Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF)

What Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF) does

Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWiF) is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation, founded in 2015 (with its annual awards tracing back to 2012), run entirely by volunteers with one named administrative staff member. Its mission is to inspire, educate, and empower more women to achieve success through franchising. EWiF serves three horizontal customer segments: women exploring or building franchised businesses (primary), franchisors seeking to attract female franchisees, and member companies committed to inclusive workplaces. It operates across nine UK regions (Scotland, North East, North West & North Wales, Midlands, London, South, South West, South Wales, East), each led by a regional chair who is a working franchisor or franchise-sector professional.

The organisation monetises through a three-tier subscription membership model: Ambassador at £180/year, Supporter at £660/year, and Partner at £1,680/year. Members receive regional meeting access, mentorship pairing, directory listings, and (at higher tiers) PR campaigns, newsletter features, and award-category sponsorship rights. Free offerings — including a 30-minute telephone mentoring session, first regional meeting access for non-members, and a downloadable Curious Women's Guide to Franchising — serve as top-of-funnel acquisition. The annual EWiF Awards, principal-sponsored by NatWest since 2012 and co-located with the British Franchise Association's Empowering Women in Business conference, anchor the calendar. Distribution is direct via the EWiF website, supplemented by Eventbrite for event registration and standard social channels (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn). The Bring-a-Buddy referral scheme converts existing members into recruiters.

EWiF has no proprietary technology products, no patents, and no AI/ML capability; its moat is community, brand, and regional distribution rather than technology. Its commercial health is materially tied to the NatWest sponsorship relationship, though the awards sponsor roster has broadened in recent years. The organisation has no disclosed revenue, headcount, or funding rounds; its scale is implied by the breadth of named member testimonials across unrelated SMB franchisors and the maturity of a 9-region volunteer network. The UK franchise industry context — 34% of 2024 new franchisees and a record 40% of all UK franchisees are women, up 17 percentage points since 2015 — provides the macro tailwind against which EWiF's mission and brand relevance are measured.

Name

Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF)

Legal name

Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWiF)

Website

https://ewif.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EWiF is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation that supports women in franchising through tiered memberships, regional meetings across nine UK regions, a mentoring programme, and an annual awards ceremony principal-sponsored by NatWest since 2012.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clay Cross

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Three-tier annual membership model: Ambassador (£180/year), Supporter (£660/year), and Partner (£1,680/year). Provides access to regional meetings, mentoring, marketing/PR opportunities, and member discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

EWiF is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation that provides advice, mentoring, and networking services for women interested in franchising. Its core offering centres on a three-tier membership programme (Ambassador at £180/year, Supporter at £660/year, and Partner at £1,680/year) combined with a structured mentoring scheme, regular regional meetings across nine UK regions, and an annual awards ceremony celebrating women's achievements in franchising.

Product overview

EWiF is a not-for-profit organization operating as a community membership platform rather than a technology product. The core offering consists of membership tiers (Ambassador, Supporter, Partner) providing access to networking, mentoring, and professional development services. Key services include the EWiF Mentoring Programme, Regional Meetings held across 9 UK regions, and the annual EWiF Awards Ceremony. Additional offerings include free franchising guidance resources, introductory 30-minute telephone mentoring sessions, and member-exclusive discounts and offers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% of all new franchisees were women in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British Franchise Association (BFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEWiF Awards 2026 held in partnership with The BFA's Empowering Women In Business (EWIB) Conference, creating a full day of learning, inspiration and networking followed by EWiF Awards celebration in the evening.
• Atlas MappingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• CoconutminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor providing marketing support and video content tips for award entries.
• BarclaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• Children's Activities Association (CAA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• REV PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• McDonald's RestaurantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• The Ops PortalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• Elite FranchiseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.
• Downs SolicitorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward sponsor for EWiF Awards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/EWIF_UK
• Facebookfacebook.com/EWIF.UK/?ref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ewif-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/ewif_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF)