Celebrating women in franchising is the theme in The BFA Magazine (April 25).

Our consultant Rebecca Newenham highlights how mentorship plays a vital role in helping women grow and sustain their businesses, particularly in franchising.

The issue is packed with great content, read it in digital form here.

She draws on her personal experience as both a mentor and mentee to emphasise the value of having a supportive guide through the emotional and strategic highs and lows of business ownership. Mentorship offers benefits at every stage – from launch to growth. It can be accessed through free or paid channels, including local councils, universities, and online platforms like Mentorsme and LinkedIn.

Effective mentors serve multiple roles: they offer a listening ear, consistent support, actionable advice, and accountability. Unlike coaches, mentors typically share their own business experience, providing pragmatic guidance and best practices. A good mentor fosters openness, challenges your thinking, and helps transform ideas into clear, measurable actions. Choosing the right mentor – ideally someone with industry knowledge or aligned values – can enhance this relationship further. Ultimately, the more committed and transparent the mentee is, the more impactful the mentorship becomes. Thus helping women not only navigate challenges but also celebrate their achievements and continue progressing toward their business goals.

Franchise Mentoring

Mentorship becomes especially valuable when franchising your business, a process that brings new opportunities but also significant complexity. A mentor with franchise experience can provide targeted guidance on creating scalable systems, developing training and support structures for franchisees, and protecting your brand as it grows. They help you think strategically about legal requirements, pricing models, and franchise recruitment – all crucial elements that can determine the long-term success of your franchise.

As Rebecca Newenham notes, a mentor can offer both emotional support and practical advice, which is particularly important during the transition from running a single business to overseeing a network. Mentors can also challenge your assumptions, help you avoid common pitfalls, and ensure you’re building a franchise model that aligns with your vision and values. Whether it’s refining your operations or managing the responsibilities of leadership at scale, mentorship can keep you focused and motivated through each stage of the franchising journey.

Ultimately, having a trusted mentor at your side doesn’t just benefit your own development – it strengthens the entire franchise network. It’s an investment not only in your growth, but in the success of every franchisee who follows your lead.