Bebrite founder Diana Wilson is poised to take the cleaning franchise national, first stop Western Australia. Wilson has appointed a licensee in WA and will concentrate first on media campaigns in the state to build up awareness before turning attention to Victoria and then South Australia.

Tony and Liz Lezzi are heading up the WA business in Perth; Mel and Mike Dalton are Bebrite’s first franchisees in Victoria.

The business began 18 years ago with franchising started in 1995.  “We started out as Bizzi Beez master franchisees then became Bebrite franchisors,” explains Wilson.

So why is now a good time to spread wings beyond the Eastern Seaboard?

“I think we’ve got a great story now. The number of competitors now from when we started is enormous but I believe we do things differently. We’re passionate about the business model,” says Wilson.

She believes the time is right to move from growing as a business to being a more mature model.

Wilson said the franchise model is distinct in two ways:

1. Franchises are non-territorial and non-competitive. Leads go to an internalised and personalised call centre before being assigned to an appropriate franchisee. “We have a high Google ranking so we get between 30 and 50 new jobs a day,” said Wilson.
2. There is a flat monthly fee – “franchisees are not penalised by a royalty,” she added.
3. The cleaning franchise demands a good attitude, an ability to communicate well and a sense of trust.

NOW AND THEN

The profile of franchisees has changed, says Wilson. When the franchise started out it was, for about six years, dominated by traditional Aussie couples looking for a lifestyle-oriented business that allowed them flexibility around family and school hours.

Then there was a strong Chinese community within the network, with highly qualified professionals unable to find work in Australia starting up their own business.

Now the franchise network is more culturally diverse with franchisees from Eritrea and Somalia among the mix, says Wilson. “They are getting an opportunity to contribute so much to our community and help us to be worthwhile citizens of Australia and the world,” she says.

Franchisors Jay and Diana with Western Australian franchisees Liz and Tony Lezzi

Key to success in the business is understanding that the better job you do of cleaning, the better you will do at the business.

And the message gets across – Wilson cites a low 3.8 percent* attrition rate at Bebrite.

Franchisees have 10 year terms, and a few who joined in the early days have seen their children blossom and grow up into adulthood while running their cleaning business.

“Now 30 to 40 percent of the franchisees are still with us after 10 years,” says Wilson. The business is very physical though, so a typical lifespan of a franchise agreement is six years. “Then they can sell the business and move on,” Wilson explains.

* [corrected from 3 to 8 percent]