Gloria Jeans franchisee: “The best thing that ever happened to me”

Let me start by saying that the Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise is the best thing that ever happened to me. We now have three stores more than 75 staff, and we have developed to such an extent that what we have learnt is priceless.

However, we made plenty of big mistakes – particularly at the beginning. One of the major lessons learned was during the start-up phase.

We were not focusing enough on costs and our profit and loss statements (P&Ls). This meant a blow out in our labour and cost of goods, and we soon realised that we could not sustain this type of expense – despite sales growth.

That’s when we started to learn about productivity and profitability, and we implemented appropriate systems to enable us to be more strategic. We also invested a great deal of time in staff selection, and we got the right people on the bus and the wrong people off without hesitation. We found that the demands on us were minimised when we attracted, motivated, and retained excellent employees.

My advice to anyone looking at a franchise is to be passionate about what you choose. Try and choose a franchise that will treat you as a partner, and with professional respect. You also need to have a plan of what you want to achieve from the business. Most of all, you need to have fun.

People often ask me what I love most about the business. Firstly, I love the coffee! I also love dealing with customers, teaching and leading my team and, of course, growing a successful business. I love that we are not alone and have 24x7 support from what I now consider to be Australia’s number one franchise system. What this means for me is that I feel that I work for myself, but not by myself.

I love that we are part of a proven innovative concept and a growing brand. Most of all, I love the fact that Nabi Saleh and Peter Irvine, the franchisors, are really great guys who inspire me.

It’s truly a great Australian success story.

Our business has enabled us to give back to our community and team. We have been able to teach our staff leadership skills, and provide them with valuable opportunities.

For our local communities, we have had the opportunity to give back and support their causes.

As for the industry, the coffee sector is a perfect fit for franchising. Australia is the most franchised nation in the world per capita, and our coffee consumption has grown by 65 per cent in the last 10 years.

Last year alone, 1.26 billion cups of coffee worth $3 billion were served. That, combined with franchising – an $80 billion industry in Australia – is a very, very powerful mix.

The advantages are countless. As franchisees, we are treated as family and business partners – we are their number one asset. You get a turnkey operation with support, training, motivation, and marketing.

At the end of it all, you own a business that is an asset. Ultimately, you get control of your life and freedom. As Gloria Jean’s Coffees is such a winning system, banks will also loan up to 75 per cent of the business!

Having the brand recognition helps in so many other ways. The day we opened our door to our first store, we had a huge line of people waiting to get in for a coffee. If we opened up Tony and Avril's Café, we would have been struggling.

The last piece of advice I would like to share is that, for us, the key to success in franchising was to dream, to work in partnership and, most importantly, to have the right attitude. Good luck!

Read more about buying a franchise and running a franchise.