From corporate franchising to franchisee with Clark Rubber

Jamie McGillivray felt his hard work wasn’t paying off when he decided to take a risk and quit his corporate position at McDonald’s to forge his own way as a franchisee. After much research and discussion, Jamie opened his first Clark Rubber retail franchise in 2009 in Mandurah and has achieved enough success to open a second location in Rockingham.

"You reach the stage in life when you want all your hard work to show fruit for yourself and your family.

"From my time with McDonalds I gained an understanding of how a successful franchise system should work and an idea of what to look for in a franchise," McGillivray said.

He had a good lead on most new franchisees, having worked his way up the corporate ladder of one of the world’s largest fast food franchises, McDonald’s.

Despite his experience, McGillivray undertook a lengthy research process to ascertain the best franchise opportunity, delving into the franchise system of several companies and meeting with a number of franchisees.

"A lot of people don't realise what a franchise system is all about and whether a particular franchise is right for them before they take the plunge," McGillivray said.

"It's like taking a car for a test drive; you need to ask ‘can I see myself driving this car on the road every day'."

McGillivray chose Clark Rubber because of the retail franchise’s product range and his past dealings with the company which had always been positive.

Two years on and McGillivray’s first store is flourishing and the new Mandurah store is gearing up to do the same but he warns potential franchisees, the road isn’t easy.

"Although you've got the stability of a known brand and franchising network behind you, you're also opening the doors of a new store to a whole new customer base," he said.

"It's a steep learning curve and you only get out what you put in."