We Attended The EWiF Awards 2025 ... As Finalists!

We love an awards show at House of Colour, and this week we attended our very own- the NatWest Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWiF) Awards 2025. 

To say it was an inspiring day is an understatement. With a room full of franchisees and franchisors from a multitude of industries, including education, hospitality and beauty, the room was bursting with pride, honour, and an electric energy that was infectious.  

Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWiF) is a not-for-profit organisation built on a community of ambassadors dedicated to transforming the landscape of the franchise industry. Founded in 2012, the awards celebrate and recognise the exceptional accomplishments of women in the UK franchising industry and showcases the growing future of franchising founded on innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship, with women paving the way. “These awards aren't just trophies, they're symbols of resilience, creativity, and the power of community,” says Kate Pullen, Director of Franchise at NatWest. 

Sarah Cressall OBE, founder and CEO of The Creation Station, kick-started proceedings by delivering a guest lecture and introduced us to her CREATE Method™. Her six-step process includes creating clarity and action, and reviewing and re-evaluating along the way, to help individuals create the life they truly desire. Her inspiring talk provided an opportunity for us to reflect on the “why”, the vision, and how to reignite passion with clarity and see the potential opportunities that arise. Because “when you know what you’re looking for, you’re more likely to achieve!” 

Following on from Sarah was Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA, who took to the stage to deliver a truly inspiring and motivational talk. There’s no doubt it resonated with everyone in the room, us included! 

Based on her own experiences and journey in the franchise business, Pip’s words were honest, heartfelt, empowering and thought-provoking. She spoke about purpose and passion, emphasising how to feed both of those things into your life and business; reinforcing Sarah’s message that you just need to start, and learning and growth will follow — in work and in life. 

And now for the awards!

Across the nine categories, we were nominated in the prestigious Woman Franchisee of the Year 2025 and the Woman Franchisor of the Year 2025. 

Sandy Lancaster, who owns House of Colour Chiswick, has been a House of Colour franchisee for five years and was awarded the inaugural Platinum Award for Revenue at this year’s conference. With her dedicated passion for empowering her clients with colour and style, her strong work ethic, and her commitment to uplifting our community of business owners, it’s no wonder she was a Woman Franchisee of the Year 2025 finalist. 

Emma Higgins, our Director of Sales, only joined us in 2023, and in her short tenure has created so many successes with the franchise owners at the heart of these projects. This has included opening many new territories, delivering 1-2-1 and group coaching to the network, and implementing even more training for colour, style and makeup among others. Her achievement as Woman Franchisor of the Year 2025 finalist comes as no surprise and is thoroughly deserved. 

We also had the pleasure of connecting with Monica Bascu from Atlas Mapping, the overall Woman of the Year and winner of Service Provider of the Year. An incredible and inspirational figure, Monica is someone whose career we’re excited to watch as she continues to be a successful and passionate ambassador for the next generation of women in franchising.   

In 2025, women make up over 34% of franchise owners in the UK, with over 60% of new franchisees under 30, contributing over £105 billion to the UK economy each year. To be recognised and honoured alongside such a long list of successful franchisees and franchisors who break barriers and create success in their fields is incredible. It’s a testament to the hard work and passion our stylists put into their businesses, as well as the unwavering support from HQ. 

We cannot wait to see where we’ll be this time next year for the 2026 awards!