Thinking about entering the education franchise business? Don’t rack your brain for the questions that you need to ask us when evaluating a Direct English Master License opportunity.
Here are the top 6 questions we’re asked by potential Direct English Master Licensee investors that are sure to help your next steps to success!
1. Will I have exclusivity?
Yes we only grant nationwide exclusive franchise rights. So if appointed you would be the only company or entrepreneur with access to capitalise on all that Direct English has to offer across the whole of the country.
2. What business models are available?
During our initial conversations with you, we’ll discuss what business models you think are right for your market, to help you capitalise on both the B2C and B2B markets with Direct English. However, traditionally there are a number of business models that our franchise global network has used successfully including:
• Developing a corporately owned Direct English training center network across the country
• Franchising the rights across the territory on an individual center, town, city or regional basis.
• If you already have existing training facilities for adults, then you might consider integrating Direct English into your existing business operations.
• You’ll be able to offer in-house corporate training too
• And you’ll also be able offer a Direct English license to other third-party training providers, and exploit government tenders too!
3. What franchise support do you provide?
As a Master Franchisee, we’ll use all of our global expertise to help you every step of the way. A comprehensive initial in-market training comes as standard, as does a dedicated Business Development Manager to support you throughout your journey with us. There’s access to marketing campaigns, website templates and offline and digital marketing and PR advice and support from our team of marketing professionals here, along with management manuals and access to our partner-only Extranet. And of course we register the trademark and web domain in your territory too.
4. What are the franchise costs involved?
An important question definitely. We need to be confident that any Master Licensees we appoint have the investment to not only set up their first flagship Direct English training center, but expand across the territory during the lifetime of the contract.
To secure the exclusive rights to Direct English on a nationwide basis will require payment of an initial one-time fee based on a 10 year contract. These fees range from $40,000 – $500,000 depending on the market.
This fee covers the rights to develop Direct English on an exclusive basis through all channels to market, with no renewal fee.
As well as the initial license fee, you would need to allow for the cost of the student resources, ongoing royalty costs, setting up your pilot Direct English training center, as well as costs for HR, legal and marketing. We know it’s a serious commitment, but so are the potential rewards!
5. Do I need to have experience in education or English language training (ELT) to be successful?
The short answer is no. Experience in education or the ELT market is not essential, though a passion for education and the resources, business acumen and contacts to succeed is critical. We have partners join us who are already in the training and education sectors. But we also have holding groups, existing franchise owners and entrepreneurs not currently in education, who are successfully working for us. Key is that we’re looking for companies and individuals who have proven success of developing successful businesses in their own country, and have the drive to make a success with Direct English.
6. What are the benefits of Master Licensing?
The beauty of Master Licensing is that you have the exclusive rights to the Direct English brand for the entire country. We won’t recruit another Master Licensee so the brand is effectively yours for that market. Master Licensing gives you the freedom and flexibility to develop Direct English across your market as you see fit (with our full support of course!).
The education sector is of course very different to the other business sectors, so every territory is different. So unlike other franchises, we won’t dictate which business model you have to adopt or what price points you need to set. We have extensive global experience and advice we can offer on every aspect of the program. But ultimately we give you control and flexibility to develop the brand in a way which is most profitable and practical for your market.
Based on your market research and guidance from our first-class Business Development team, you would come up with a market entry strategy that best suits your needs.
For those that are prepared to put in the hard work, you can often start earning from learning in no time!
If you are looking to expand your nationwide business, please contact us below or email us at opportunities@linguaphonegroup.com