Healthy Habits franchisees Michael Jamieson and Lorissa Bowyer of Westfield Fountain Gate franchise have been awarded the Australian Retailers Association Franchisee of the Year. The key to their success is first class customer service, remembering the names and orders of all their customers that come through the doors. As a result, turnover has increased by 24 per cent since opening four years ago.

Co-franchisee Jamieson said, “There’s no real secret to our success, just a good, fresh product and treating customers as we would want to be treated.” Jamieson is quick to praise his staff for this recent accolade and rewards them accordingly. “Our team pulls this off exceptionally well by helping out one another 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 franchises, it wasn’t always such smooth sailing. “Lorissa and I had never operated a business and many of the systems and procedures hadn’t been put in place, so we had to learn as we went along,” explained Jamieson. “We were working 65-hour weeks and had to give away a lot of stock to get customer through the door, which put stress on our cash flow.” However, Jamieson now enjoys the flexibility that running his own business brings, spending more time with his family while leaving the day-to-day duties to his entrusted employees.