ChipsAway’s parent company, Franchise Brands, shares retraining expertise

The Franchise Brands network is full of employment experts and, recently, they shared their top tips for people making (or considering) a post-COVID career change.

Franchise Brands isn’t just the parent company to ChipsAway. Along with the van based franchise, it’s also a parent to Ovenclean, Barking Mad, Metro Rod, Metro Plumb, Willow Pumps and The Handyman Van. During the pandemic, Franchise Brands has been incredibly supportive of its franchisees, and it now seeks to extend this support to the wider working community, acknowledging that “there are widespread fears that business owners still unable to welcome back their pre-pandemic workforces will be forced to make mass redundancies, leaving millions more out of work”.

Whether lockdown has made a person redundant, or shown the cracks in an employer’s facade by seeing them treat employees poorly, or even simply caused someone to reflect on their chosen career and professional path, a career change might be a real consideration for many at this stage in 2021. That in mind, Franchise Brands’ B2C Division Franchise Support Manager, Annabel Wilson, offered five of her best tips.

Tip one: It’s never too late to retrain. In Annabel’s words, “Don’t be afraid of retraining in a different role that you feel more drawn to. It’s never too late to start again, and life is too short to simply stick with what you know.”

Tip two: Look to start a new job or career that’s good for your soul. You’d be surprised how many “different hobbies and passions can actually be turned into fully fledged jobs, from cleaning and organising, to looking after animals or working on cars”. A job you love won’t even feel like work!

Tip three: Put yourself first. According to Annabel, that means finding “a job that suits your lifestyle, rather than one which asks you to adapt”. As a franchisee, you’ll often be able to set your own hours and dictate the amount of work you undertake each day.

Tip four: Choose a recession-proof market to make your investment in. Annabel said, “Before moving into another role, make sure you do your research. Look for the industries that are in demand – if they’ve survived a pandemic, you can count on them not experiencing a downturn any time soon.”

Finally, tip five: Become your own boss. Annabel is a strong believer in the idea that “no-one should have more control over your life than you”, so “if you’ve always answered to others, but are a complete self-starter and know you could work independently, consider whether now is the right time to become self-employed”. Find out more about a potential investment with ChipsAway, one of Franchise Brands’ most successful offshoots, via ChipsAway’s profile page, linked above.