Newbie franchisee Joel Smith shares his thoughts on becoming a Thermawood franchisee. Joel signed up to a brand new territory in Melbourne.

Finding the franchise was a moment of good luck.

Joel explains “I drove past an active site, pulled the car over and asked some questions. Then I did some independent research.”

Joel is someone who had business ownership on his mind all the time he was working in the construction industry. So to discover an opportunity that offered him the chance to continue with his licenced builder skills, and achieve his ambition to be his own boss was the catalyst for him to act.

“I called Jacki Cook who is the state master of Thermawood in Victoria and she answered all my questions,” he says.

It was the lack of sales pitch that helped persuade him this was the right franchise. Joel says “The sales process was more of an education process and that’s the way it should be. There was nothing to hide and that’s what was important to me.”

He also asked himself some crucial questions before signing up.

“I asked the important questions like “Who are you going into business with and what do they want and expect from you?”

Joel also made sure to be clear he understood what he could expect from the franchisor, and what he would need from them to get the business up and running successfully.

Weighing it all up, he decided to go ahead and pursue the opportunity, with his eyes on a brand new area in Melbourne.

“Buying a franchise is a great opportunity for anyone willing to learn something new and have a go. The product is tried and tested, the network is already in place,” he says.

And with that comes consistency, an element of business in a franchise network that Joel is most excited about.

As he looks ahead to operating his business longterm, Joel earmarks continued growth, strong relationships and consistent income as his franchise goals.