In Australia, women on average earn 18.2% or $283 per week less than men. On Equal Payday, held recently it was revealed what a man earns in 12 months, takes a women 14 months to achieve.
In the US, Labor Statistics 2013 reports women’s earnings were as little as 77 cents for every dollar that men earned. In the UK, gender pay gap for women without children is slightly over 7%, yet after children it leaps to a staggering 21%. And gov.uk, cites on average pays are 20% less for women than men.
This glass ceiling in the workforce includes women having less access to workplace bargaining and an over representation of women in low paid jobs with minimum wage and conditions.
In addition, an alarming one in two mothers have experienced work place discrimination as a result of their pregnancy, parental leave or return to work.
With facts like this more and more women are taking things into their own hands and finding rewarding careers in mobile and home based franchises. This offers women more flexibility and income, without the stress of a high pressure job, or the glass ceiling barriers.
If you’re a women looking to take back control and have more say in your career, your income, your lifestyle then a franchise can be a great vehicle for achieving this.
One Area Sales Manager at a large multi-national corporation quit her job, moved interstate, to take up an air conditioning maintenance and cleaning franchise.
In just under 2 years, Jackie Walker, of HydroKleen in the Gold Coast, Australia has successfully taken on a franchise in a typically male dominated industry. In her first year, she has taken out Best New Business in her franchise, and this year won Technician of the year base on customer feedback. She is earning a 6 figure income and looking to double her return on investment in 3 years.
To avoid limiting your potential or opportunity make sure you choose a franchise in a growth sector and that doesn’t limit your income or flexibility and allows you to expand and achieve the lifestyle you want.
There are hundreds of franchise choices, so choose an industry or service franchise that suits you and that you can enjoy being a part of every day.
Anyone considering moving from employment to buying a franchise, or in a franchise already, needs to have these qualities:
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Adaptable :
Different franchises offer different levels of support and systems. The key to success in any franchise is your ability to be flexible and your willingness to adapt. What’s needed is changes in different situations and over time. Understand your strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint where you may need help.
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Teachable :
The saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You need to be able and willing to learn and grow. This includes learning strategies to work with areas you’re not strong in and better leverage your natural strengths.
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Objective :
Set realistic expectations and if you don’t know what they are talk to other franchise owners and advisors to get perspective and clarity. Don’t make emotional decisions. Base your views and decisions on sound research, facts, data and independent views.
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Collaborative :
Franchises are built on interdependent relationships and collaboration is essential. Through there can be a greater impact and outcome for all. Success is shared.
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Resilient :
Be in it for the long haul, be prepared to work hard initially, know that it’s a journey and there will be obstacles and changes and it’s how you bounce back
There are a lot of successful franchise owners out there who are living the dream but they worked hard in the beginning and weren’t afraid to ask for help.
Anyone interested in buying a franchise or wanting to boost profits in an existing one can register now to attend the free national Franchising Unplugged Seminar in November at http://remarkablefranchises.com.au
People can also discover their strengths by taking a free test where they’ll discover what parts of being in a franchise they will be good at and where they will need help.
