Junior Soliano has nailed the work–life balance. As the Computer Troubleshooter franchisee for East Perth, this father of two has got his working day down pat. And it’s a long way from the demands – and risks – of the corporate world.
Not only was Junior’s role as IT head for an oil and gas firm in Perth made redundant, he then faced redundancy eight months later as a project manager.
Today he is a roaring success, but the truth is he is an accidental franchisee. Junior started investigating different IT brands when he saw pop-ups on job sites promoting franchising. He liked the Computer Troubleshooters name and business client base.
Not having a job when he started up as a franchisee proved to be a good move, he says.
“It worked out really well, I had to hit the deck running. It was the best way, there was no safety net, 100 per cent of my time was dedicated to the franchise and you know you have to make it work.”
What are the benefits of the franchise?
Junior is very clear. A low-level fixed monthly franchise fee allows franchisees to benefit from their business growth. However, the big winner in his eyes is the access to another 60 franchisees when he needs advice or help.
“The advice is direct from someone who is not really a competitor, so they are very free in their information. If you had a consultant to solve these problems it would cost thousands of dollars.
“To me, the best thing is you can have back-up, go on holiday.”
Freedom in running the business
“I love the fact there is no restriction in how you run business. There are preferred suppliers, I don’t have to do the deals and costs are quite low. I don’t have to set up an office, there is no retail fit-out.
“But the best thing is I work from home. I have a six-month-old and a three-year-old, and I got to hear their first words and see them take their first steps. That’s priceless.”
Junior has built up his business to operate remotely, with minimal site visits. After working as a consultant for the franchisor for a while he started to look for external support. Now he runs his business with a team of outsourced contractors providing back-up for admin and back-end technical support.
Clients pay a subscription fee per computer for unlimited standard support. Junior followed advice, upped his hourly rate and ditched the ad hoc clients to focus on prevention and maintenance, with occasional computer installation.
“I’ve had no new clients for two years – I don’t need them. I don’t have any contracts, either of us can give 30 days notice, it’s all done on a handshake.
“All my clients have been with me nearly six years and I treat them like gold. Every business goal is to be bigger so when they grow, I grow.”
This is an extract from a full feature on Computer Troubleshooter franchisees in the May/July 2020 digital edition of Inside Franchise Business. Check it out here.