Extra Help franchisees reunite for 2022 Conference & Awards
It’s been a very busy and productive October for Extra Help. Not only was it our 12th birthday recently, but we also held our annual Conference and Awards event in Bristol on the 10th and 11th of October.
The step from being with colleagues in an office to working alone can sometimes be daunting. Our conference allows franchisees to meet up with like-minded peers; build positive, working relationships; share ideas and gain advice on how to grow their businesses. It also gives them the chance to get to know the Extra Help team at Head Office and find out who’s working behind the scenes to keep our franchise network running smoothly.
This year’s conference saw a fantastic turnout, with most of Extra Help’s franchisees in attendance.
“I really enjoyed the conference. It is a great chance to meet others in the ‘Extra Help Family’ and good to share experiences, knowing others are going through similar things. Coming to the conference makes you feel not alone or isolated!”
Sam Bee, who has owned Extra Help NW Leicestershire for one year
“I felt welcomed by all and encouraged by their stories.”
Mark Lane, who has owned Extra Help Newcastle-under-Lyme for just under one year
We were very fortunate to be joined by Berkeley Harris, a top business coach and keynote speaker, for both days of the conference. As the owner of Sandler Training, Berkeley works with businesses to remove the pressures of achieving growth, by raising the skills of the management and the sales developers.
Day 1
Berkeley’s sessions aimed to encourage a positive mindset and challenge franchisees’ preconceptions about various aspects of their businesses. His first session focused on how to grow your business and the second was an interactive session that provided valuable advice on recruitment, hiring, onboarding and retaining staff.
“Very proud to be part of Extra Help. It’s always great to meet other franchisees. It’s been good to meet new franchisees and see their ideas at the start. It’s opened my mind to areas we haven’t yet explored. It also reminded me how important it is to support our team of home helpers and try to meet with them more regularly.”
Cath Arnold, co-owner of Extra Help Wirral for six years
Our agenda also included two, additional speakers; Kurt Edwards from Adsmart, who spoke about how Extra Help franchisees can take advantage of targeted, local advertising on Sky TV; and Clare Davis, CEO and founder of Nova Associates, whose excellent session focused on emotional fitness and mental wellbeing.
Clare emphasised the importance of learning to control your stress and make time for yourself every day and taught our franchisees a highly effective breathing technique to help ground themselves. She also recommended various tools and places to find more information, including blogs and podcasts, and gave each franchisee a complimentary copy of her book.
That evening, everyone met for dinner, which was a lovely opportunity for our franchisees to get together in an informal environment.
“Extra Help is my life - I can’t even imagine doing anything else, everyone here is so supportive and kind, we are such a lovely ‘Extra Help family!’ I have had a really good time with interesting people – I’m looking forward to next year already.”
Luda Kuliabko, who has owned Extra Help Plymouth for six years
After dinner, we announced and gave out the 2002 Extra Help Awards – the winners are as follows:
- Franchisee of the Year Telford & Wrekin
- Most Improved Turnover Telford & Wrekin
- Most Improved Regular Hours Telford & Wrekin
- Most Improved Clients NW Leicestershire
- Hours Hero Wirral
- Sales Superstar NW Leicestershire
- Winning Attitude Wirral
- Rising Star Shropshire
- Highest Achiever Year 1 Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Highest Achiever Year 2 NW Leicestershire
- Highest Achiever Year 3 Telford & Wrekin
- Highest Achiever Year 4 Hammersmith & Fulham
- Highest Achiever Year 5 Milton Keynes
- Highest Achiever Year 5 + Wirral
- Team Spirit Denise Cooper
“I thought the agenda was top-drawer! The sessions were brilliant - I learned so much over the two days and I think everyone got a lot out of it. It was fantastic to see everyone and I was especially touched to receive my award for Team Spirit, which means the world to me.”
Denise, Extra Help Rickmansworth & Watford, Leighton Buzzard & Hemel Hempstead
Congratulations to all of our winners! We’re so proud of your efforts and hope this will spur you on to achieve even more success in the coming year…
Day 2
The second day of the conference was spent recapping what was learned during the previous day and discussing how to put it all into practice. Again, Berkeley Harris led the session, which was very interactive, with everyone being put into groups and then presenting their findings back to the rest of the room.
All in all, everyone agreed the Extra Help Conference was a resounding success and, judging by the feedback received, our franchisees have returned feeling highly motivated, even more determined to continue building the Extra Help brand and growing their businesses.
“I love being part of the Extra Help family, it’s great to see everyone and to bounce ideas off each other!”
Adrian Preece, who has owned Extra Help Shropshire for two years
“Extra Help is a brilliant franchise!!! The conference was absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t change anything about it. I was very appreciative of the thought and effort put into it. Being able to catch up with established franchise owners, and also those just starting out, provided me with a broad spectrum of learning. The conference has given me the boost I required and motivated me business-wise.”
Tracey Tayo, owner of Extra Help Hackney and Islington
Would you like to run a rewarding business that provides valuable home-help services to your local community? Perhaps you’ll join us for next year’s conference!