Franchise is the way forward for innovative businesses

Starting your own business or growing your existing operation is no easy task.

Small businesses are constantly looking at ways to grow their brand and tap into a wider network of customers and for many people, buying or growing a business can be a daunting prospect, particularly if it will cover a large geographical footprint.

For people who want to start their own business, not just for the financial rewards, but for the opportunity to be their own boss and run their own life, the downside is that they also take on all the risks and hard effort.

Taking on a franchise within a proven operation and support network reduces those risks and the workload substantially.

Franchising and licensing can make the leap into the unknown a smaller step, by enabling growth via creating a network of locations that are financially backed, managed and run with local knowledge, all whilst the company is reaching more customers more economically and growing the brand.

• 

• 

Marcia Brickwood, the current director of a highly successful and profitable franchising and licencing event group of companies – HZ Entertainment Franchise Ltd (retailer, franchising and licensing company), HZ Entertainment Ltd (event hire company) and Hamsterzorb Ltd (party hire company) – speaks to us about the business, which is currently on the market with Hilton Smythe, and why franchising might be a friendlier route for budding entrepreneurs.

Marcia, how did HZ Entertainment begin life?

HZ Entertainment Ltd, trading as Hamsterzorb and Inflatable Photobooth, launched in 2012 Milton Keynes with the intention of bringing innovation to the entertainment world. We’re the UK’s leading zorbing and inflatable photo booth event hire companies, which caters to a large, diverse customer base, including prestigious, blue-chip organisations, large scale events, schools, military, universities, charity and communities, and weddings.

We wanted our business to be new, fun, fitness-related and something that would stand out and make people say “wow”. That’s when Hamsterzorb and Inflatable Photobooth were born! The brands, our ideas and business strategy worked. It worked so well, that we’ve been working hard to keep up with it.

Is there much demand for event hiring at the moment?

Of course, recent events have taken their toll, but now restrictions are relaxing, business is making a steady comeback with, 2021 set to be a huge boom.

Over the past 8.5 years, we’ve found the demand for our brands so great and vast that, over the past couple of years and now more than ever, we need to provide a franchise and license network to help us service our customer requests ready for 2021. We work with top global and local brands because we are very good at what we do. We’re innovative and believe in giving the very best of service to our customers. This is testament to our 5-star Facebook reviews and repeat bookings across both brands.

We continue to strive for innovation, constantly create and bring fresh ideas to the entertainment world. Because of this, we’re leading the market – we turn old ideas on their head and lead in each market segment we compete in.

• 

• 

What is Hamsterzorb and Inflatable Photobooth?

Zorbing is a fun activity where teams can be suited up to play and collide against each other or for a more individual experience, flipping and running in a large inflatable ball, on land or in water. Zorbing provides a vast array of games, such as racing against other zorb riders, playing a game of human skittles where they act as the ball, or playing team sports like football, bulldog & last man standing. Hamsterzorb offer customers a broad selection of affordable zorb hire packages that can be easily tailored to any event or occasion. Our fantastic zorbing packages are perfect for:

• entertaining guests from a small party to large scale events such as; corporate family fun days, team building events, military events, large scale or local festivals, guiding events and so much more.
• fundraising for schools, committees, church groups and communities events.

While the Inflatable Photobooth side, brings stylish, themed, portable LED light up photo booths suitable for any venue. Inflatable Photobooth offers their clients a gorgeous themed everyday selection of booths – including booths of many different shapes and sizes, flames, flowers & the VIP treatment of red carpet and silver bollards. Alongside an amazing selection of Christmas themed booths, that include 6ft Nutcrackers, Christmas Trees, life size Polar Bears, Stag & Emperor Penguins. Every package includes instant social media uploads, snap chat filters, personalised Facebook or Twitter hashtag, customisable photo backgrounds, a huge selection of props, green screen, two photo print outs per group, unlimited photos over the booking and a gorgeous guest book. It has been incredibly successful at Christmas functions, weddings, parties, proms, events, bar and bat mitzvahs, corporate award evenings, marketing events and brand experiences.

How does franchising work with HZ Entertainment?

The business was built with franchising and licensing as key to its future, therefore the concept is easy to adopt for all franchisees and licensors.

We currently have two franchises embedded, covering four territories in Wiltshire, Bristol, South Buckinghamshire & Berkshire, and this proven model can be expanded elsewhere in the country and overseas.

There is vast scope and opportunity within the business to continue growing this, with lucrative, central UK and densely populated territories, that have been previously reserved for the event and party hire side of the business, now ready to be franchised.

Marcia Brickwood, has almost 20 years’ experience in the event industry in various marketing roles. She has a Bachelor of Communications degree, majoring in PR & Advertising. Marcia’s extensive work experience stems from various blue-chip organisations both in Australia and the UK, prior to starting the businesses.