Fleurs de Provence Worldwide'. Would my 'Area' or 'Country' use the title 'Fleurs de Provence'? Yes, especially in France. The full title would be chosen by mutual agreement. And for countries other than France? If the title was appropriate, yes, if not, another one, but always using Fleurs de Provence somewhere in the title or following it as a sub title. For example, in the West Indies, we may choose 'Fleurs de Provence of the Islands'. So what other areas are available in France? Example areas include St Tropez, SW France, the Dordogne, Brittany, Paris, Normandy and Calais. All areas are of a very generous size. So where is 'Fleurs de Provence Worldwide' based? In Antibes, French Riviera and also in Yorkshire in the UK. Can I speak with present Franchisees for a reference? Most certainly. What do I use as a base or office? Full guidance is given on this during training. Would you come to the Country to look at it with us? If you wished and by arrangement. What sort of on-going prices do I have to pay? 'Masters' pay an annual license fee to ‘Fleurs de Provence Worldwide'. 'Areas' pay their licence fee to the 'Master' and 10% of that is paid to 'Fleurs de Provence Worldwide'. In addition, an Area pays 10% of their gross profit to the 'Master' of that country. So a 'Master' doesn't pay anything other than the annual license fees to 'Fleurs de Provence Worldwide' and no ongoing commission? Correct. I don't like the sound of license fees - are they expensive? Masters pay £1500pa to 'Fleurs de Provence Worldwide' index linked to UK Inflation plus 10% pa of any Areas. Areas pay £500 pa to their 'Master' (also index linked). It all sounds a bit technical and I don't know much about Franchises. Please call us for more information on any of the technical questions; they are really quite easy to answer. I’m a bit nervous at what will happen when I am actually in the Country of my choice. We are here to help iron out your teething problems and provide ongoing advice. Most aspects of what may make you nervous will have already been experienced by us and that is one really good reason for buying a franchise – all the spadework and hardships have already been experienced by us. What happens if I don't like it once in the Country? You can sell it or we can sell it for you. How will I learn the 'know how' of the business? We train you either in the South of France or part France, part UK. An additional fee is payable if we train you in the UK and in any event, a good part of your time must be spent in France for this is the type of environment in which you will work in future. Where would I train in the UK? Either at the 'Institute of Directors HQ' in London or in your hometown at an appropriate venue. In addition, at least four weeks would have to be spent in France. If I want to work in Greece, how will learning in France help me? Because the basics remain the same when working abroad, apart from the general characteristics of the natives. How long will the training take? Around six weeks, however, you can defer some aspects of your training and do these at a later date when you are more aware of your individual needs. For example, you may require a great deal of knowledge in one subject but a great deal less in another (or none at all). What happens if I already have a great deal of the 'know how' already? Firstly, we will make sure you really do know the skills you think you have For example, applicants asked to fill in forms stating if they could do 'silver service' all ticked this 'yes'. When asked questions, we discovered they thought it meant 'polish the silver'. If we found you really could do this, you would be exempt from this part of the training and another skill could be added in its place. Do I have to train my area Franchisees if I buy a Master franchise? We can train them for you for a fee or you can do this yourself. We train you to the very highest of standards so that you in turn can train people- this training is higher than an 'Area' franchisee would receive so you will then be able to train them. What happens if my Country needs 'know how' not routinely covered? Most aspects of all the work has already been experienced by us and we could either swap one subject for another or add the subject you need Where would I stay in France? You would rent a simple self-catering Apartment. Dependent on the time of year, out of season costs approx £600 per month. Why not a Hotel? We believe in keeping your costs down as the money saved can be better used for your new business. But my ego dictates I must have luxury! When you start working internationally, you will start to think less in an 'English' manner and these things will become less important. This is why 'behavioural psychology' is an important part of the training. Sometimes, you may have to work for very well known people including the very rich and famous. Without your head screwed on, it can sometimes be difficult to cope and not everyone can. Do I have to buy a house? Full advice is given before you start. We suggest you let your UK home and rent until you find the area you really want to live in. How do I relocate? Through the services of Relocation specialists who cover all aspects of housing and legal requirements for the country concerned. And the setting up of the legal requirements of the business? Again using the relocation experts, published literature and the embassies of the Country concerned. How soon could I franchise my own 'country'? Not before you are well established and thoroughly know your country. We would estimate four years to acquire sufficient local knowledge before you start to sell or two years if you already know your country now. Can I join your team to sell my own franchises? Yes, we envisage bigger and bigger stands at major Franchise Exhibitions where we join together and pool resources. Do you have to approve of me becoming a Franchisor or, if I want to sell on later to someone else, approve of them too? Yes, some people will not be suited to the work and the reputation of the company is more important to us than sales of Countries or Areas or receipts of license fees. If want to join how soon could I train? As soon as payment is made and contracts exchanged and we have answered all your questions. top  Key Info | | ||||||||
 |
|
 |
)