Pippa Hallas, CEO of skincare brand Ella Bache will share what her franchisees believe are the top five benefits a person can gain from being in business, at her keynote presentation at the upcoming Sydney Franchising and Business Opportunities Expo on Sunday March 29.

The successful business woman and soon-to-be mother of two will share her journey and the learnings of the 150 strong Ella Bach_ franchise network. Hallas will focus on showcasing how business ownership can provide the ultimate work life balance, especially for women.

“We talked to our franchisees to find out what they believe are some of the key benefits to working for themselves and one of the more interesting insights was that they felt they were better parents as a result of the skills and lessons they had learned from running a business,”  Hallas said. “It comes as no surprise that freedom, empowerment, personal development and an outlet for a strong passion were the other benefits high on the list.”

Freedom was related to the ability to choose a certain lifestyle and potential income, as well as the choice to make their life as flexible as they desired.

“We have found that a large percentage of our franchisees became involved with business ownership in order to achieve the flexibility that would allow them to spend time with their families, without foregoing financial gain.

“With 90 percent of our franchisees women this is extremely important to their satisfaction and it is certainly something that comes up time and time again in our dealings with potential new salon owners,” Hallas said.

Empowerment and personal development were both connected to the ability to lead and find a style of leadership that suits the individual, she suggests.

“Education is central to achieving this in our business. We work very hard to provide regular learning opportunities for our salon owners across all aspects of business management to ensure their long-term success.”

Hallas said the expo would provide a great opportunity for anyone interested in a business career in the skincare industry to meet franchisees.

“We will have a number of Ella Bache franchisees available at our stand who will be talking about their journey as a business owner and will be available to answer any questions. We will also be hosting a number of sessions showcasing some of our top treatments.

“The expo is the perfect opportunity for people passionate about the industry to find out more information direct from those already living it.”

• Are you interested in attending the expo? There will be plenty of diverse opportunities on show including other retail franchises. You can read more about some of the exhibiting brands here, and pre-register online for the event taking place 27 to 29 March 2015 at the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park, Sydney.