Australia's current FCA Franchisor of the Year (Open Category). Australia's equal third most respected system by peers (Deloittes survey 05). Franchisor of the Year (in category) 2003-04. FCA State Franchisee of the year back-to-back 2001-03. Swimming Pools & Spas Association Best Pool Stores coast to coast and Best Technician (current).
The creation by PoolWerx of a structured career path in franchising.
It's the opportunity to begin with a relatively low investment as man with van, put on more (staffed) vans to become a multi-van mogul, then anchor the mobile fleet to a unique pool-lifestyle retail hub as white collar chief of a very serious business. It's called wall-less marketing and it's designed to put franchisees at every viable point of profit in a billion dollar sector growing at 20% p.a.
It is much more than buying a job. It's creating a business empire in carefully thought through and supported stages.
The business model says three tiers in five years, however new franchisees are proving that with application, it can be achieved in two years or three.
Beyond that, experienced business people with sufficient capital are now starting at tier two or with the fully developed model, opening the system to a whole new breed of franchisee.
This is only one example of the history of innovation that has put PoolWerx at the forefront of Australia's franchising sector. Other examples are:
- Building a franchise system to dominate a disorganised retail sector, rather than deciding to franchise an existing retail operation
Using highly professional, franchised mobile service to ignite and build a previously microscopic business category (2% of pools professionally serviced around five years ago is now 12% and growing rapidly).
- Positioning a service typically based on convenience on a health platform " the healthy pool people" and educating the market to the fact that a pool that looks clean is not necessarily healthy. Backing this positioning with intensive training, equipment upgrades and centralised technical backup so that the promise can be fully delivered and exceptionally difficult to copy.
- Using expanding market awareness and growth to encourage franchisees to develop multi-van fleets within their territories, placing them more in a supervisory role and boosting their turnover.
- Using the developed mobile operation as a platform to launch a new business model, where pool lifestyle retail hubs anchor mobile fleets. (The pilot PoolWerx hub was launched in 2001 and underwent intensive development and modification for years before the final, outstanding hub concept was finalised)
- Using the new three tier model to create the career path.
- Providing multi-level entry options, so that those with sufficient business experience and capital can move directly into tier two or the fully developed model.
- Developing communication channels and networking opportunities actively encouraging feedback and ideas from franchisees using their intellect and experience as a resource, rather than blindly demanding compliance with the system.
- Introducing a layer of master franchisees whose role is not to act as mini-franchisors, but to assist franchisees to actively drive their businesses on the ground.
- Placing enormous time, effort and money into achieving Registered Training Organisation status for the network's Pool School, resulting in formally recognised certification for franchisees, providing a significant competitive advantage and building protective walls around the brand.
- Using RTO-certified technical expertise, superior equipment and national presence to build a powerful and profitable new market in the commercial arena (hotels, facility managers, bodies corporate, schools, real estate property management etc).
- Creating a Matchmaker program, pairing existing and incoming franchisees with independent pool stores that wish to sell out, or re-brand as PoolWerx.
- Developing supplier support to the extent that many now contribute in advance to marketing funds, promotional initiatives, conference support etc.
- Recognising the enormous potential of female franchisees or franchisee's female partners and actively encouraging their involvement in the cutting edge of the franchise.
- Providing an almost unheard of ratio of specialist National Support Office personnel and consultants to franchisee network.
Many of these innovations are unique - not all, but as a steadily developing package, they have kept PoolWerx at the cutting edge of franchise development in Australia for many years and obviously have been instrumental in PoolWerx being named best of the best in Australian franchising 04-05. PoolWerx is only the second Queensland-based network to achieve this honour, and the first, turning over less than $100,000,000.
The history of innovation by PoolWerx also says a lot about the man behind the team behind the brand. At face value, CEO John O'Brien is a knockabout kind of guy with an easy grin and wry sense of humour, the son of a country publican, who poured his first customer's beer at the age of 7. But he is also fiercely passionate about the PoolWerx brand, fulfillment of promises, intensive planning, continued investment, imminent international expansion and the mantra he repeats over and over to his National Support Office staff and consultants:
Our primary point of focus will always be to continue keeping franchisees tills ringing faster and louder and longer. Everything flows from there.
You should be aware that PoolWerx franchise opportunities in Australia are vanishing rapidly. Growth from 100 to 200 occupied territories has been achieved in the past 18 months and there are only around 100 to go before Australia is saturated. This means that in the relatively near future, relocation will be the only option for intending franchisees. Securing the available territory of your choice means acting now.