The Franchise Consultant

What The Franchise Consultant does

The Franchise Consultant (legal entity: UK Franchise Consultants Ltd) is a UK-based franchise consultancy founded in 2014 and headquartered in York, North Yorkshire. The firm operates as a British Franchise Association (bfa) Advisor Member and delivers two core service lines: franchise development programmes (priced £15K-£35K) that take business owners from franchise planning through documentation, legal agreements and operations manuals to recruiting first franchisees, and ongoing franchisee recruitment services for established franchisors covering advertising, enquiry management, candidate qualification and introduction. Delivery is provided through a team of 11 staff including 7 regional consultants located across Yorkshire, Plymouth, Manchester, London, Reading, Sussex & Kent, and Scotland, giving national reach from a small core team.

Underlying operations are supported by a proprietary CRM system called Accelerator, which manages the franchisee enquiry pipeline, tracks prospects through the structured qualification process (discovery call, Qualification Zoom, Information Memorandum, franchisor introduction, Letter of Intent), and maintains consistent contact across the recruitment lifecycle. The consultancy also offers ancillary modules including a free online Franchise Readiness Quiz, a Franchise Agreement Review service authored by Managing Director Steve Lee, finance facilitation through partnerships with Start-up Loans Company, Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and Portman Finance, and company formation support. The firm additionally markets its own franchise opportunity to license the TFC model to new consultants.

The business is privately held and founder-led by Managing Director Steve Lee, with no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. The revenue model is professional services: project-based fees for development programmes and retainer or results-based fees for franchisee recruitment, with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are SMB business owners franchising a proven model for the first time and existing franchisors needing recruitment infrastructure. Across its operating history the firm has placed more than 500 franchisees across 40+ active franchise brands and signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant in November 2025.

Name

The Franchise Consultant

Legal name

UK Franchise Consultants Ltd

Website

https://thefranchiseconsultant.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Franchise Consultant is a UK bfa Advisor Member franchise consultancy that builds franchises from scratch for business owners and recruits franchisees for established networks, delivered through 7 regional consultants and pricing programmes at £15K-£35K.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Franchise Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB), Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Franchise consultancy
• Franchise development
• Franchisee recruitment
• Bfa advisor services
• Franchise advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise Development Services: Full-service franchise development programmes helping business owners build franchises from scratch, including documentation, legal agreements, franchise planning, and strategic input. Programmes range from £15,000 to £35,000 for established full-service offerings.
2. Franchisee Recruitment Services: Ongoing franchisee recruitment support for franchisors, including advertising across franchise portals, enquiry management, candidate qualification, and introduction of suitable franchisees. Often priced separately from development as a retainer, results-based fee, or combination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Franchise Consultant is a UK franchise consultancy that builds franchises from scratch for business owners with proven business models — covering franchise planning, documentation, legal agreements, and operations manual creation — and recruits franchisees on behalf of established franchisors, managing the full advertising, enquiry, and qualification pipeline. Services are delivered through seven regional consultants providing UK-wide coverage, supported by a proprietary CRM (Accelerator) that tracks prospects through structured qualification workflows.

Product overview

The Franchise Consultant operates as a bfa Advisor Member franchise consultancy offering two core service lines: franchise development for business owners looking to build a franchise from scratch, and franchisee recruitment for established franchisors. The company provides end-to-end services including franchise planning, documentation, legal agreements, operations manuals, and candidate recruitment. Additional service modules include pre-launch and expansion packages, franchise readiness assessment, agreement review, financing facilitation, and company formation support. The consultancy is headquartered in York with 7 regional consultants covering the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Franchise Development Services Comprehensive franchise development consultancy covering franchise planning, documentation, legal agreements, operations manual creation, and franchisee recruitment for business owners looking to franchise their proven business model.
• Franchisee Recruitment Services Specialist recruitment support for established franchise networks, managing advertising, candidate qualification, and introductions to suitable franchisees.
• The Franchise Consultant Franchise Opportunity The company's own franchise opportunity for consultants to join the TFC network and offer franchise development and recruitment services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ years combined team experience
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Forces Transition GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze Partner in Forces Transition Group Business Members Club. The partnership supports the company's commitment to the Armed Forces community, providing access to a network of service leavers, veterans, reservists, spouses, and blue light leavers as potential franchisees. The partnership aligns with the company's values around supporting those who have served.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Point Franchise: Online UK franchise marketplace connecting franchisors with prospective franchisees. Adjacent to TFC's franchisee recruitment service line but operates digitally rather than via consultative engagement.
• Franchise Local: UK franchise portal listing franchise opportunities and supporting franchisee recruitment. TFC uses Franchise Local as an advertising channel, indicating partial overlap as a marketplace rather than full-service consultancy.

Others

• British Franchise Association (bfa): UK industry body setting franchise standards and accrediting advisors like TFC. Not a competitor but the gatekeeper whose endorsement underpins TFC's primary credential and reputation.

Direct peers

• Franchize Consultants: UK franchise consultancy offering similar franchise development and franchisee recruitment services to business owners and existing franchisors. Closely comparable service catalogue and target customer segments to TFC.
• Franchise Resales Ltd: UK franchise brokerage specializing in the resale market for existing franchise businesses. Comparable franchise-intermediary focus, though TFC primarily develops new franchises while Franchise Resales handles secondary-market transfers.

Broad incumbents

• NatWest Franchise Team: High-street bank with a dedicated franchise advisory team serving SME customers. Comparable to TFC in targeting UK business owners considering franchising but delivers advice as a free add-on to banking relationships.
• HSBC UK Franchise Team: High-street bank division providing franchise advisory services to SME clients as part of a broader commercial banking offering. Competes with TFC on franchisee recruitment funnel by offering franchise guidance to bank customers at minimal incremental cost.
• Barclays Franchise Services: Major UK bank offering franchise advisory and lending to franchisees and franchisors. Overlaps with TFC's client base at the recruitment and finance-facilitation stages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thefranchiseconsultant

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Franchise Consultant