Ellenbrook local Lynette Cloutman, a single parent, will never forget how the strong support she received from her family led her to become the owner of a million dollar Chooks Fresh & Tasty franchise.

The owner of the Margaret River store first reached the million dollar mark in 2006/2007 and is hoping to repeat this success with her new store at Ellenbrook. Cloutman has undergone a major life and career transformation but admits none of it would have been possible without the belief and support of her sister-in-law and father.

Seven years ago I found myself separated from my husband without money, a job or a home to live in, and two young children to care for, she said. It was a pretty stressful time and my sister-in-law and brother knew that I wasn’t coping. They owned the Chooks Busselton store so they suggested I work there as a cashier and live with them for a while until I could get things back in the black.

Cloutman then worked her way up from kitchen hand to manager and finally business owner in just two years.

Dad decided to invest his super into Chooks to help me get started. Coming from absolutely nothing to owning two of my own stores is pretty exciting, it just shows what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it and when you have people around you who believe in you, she said.

Although running both stores isn’t an easy task, Cloutman says she receives a lot of support from her team members and fianc_, Simon, who works full-time in the Ellenbrook store. She purchased the second store earlier this year after deciding it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

I grew up there so I know the area really well – it’s somewhere I have always wanted to come back to and I know how successful a Chooks franchise can be.

Initially Simon was only going to help out while we recruited team members but it’s been so busy he has had to stay on full-time.

Cloutman drives a minimum of three and a half hours per week between the two businesses to stay involved in both communities. Monday to Friday mornings she works at the Margaret River store and then she commutes to Ellenbrook to work weekends.

It’s pretty full on working seven days but we are putting in the effort now so we can reap the rewards later, she said. Going into business for myself has been the best decision I have ever made and it has provided security for my family above and beyond what I ever expected.