The oft-quoted “treat others as you would like to be treated yourself” has been the recipe for success for
Healthy Habits franchisees Michael Jamieson and Lorissa Bowyer who won the “Australian Retailers Association Franchisee of the Year” Award.
The couple blitzed the competition after following a simple strategy to keep customers coming back by learning their names and remembering their orders. Since opening their Westfield Fountain Gate store in 2004 Michael and Lorissa have increased turnover by 23 percent and established a loyal following.
“We go the extra mile and randomly reward our customers with free coffees and extra treats on a regular basis,” Michael said.
“There’s no real secret to our success; just a good, fresh product and treating customers like we would want to be treated. Our team pulls this off exceptionally well by helping each other out with names and stories as customers approach and we make sure they’re rewarded for their efforts with regular holidays and incentives.”
As one of the first Healthy Habits franchisees Michael said the biggest challenge during their first year was establishing the
store.
“Lorissa and I had never operated a business before and many of the systems and procedures hadn’t been put in place yet so we had to learn as we went along. We were working 65 hour weeks and we had to give away a lot of stock to get customers through the door which put some stress on our cash flow.
“Now that the business is established we have much more flexibility to spend time with family and leave the day-to-day running of the store to our employees. We’re also planning to open another store nearby in the immediate future.”
Originally a personal trainer, Michael said the lack of job security and flexibility in the industry had forced him to change directions.
“My working hours were completely dictated by my clients’ schedules which meant I was working on and off from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m, every day, plus I wasn’t happy with my wages. I decided to look for a
business opportunity that would enable me to achieve my financial goals as well as allow me to strike a better balance between work and home life.
“Healthy Habits appealed to me because I hadn’t seen anything like it before. I’m really into
healthy food and a healthy lifestyle and Healthy Habits seemed like a perfect match with my values.”
The couple believes another key to their success is a great working partnership and supporting the community which they rely on.
“Without the support of the community our business would not be the success it is so we’re pleased to be in a position to sponsor local football clubs and the childhood safety program at Casey Hospital.”
13-Feb-2008