Here at BusinessesForSale.com, we know that one of the biggest challenges franchisors face in 2026 is recruitment.
Effective franchise marketing isn’t about generating as many enquiries as possible - it means reaching people with the ambition, experience and financial capacity to build a successful business. That’s where we come in: our website has been helping leading brands recruit their next generation of franchisees for decades.
One of those brands is TaxAssist, the UK’s largest network of accountants specialising in advisory services for SME businesses. You’ve probably seen their distinctive blue and yellow shopfronts across the UK, where they have more than 400 different locations.
At their annual conference, which took place at the British Motor Museum, they told us how BusinessesForSale.com is helping them reach high-quality prospective franchisees. They also spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing the accounting sector in 2026.
“We wouldn’t be without BusinessesForSale.com”
“We’ve got BusinessesForSale.com at the heart of our marketing strategy,” says James Mattam, Group Director of Franchising (pictured top). “People who are using the website are looking for serious opportunities, so we know the lead quality is good.”
In the world of franchise recruitment, we understand that quality is more important than quantity. It doesn’t matter if 50 people enquire after your franchise if none of them have the money, experience or dedication required to back it up. What you need are serious, motivated investors – and thousands of those investors are using our website every day.
“I would definitely recommend BusinessesForSale.com,” says James. “It has proven, year after year, to be a really good lead generator for us. It’s got the audience we want to be in front of to raise our profile. We wouldn’t be without it.”
A Buyer with Serious Intent
One franchisee who we spoke to at the conference is Tosin Oluyemi (pictured above). Tosin discovered TaxAssist through BusinessesForSale.com, after he began searching for accounting practices to buy. “I was looking for accounting networks that can support my ambition,” says Tosin. “Then I came across information about franchising on the site which was very helpful to me. That was how I found TaxAssist.”
Tosin is now a successful TaxAssist franchisee based in the East Glasgow region. “What drew me to franchising was the existing brand, reputation and the support system that comes with it,” he says. “In terms of financing, technical knowledge and local knowledge, that’s really the kind of network that I want to be in.”
Tosin is a great example of a buyer with serious intent who ended up investing in something slightly different than he set out to find. The wide range of opportunities available on BusinessesForSale.com mean your brand is discoverable by thousands of entrepreneurs who might not have previously considered franchising.
“BusinessesForSale.com has all the information you need,” says Tosin. “It should be a one-stop point to discover businesses to buy. Even things you didn’t know you were looking for.”
The Challenges and Opportunities of AI
The TaxAssist conference was a great example of the support Tosin spoke about. Franchisees were offered an opportunity to connect with each other, discuss the challenges they share on a day-to-day basis, and take part in workshops designed to broaden their skillsets even further. They also had the chance to eat canapés and poke around some classic cars – including the original DeLorean from Back to the Future (which operated a strict no-filming policy, sadly).
For CEO Darren Moore, that sense of togetherness is one of the key draws of their franchise system: “We love the opportunity to get people together in one room and share their experiences with each other. It really feels like we’re part of something, and creates a sense of unity.”
When asked what challenges and opportunities the accounting sector is facing in 2026, Darren has the same answer for both questions. “The biggest challenges are around how we demystify AI, and change the view that it is an existential threat to accountants’ existence.” But if that can be done, the opportunities can be enormous: “We just need to use it and grasp it in the right way,” says Darren.
Group Director of Franchising James Mattam echoes that sentiment: “Franchising and accounting are two of the most stable models out there. But there is still a lot of uncertainty around AI. The AI solutions are going to help people become better advisors, presenting solutions before they’ve even asked the question.”
What Other Franchisors Can Learn From TaxAssist
Choosing a partner for franchise marketing should not be based solely on the number of leads promised. The quality of the audience, the intent behind each visit and the platform’s ability to introduce a brand to people outside the conventional franchise pipeline all matter.
For franchisors assessing their own franchise advertising strategy, that is the real measure of success: not just being seen, but being discovered by the right person at the right stage of their journey.
To find out how BusinessesForSale.com could support your franchise recruitment strategy, discover our advertising opportunities for franchisors.