Linda Whitney Monday May 24, 2010

AN AFFORDABLE franchise can be the solution if you want to set up in business without a huge investment. Many franchises are deliberately designed to be affordable.

LEENA THAKKER invested £8,000 in a Musical Minis franchise in April 2009. ‘It is not a huge sum compared with some franchises, but I was determined to recoup the initial investment as quickly as possible,’ says Leena, 41, pictured with daughters Anya, eight, and Alaina, three.

Leena Thakker with her daughters

Musical Minis franchisees run music sessions for babies and young children at local venues and children’s centres, and Leena aimed to run two sessions a week in her first term, building up to four in the second. ‘The initial marketing was so successful that I did six sessions weekly from term one,’ says Leena, a former marketing consultant.

She now runs 12 sessions a week in the Oxford area and employs a part-time leader to take some of the sessions for her. ‘I have already recouped my investment in only a year,’ she says. ‘even if a franchise is not hugely expensive, if you work hard at it and put in the hours, it can be a good income earner.’

Musical Minis is looking for more franchisees. The £8,000 package includes lesson plans, instruments, CD and audio equipment and professionally recorded music, so you don’t need music training to get started.