Families is a newsletter magazine for parents with young children.

What is the business? Publishing your own Families magazine, distributed for free in places where parents go. It gives local news and information, lists events, plus articles on parenting, health, reviews etc

Investment required: Please contact us for a quote and full details of what is included.

Earning Potential: £30,000+

Is there training/support for franchisees? Yes, each franchisee receives a Franchise Pack covering all aspects of the business. They also get a full day's training in their own home plus some sales training on the phone. Once up and running franchisees can call the franchisors everyday if they like for advice and support. Head Office organises workshops on a particular theme and meetings with all the franchisees. We are all like-minded mums with young children working from home, so we can and do support each other.

Best suited to: Mums wanting to work from home, part time and be available for their children (not work with the children around). Must possess good all round business sense but no previous experience is necessary.

For more information: Contact James or Pascale Gravell, at Families Magazines Ltd: 020 8696 9680 or email publisher@familiesmagazine.co.uk. For further franchising information as well as the areas we already cover, feedback from satisfied readers and advertisers and get a feel of what we do, our ethos etc click here: http://www.familiesonline.co.uk/article/archive/21

Name: Robina

Location: London

Family: Yes - an important factor, as I have a family I am more able to understand what my readers' interests are, the issues to address etc.

How often do you work?
I work every morning plus some evenings if I have some admin to catch up with or if I have taken some time off to look after a sick child or been to visit something. I used to work 2-3 full days instead.

How does the job fit around your family life?
I work from home. I used to have my office in the living room but I prefer to have it in a separate room now: it is easier to separate home time from business time. It is fairer to the children as I try not to answer emails instead of looking after them. It's absolutely brilliant in terms of flexibility: if I wish to take the day off to accompany my child's class on an outing or go and see their end of term play, I do! I know I can catch up with work in the evening.

What did you get for your investment?
Once I had bought the initial franchise, my costs were the Families software, (it's brilliant!) a new phone line and some bits and pieces. I already owned a computer which was good enough to start with. Artwork can be very memory hungry so I had to upgrade when ads came through.

Do you get support/training?
The franchisors came to my house for a good half a day to help with the actual 'start up'. Then I was on the phone to them regularly; this included some practice selling adverts on the phone. It was very scary to begin with but I quickly got the hang of it.

I was also able to speak to the other franchisees for their tips and advice too. Their support was invaluable as they had been there too so they knew the pitfalls. They were so nice and encouraged me.

Are there on-going costs?
The costs are predictable: the print bill is the most important cost and then the design and then distribution. After that, phone, stationery and stamps and my accountant.

How much do you earn?
£3,100 per issue after costs. This is starting to rise as I am now getting the online revenue growing in addition to the glossy magazine.

Do you advertise?
I don't need to, my magazine is so popular. Also word of mouth spreads very fast!

What is the best thing about Families Magazines for you?
Definitely the flexibility! I can work the hours that I want. Also I love the satisfaction it gives me: being able to be useful in the community, helping mums with tips and advice; providing a good read that will help mums with finding a nursery, a school, after school activities, events, health and parenting info; I also enjoy reviewing parenting books, videos etc. I sometimes go to press events, or theatre press previews, which I really love. Overall the feel good factor is enormous.

Are there any downsides to the job?
It can be hard just before a deadline when everything has to go to the printer, I am tired, my children want to be fed and my husband gets home to an empty fridge...

Would you recommend this franchise opportunity to other Mums?
Most definitely. But only if you are organised and really like the concept. It is hard work and fulfilling but you do need to have your head screwed on as you deal with so many aspects of the business: admin, selling, design and layout, editorial, distribution, PR, marketing plus more. But now I'm established, I have taken on helpers for some of these tasks.