By Jen Watts, franchisor, creator and CEO of The Fairies
Jen Watts, franchisor, creator and CEO of The Fairies talks about the importance of a brand.
When my first daughter was two years old my baby boy arrived. With a five week old son in my arms, I searched desperately for a TV show directed at young girl’s to keep my daughter occupied when I had my hands full. I was adamant that I wanted to find something that was entertaining and beautiful, and after searching and finding nothing that seemed pretty enough, I was inspired to create a show full of magic, sparkles, glitter and everything little girls love, as well as introducing social, moral and environmental values and addressing children’s milestones, something that would fill the gap in the market.
And so, with those key ideas and concepts in mind The Fairies was born. I am proud to announce it is a thriving business at 13 years young and currently in the early stages of franchising, with franchise stores open in Western Australia and Tasmania.
I believe that the key element to why The Fairies has been such a successful venture thus far is because we have built, protected and continually reinvested in our Brand.
It is hard work, costly and in some aspects time consuming to continually build a brand that is memorable, recognisable, and one that you can leverage at many levels. It requires continual reinvestment and systems to ensure it remains strong.
It is vitally important once you have these elements in place that you then seek out and invest in the relevant protection:
Brand is all about the customers experience. It is a collective vision that tailors entire business models to meet customers demands and to achieve amazing results both with profitability and customer awareness - leaving them asking for more.
Having a strong brand associated with your business provides you with greater strength when franchising and becomes one of the biggest links between the Franchisor and the Franchisee, as you are both representing the livelihood of the brand and the business. However, the franchisee must understand the culture of the brand and what the brand stands for.
The benefits of having a strong brand when franchising is:
People looking to buy a business are at an advantage if they purchase a franchise business, as they receive added benefits from a brand that is already established. Franchisees receive support through the brand by having:
From the franchisors point of view, it is also important to look outside the square, research and understand the market in which you are operating; this will allow you to expand your business, concepts and brand into different areas within the market if research deems it suitable.
Applying this concept, we have successfully expanded our original concept by introducing a variety of products and services to our business. This includes, retail products, holiday and dance programs, and birthday parties. Although this has been done before, The Fairies have been successful because we researched our market and found gaps in which we could expand our business products and services.
The Fairies now sits within the top five children’s brands within Australia, and is successfully becoming an internationally recognised brand with a top-rating show seen on the Seven Network and Nickelodeon television channels, as well as throughout the United Kingdom, Asia and the Middle East. The brand is continuing to grow, with new series and products constantly being developed and promoted. The Fairies also have national touring concerts, fuelling and growing awareness of the brand.
These elements combined only enhance the positives of expanding via the franchising business model.
The Fairies – http://www.thefairies.com/franchise.aspx
