When they migrated to Australia from South Africa in 2007, Wayne and Maria Varkevisser brought a wealth of experience in starting up and running a successful business with them.
The pair was involved in their own mobile technology business from 1994, a time when Maria says the industry really began to boom.
“We eventually owned 13 stores and employed 70 staff members.
“The experience and knowledge we gained from being exposed to a new industry was invaluable, however we sold the business in 2007 when we decided to immigrate to Australia,” she explains.
ARE VISAS AN ISSUE?
Wayne and Maria went on to apply for an Australian business visa, and when they finally immigrated to the country they weighed up the benefits of starting a new business versus investing in a franchise.
“The visa had time and financial constraints attached to it that we needed to fulfill within a four year period. If we did not meet the criteria we would be required to return back to South Africa. This was one of the most important deciding factors we had to keep in mind,” says Maria.
“We needed a well established franchise business that we could learn quickly, and a retail product that was fairly easy to understand with the potential for future growth.”
FROM BATTERY WORLD TO PACK & SEND
The pair initially purchased a Battery World franchise, however luck was not on their side. “As we were in the process of finding retail space for the business the floods hit Brisbane and the territory we had purchased was affected. After many months we were unable to find retail space so we proceeded to terminate the franchise.”
Once the termination was finalised, in October 2011 they opted to invest in a Pack & Send franchise in the Brisbane suburb of Chermside.
“Pack & Send was very accommodating of our situation and understood the urgency we had in moving forward. Within two months we had purchased the franchise, completed our training and started trading in our own business,” Maria says.
When it came to deciding on the brand, Maria explains Pack & Send’s unique product offering was a big draw card. “It allows us to set ourselves apart from other freighting related business,” she says.
“The service centre’s business model made us realise that we are not bound to a territory; we actually have the world to work within. It is owned and managed by us and we can offer customers a personalised service for anything they need to send, anywhere in the world.”
SKILLS TRANSCEND NATIONAL BOUNDARIES
Wayne and Maria brought a number of the skills they acquired during their time in South Africa to Pack & Send Chermside.
“Multitasking and time management skills have allowed us to manage our time and get the most benefit and profit out of the day.
“The customer service skills we have built up over the years allow us to identify the type of person we are serving and communicate with them accordingly to ensure they are comfortable and want to do business with us,” Maria says.
“Our project management skills enable us to plan and execute the more complex jobs, ensuring they are delivered successfully.”
CHALLENGES
Being new to franchising in Australia, Wayne and Maria faced a number of challenges along the way:
- Understanding the new country and challenges we would have to face
- Settling in with new suppliers and understanding the service levels delivered to us and in turn the customer
- Figuring out where we should position ourselves within the model and ensuring customers and the business are managed as required
- Trusting the system
- Learning to manage customer requirements
- Maintaining the philosophy of the business ‘we send anything anywhere’
- Solving customers problems when they call even though we are normally their last resort
- Understanding and accepting where we fit in the retail logistics model in Australia
TRAINING AND SUPPORT: SECOND TO NONE
Maria says Pack & Send provides support in a number of ways, from the provision of extensive initial training through to ongoing advice and support.
“There is a wonderful team at the Pack & Send head office and knowledge and assistance from the franchisor and existing franchise channel is just a phone call away.”
The support head office provided when the pair had to relocate their business after just six months is particularly noteworthy.
“We had to move the business from its existing position, where it had been for five years, into a new prime position. The move was driven by Pack & Send’s desire for greater exposure, which would tie in with the future growth plans for the business.”
Wayne and Maria are incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity to live and work in Australia, and they have learned a lot from their franchise.
“The business has made us realise we have no limits. We can assist a customer anywhere, anytime and this is a powerful working tool. With this mindset we know what we put into the business is what we are going to get out of it,” Maria says.
“We try to keep up with trends that are happening in the industry on a global scale, and we seek to expand the established revenue channels with innovative ways of selling.”