Joe joined the Hire a Hubby franchise back in May 2012, and he caters to the Sydney, Northern Beaches suburbs of Queenscliff, Freshwater, Manly Vale, North Balgowlah and Fairlight.

1. When and why did you decide to buy a franchise?

My background is in construction and retail fit-out work, an industry that’s becoming more and more difficult to survive in with lower cost operators and the ongoing pressure on the retail segment. I started looking around for more secure opportunities and franchising came to mind, so I started looking for franchises aligned with my skillset. That’s how I discovered Hire A Hubby.

2. How did you go about researching the brand?

I was already aware of Hire A Hubby because I’d seen the vans in my local area, but that was just a back-of-mind type awareness. I came across Hire A Hubby while researching online for property maintenance businesses for sale.

After enquiring, Hire A Hubby invited me to a presentation evening in Parramatta. My wife came along with me because I wanted her to be fully aware of what I was looking at and by the end of the presentation evening it was clear that Hire A Hubby was a good fit.

It was a very well organized and professional company as well as an opportunity that matched my skillset and prior experience running a business.

I sent through an expression of interest and sat down with Hire A Hubby’s national franchise manager Manuel Spiteri and he indicated specific territories available close to my area.

I then contacted a couple of franchisees who’d been in the business for a while and they were all open and honest in answering questions I had about operational aspects such as turnover and margins through to day-to-day expectations.

I then sat down and made some estimates to determine whether it was going to meet my income expectations and decided Hire A Hubby was the right choice.

3. What would you do differently in terms of the due diligence process, if anything?

Because I had prior experience running a small business, I knew what I had to do during this process. Without that experience I probably would have sought guidance and assistance from an accountant to look at essential numbers and a solicitor to go through the franchise agreement to achieve a certain level of comfort.

The reality is Hire A Hubby was such a good fit for what I was looking for and combined with the perception of the brand and the level of professionalism they brought to the table throughout the process, it was a very comfortable decision to make.

4. What was the major reason for you choosing this brand?

The flow of work that is generated through general public awareness of the Hire A Hubby brand was one of the main reasons I decided on this franchise rather than starting up a property maintenance business on my own.

5. How did you fund your franchise investment?

I was in the fortunate position to fund a percentage of the business. Financing the remainder also gave me some tax breaks. I looked at fully funding it but I knew I’d earn a satisfactory income and meet all expenses, so I was satisfied.

6. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a franchisee?

It’s all about delivering a level of customer service that is above and beyond what is expected. I always try to delight customers because the strength of that leverages into word of mouth referrals, which is very important. You need to understand the importance of developing your own business with a customer focus.

7. What has been the biggest challenge as a franchisee?

Over the last six months it’s been challenging dealing with the large growth that I’ve experienced. It’s great that the business is growing but it can be dangerous if you don’t service the customers properly that are coming through. I’m currently looking at employing someone to assist with the increased work load as the business continues to grow.

8. What goals have you achieved since being a franchisee?

I wanted to achieve a level of turnover greater than the minimum income guarantee offered by Hire A Hubby and achieving and exceeding that level of turnover is an indication that what I’m doing is right.

9. What advice would you offer someone thinking of investing in a franchise business?

Understand that you’re running your own business and prepare to work hard without making a large income immediately. Set clear goals and be aware of the effort and level of work involved right from the start. It’s good to begin with the end in mind (ie. some people are happy to stay at a comfortable level of turnover while others want a multi-person operation). Your long term goals determine how hard you work right from the start.

10. Would you invest in this brand again?

Yes.