Deb Shugg, winner of Franchise Woman of the Year and one of BRW MagazineÕs top 50 female entrepreneurs, will be taking her emotionally compelling and inspirational story on the road in a series of breakfast seminars staged by Women in Franchising and sponsored by Westpac as part of Women in Franchising month.
Ten years ago Shugg was agoraphobic and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The pressing demands of parenthood and the need to generate an income forced her to create employment for herself and she turned to her former skills as a bookkeeper.
After placing a $36 ad in the local paper Shugg had more than 100 clients and was now earning a living from the security of her own home.
She turned to the franchising model to expand her business and to fulfil her ambition of providing other vulnerable members of the workforce with the building blocks to create their own solid future.
Today Award Bookkeeping Company has more than 50 franchisees and a gross annual turnover of over $3 million.
With high unemployment figures and the need to cement job security, franchising continues to grow as a real and meaningful alternative to regular paid work.
“The beauty of franchising is that it allows you to be in business for yourself, not by yourself” said Steve Wright, executive director of the Franchise Council of Australia. “With the growth in the home services market there are lots of niches and people can certainly run their businesses from home and, like Deb, step up without even stepping out of the front door”.
Deb Shugg will be sharing her story across the country at a series of Westpac Women in Franchising events. A lunch takes place in Melbourne on Tuesday 21 April, Brisbane has a breakfast on Tuesday 28 April, there will be a breakfast in Sydney on Wednesday 29 April, a high tea in Perth on Thursday 30 April and AdelaideÕs National Wine Centre will host an event to coincide with the FCAÕs state conference on Friday 1 May.
The events are open to men and women. For more information see www.franchise.org.au