Retrenched Queensland public servants have contributed to a renewed interest in franchising, according to Retail Food Group, which saw a 64% spike in inquiries between June and August.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n RFG owns and operates major retail food brands including Brumby\u2019s Bakery, Donut King, Michel\u2019s Patisserie and Pizza Capers. It has more than 1,250 outlets across seven countries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Between June and August, RFG saw a 64% spike in franchise inquiries nationally, including interest from former Queensland public servants, laid off as part of Premier Campbell Newman\u2019s severe cost-cutting measures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gavin Nixon, RFG head of emerging markets, says many people are \u201cexploring their options\u201d, which include starting their own business.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know a lot of Queenslanders are wondering what to do next and we are keen to do what we can to help give these people a fresh start,\u201d Nixon says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStarting out by yourself can be daunting, which is why proven franchise systems are appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c[However,] we make sure they\u2019re ready to join the small business sector and that they\u2019re not just buying a job.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With regard to RFG brands, Nixon points out no previous business or in-store experience is required, insisting all training is provided.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOur franchisees come from all walks of life\u2026 [But] once franchisees graduate from our Gold Coast training academy, they are equipped with the necessary skills,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to Nixon, RFG\u2019s reputation has enabled it to develop relationships with leading financial institutions. Ultimately, these relationships benefit franchisees, he says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf finance is required, our potential franchisees can take advantage of these relationships and are able to apply for financial assistance not normally available to small business investors,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In response to the increased demand for franchising opportunities, RFG has extended access to an assistance package for potential franchisees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This includes providing financial assistance and fee discounts to approved applicants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The news comes on the back of a report by Macquarie Bank, which urges Australians to brace for a \u201cwhite-collar recession\u201d by early next year, with unemployment tipped to rise to up to 6%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s believed the rise in unemployment is being fuelled by recent redundancies in the financial and IT sectors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As Macquarie Bank warned in its report, redundancy payouts \u201conly last for so long\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThus we suspect this [unemployment] pressure is likely to emerge in the second half of 2012,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peter Strong, who heads up the Council of Small Business of Australia, said earlier this year anyone who starts a business after being made redundant needs to keep their emotions in check.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe hear from people who say, \u2018I\u2019ve got half a million dollars. Here\u2019s my opportunity to do my own thing\u2019\u2026 It\u2019s wonderful they think that way, but be careful with your money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Strong said there could be an increase in public sector job cuts as governments look to reduce spending \u2013 as seen by the heavy-handed approach taken by the Queensland Government.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe other area is banking \u2013 we will start to see retrenchments happening in the banks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Retrenched Queensland public servants have contributed to a renewed interest in franchising, according to Retail Food Group, which saw a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47745"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}