Dynamic duo up for award

Driver Hire franchisees, Tim and Fiona Hennah, are in line for a national accolade. They’ve made it to the finals of the HSBC British Franchise Association’s (bfa) 2025 ‘Franchisee of the Year’ awards – in the ‘Dynamic Duo’ category. Dynamic is certainly the word to describe them.

They became franchisees at Driver Hire Leeds West in 2021. With no previous experience of road transport or the recruitment industry, they’ve made Leeds West one of Driver Hire’s top twenty locations. With the first quarter of the current financial year just completed, they’re all set for another record-breaking year.

“This award showcases the benefits of complementary leaders in business working together to achieve great results,” says Graham Duckworth, Driver Hire’s Franchise Sales Director. “Tim and Fiona are a case in point. Their nomination for the ‘Dynamic Duo’ award is well deserved.”

Their success reflects figures recently published by the bfa, which confirm that franchising is a low-risk, high-reward path for aspiring entrepreneurs. The bfa survey, based on 2024 data, shows that 98% of franchises are still trading successfully after five years, which compares very favourably with the estimated 50% of independent business start-ups that fail within that time.

“With a franchise, you’re buying into a proven business model,” Graham continues. “Support, training and established brand recognition all contribute to a franchise’s ability to overcome challenging economic times.”

Fiona Hennah added: “Whilst we both moved into uncharted territory, we had a good understanding of customer service. We knew the importance of treating customers and drivers how we’d like to be treated ourselves, and this gave us confidence we could make our business work. Receiving this nomination is really exciting and an acknowledgement of the hard work and commitment by all the team at Driver Hire Leeds West.”