Over the last ten years, the franchising industry has seen a trend of more women taking up opportunities in franchising and this is expected to further increase over the next five years. According to the International Franchise Association (IFA) there are more than 25% of women operating franchises in the world and that doesn’t include another 17% of the population where men and women operate franchises together as partners. Morne Cronje, Head of Franchising at FNB Business says, “Women have the ability to use their time, energy and resources effectively to meet and achieve business goals. This trait, in my view, is the cornerstone for successful women in franchising.  In a country like South Africa, the growing involvement of women in franchising is vital, considering that women make up the majority of our population.” Cronje shares four successful franchise industries that women are dominating in: Education – More women are attracted to this space because they are not on...

Franchising falls within one of the most significant sectors of the South Africa economy - the services sector. This industry contributes over 70% to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for over 72% of all employment. If we are to reach the World Banks’ estimate that our country's economic growth is to increase by 2% this year, then the services sector needs to continue to perform well. Naomi Brandt, franchisee of the Sandwich Baron Kensington store in Johannesburg, discusses how paving the way for female entrepreneurs through the franchise model can see the sector, and in turn the country, exceed current growth projections. A recent survey conducted by the Franchising Association of South Africa (FASA) found that there are over thirty thousand franchised outlets in the country. Off these, 26% are black owned, while 28% are owned by women. The industry also boasts employment numbers of over four hundred thousand jobs which are mostly representative of t...