After winning at the Business Awards UK, we have been named Franchise Consultancy of the Year and Best Full-Service Franchise Consultancy for 2026.
Earlier this year, we were named North Yorkshire’s Business Consultancy of the Year at the Business Awards UK. Now we are proud to have earned two more titles: Franchise Consultancy of the Year 2026 at SME News Magazine’s Business Elite Awards and Best Full-Service Franchise Consultancy 2026 at the Northern Enterprise Awards.
Many of the business owners we speak to share a similar story. Their business is doing well, and customers keep asking if there is a location closer to them. Still, they put off franchising, because handing over a brand they have spent years building can feel like a big risk. They worry about picking the wrong partner, paying for paperwork that leads nowhere, or discovering too late that their business is not right for franchising.
We are here to help ease those concerns, supporting owners from the first suitability check all the way to signing a new franchisee. We design the franchise model and territories, write the Operations Manual, Franchise Agreement, and Franchise Information Memorandum, and manage the recruitment campaign to find, screen, and qualify candidates on the owner’s behalf.
Why We Stood Out
SME News and its research team decide both awards. The Northern Enterprise Awards look at client dedication, innovation, business growth, longevity, online reputation, customer feedback, and business performance. The Business Elite Awards focus on innovation, industry impact, and client satisfaction. We believe our track record speaks directly to each of these criteria.
Longevity and results feel like a natural place to start. We have been helping UK business owners build franchise networks for more than three decades, and our team brings over 100 combined years of franchising experience. In that time, we have placed more than 300 franchisees for our clients, and one network alone has grown by more than 40 franchisees with the help of our recruitment work.
Our dedication to clients shows up in our daily work. We act as a partner rather than just a supplier, holding regular strategy calls and providing performance reports so that owners always know how their campaign is progressing. Marketing costs are transparent. They are usually paid directly to the media and managed by us, and we pass any discounts we receive back to the client. Our clients often tell us how much they value our responsiveness and support, from the first conversation right through to signing their first franchisee.
Innovation, which features in the criteria for both awards, is another area where we have pushed ahead. We have developed new reporting tools that show clients exactly how their recruitment marketing is performing, so they can see clearly what their spend is delivering. Our Managing Director, Steve Lee, has also created FranchiseMS (www.franchise.ms), a franchise management system that lets franchisors run head office and every franchisee from a single platform. It brings the operations manual, training, audits, and royalty collection together in one easy-to-use system, and it calculates royalties from the sales and jobs a network actually records rather than from figures franchisees report themselves. Finding better ways to support our clients has always mattered to us, so it feels great to see that work recognised on a national stage.
From First Enquiry To Signed Agreement
Recruitment is where our full-service approach really stands out. Finding the right franchisees is often the hardest part for owners, so we handle it completely. Enquiries come from the major franchise portals, our own investor database, and targeted digital campaigns we run for each client. Every enquiry receives a screening call from our team to check suitability, investment capacity, and genuine interest. A structured email sequence then keeps promising candidates engaged, so owners do not have to manage that themselves.
Candidates who move forward take part in two qualification Zoom calls with us, the second taking place after they have received the Franchise Information Memorandum. Only then do they meet the business owner, and we brief both sides in advance so the meeting is productive. After that, candidates sign a Letter of Intent, meet current franchisees for due diligence, and are referred to lenders if they need funding. By the time the franchise agreement is signed, the owner has only met serious, well-prepared candidates instead of having to sort through every enquiry.
This complete approach is what makes us different. We do not simply hand clients a set of documents and leave them to find franchisees on their own. We support them throughout the process, charging a fixed development fee and a success-based recruitment fee, which means we only succeed when our clients do.
An Honest First Conversation
Everything begins with an honest answer. Before any commitment is made, we give every potential client a clear assessment of whether their business is ready to franchise. If it is not, we explain what needs to be done first. A good candidate usually has a business that has been running for at least 12 months, systems that can be taught to others, and enough profit to support both the franchisee’s earnings and a management fee. Being upfront at this stage helps owners avoid investing in a franchise that is unlikely to succeed.
Our Managing Director, Steve Lee, author of “Bought In”, said:
“Winning both awards in the same year is something the whole team is proud of. Most business owners we meet have been sitting on the idea of franchising for a long time, worried about getting it wrong. Our job is to give them an honest answer on whether their business is ready, and then do the hard work of finding the right franchisees alongside them.”
Working To Recognised Standards
We are also an Approved Advisor with the British Franchise Association (BFA), the UK’s only voluntary self-regulatory body for franchising. For owners new to franchising, this gives real reassurance that the advice and documents they receive from us meet industry standards.
Business owners ready to explore franchising can book an initial conversation with us by calling 0808 281 4727 or visiting www.thefranchiseconsultant.co.uk
Steve Lee is Managing Director of The Franchise Consultant, a bfa Advisor Member franchise consultancy. He is the author of Bought In, a guide to buying and building a franchise business.