THE READING DOCTOR

I had been teaching in Special Needs Education for a number of years before I made the leap into becoming a franchise owner. It was a job that I loved – you meet some amazing children and families working in SEN, who all shaped me into the teacher that I am today. It was incredibly rewarding helping children with learning difficulties to read and write and was my very favourite part of the job. However, when my little boy was born, I decided that it was important to me to achieve a better work-life balance, with flexible working hours.

I had a very positive experience with The Reading Doctor from the first time that I reached out to them. A Zoom meeting was arranged within a few weeks with the founder of the company, Deborah. It was here that I learnt about the vision of The Reading Doctor and what struck me was her passion that all children should be enabled to become readers. She recommended that I spoke to existing Reading Doctor franchisees to answer any questions and in doing so, this helped to cement my feeling that this could be the next step in my own career.

For me, it felt like a very natural next step. It was a way of continuing teaching and making a difference, with the added bonuses that I could work part-time around my son, and work in the comfort of my own office in the garden. Any initial trepidation was quickly quelled by my friends and family who were unanimous in their belief that it was the perfect opportunity for me.

The affordability was something that worried me, particularly at the beginning. We have savings that have been used to pay the franchise fee, these savings also had to pay to build a workspace in the garden. We also have very generous family and friends who offered us small loans to go towards the set-up costs as well.

I read the franchise agreement from cover to cover and made sure I understood absolutely everything that was outlined. I did have some questions and areas for clarification, for example in the event of long-term sickness, which I emailed through with the founder of the company. She made it very clear that it was okay to ask questions and could confidently explain everything in a great amount of detail. This helped me to relax, secure in the knowledge that it had been very well thought-through and was put together for the mutual benefit of both parties. I also had some family who I trusted look through it too and between us, we were happy with the contents of the agreement.

I personally found that there has been a steep learning curve, especially in the area of finance and marketing, that I had zero experience of prior to becoming a franchisee.

I have found The Reading Doctor training package absolutely fantastic, and has helped me to navigate my way through these areas where my knowledge was weak.

My advice would be to look for a franchise that offers comprehensive training and support especially if you are new to the business world. There are some uncertainties when you become a franchisee with any franchise, especially around finance and income. However, a franchise offers you some security in that there are people who have gone before you and they are the best people to tell you what it’s really like, so try to speak to them to get a first-hand account.