A second-year marketing student has won an accountancy franchise in an Apprentice-style competition.
Anna Ward beat 30 other candidates to the prize, an Equation Accounting franchise worth £20,000, in the Win Your Own Business competition. Anna will now complete a seven-week, intensive training course, after which she will begin selling Equation’s accounting packages and services.
Second prize, a one-year work placement, went to Kajal Bakrania for her “impressive, infectious and persuasive” pitch. Stephanie Pettitt, managing director at the Weymouth-based accountancy franchise, said she hoped the competition would help combat “doom and gloom” surrounding rising unemployment.
She said: “I am on an absolute mission to encourage people to believe in themselves and start their own businesses from their creative ideas.”
Stephanie said she now plans to launch a Young Apprentice-style competition in the summer for a £1,000 cash prize. A mother of three has also won a similar competition set up to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week.
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Susan Fear won a free franchise from Kids Be Happy, which runs sand art workshops at children’s parties, becoming the company’s sixth franchisee.
Fear, who is based in Norfolk, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won the free children’s franchise – it’s a dream come true.”
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Martin & Co, meanwhile, has been named Franchise of the Year at the Negotiator awards. The estate agency franchise received the accolade, for which it is competing with five other finalists, at the Park Lane Hilton.
The judges praised the company for its impressive growth, focus on stringent compliance and auditing, and its new Student Homes offering. Reaccredited as an Investor in People, Martin & Co was also applauded for the quality of its training programmes.
Nick Diggle, company director at Martin & Co Cambridge, said: “Becoming a negotiator finalist for the first time just motivates us to do more at the agency. “No doubt we’ll be back for a trophy next year.”
