Ana Sanches had no idea when she started out as a mortgage broker with Aussie 14 years ago that her journey with the iconic brand would lead to a successful family business.
Today Ana, her sister Sandra, and Sandra’s daughter Raquel Guerra, have combined forces and are carving a niche for their mortgage franchise in Epping, Victoria.
The renowned Aussie brand has proved the perfect vehicle for these three very different personalities to harness their individual strengths and forge a family firm.
“Financially we’re doing really well,” Sandra says. “It’s a group effort, we all love the business, and we want it to be successful. The financial rewards come as a result of that passion. It’s a bonus on top of what we do.”
Franchise relationship
Laser Clinics New Zealand franchisee Katie du Fall is leaning into the business support and training to keep her business competitive.
“Any opportunity that LCNZ offers for training or resources, I’ll jump at it!” she says. “So every opportunity the franchisor presents I grab. I believe in utilising and leveraging the people in the business – and there are some very smart people at LCA. Otherwise I’m not taking advantage of the franchise relationship,” she says.
“It’s valuable, and a huge time saver, having access to HR and payroll experts who make sure employment law is navigated properly. We don’t have to build our own booking or PoS system. If I started my own business, I would have had to learn so much, or not do it well.
“I’ve managed to put my skills and strengths to use where they are most beneficial. Watching my team grow, and opening doors to them that wouldn’t exist if we were not part of a global network, is really cool.”
Empowered
Registered nurse Annie Tsoumbris dreamed of running her own business when she was a young girl, inspired by her parents’ example. Eighteen months ago she bought a Home Caring franchise.
Her Tranmere territory in Adelaide includes a very diverse community with cultures ranging from Chinese to Greek, from Italian to Vietnamese.
“We started opening the door into local community. I’m Chinese, and here other communities are not so developed so we are introducing ourselves into Asian communities with free lectures to build knowledge, to help people understand what’s available in the community.
“I did bring my own vision and standards focused on customer care and listening to the client. That was the concept we built into our team. We have such positive feedback from clients, which is making it all worthwhile.
“I feel empowered, and I’ve empowered my team, doing what we set out to do, to deliver more for our Home Caring clients.”
Perth-based Bec Lee had worked in retail then run her own dance studio for a decade. Despite her workforce experience, “no one would hire me once I turned 40; it was really hard to find a job”.
Becoming a CouriersPlease franchisee last May is much more on pointe for her.
“I really enjoy it. Working on my own is easy. I meet a lot of interesting people and it’s flexible enough if I need to pick up my kids or drop off something to them at school, I can do that.”
Her area is 60:40 residential to industrial/business and one of her key customers deals in computer parts. “Residential areas are quick – I can pump out 25-30 in an hour.” It’s a manageable workload: “I’ll get to the depot at 5am, take an hour to set up the van, and then I am on the road”.
Bec’s goal is to have three-day weekends. She’s still glowing about her CouriersPlease division naming her “High Flyer of the Month” last November for her stellar customer service.
Training
Aditi Kirtane is a registered pharmacist who swapped research work in India for a hospital pharmacy role in Melbourne and then real estate. Now she is running her own business, operating the Kwik Kopy Preston service centre.
“I wanted a job I could do by myself, and I knew I could learn this trade and run the franchise well. In my real estate job I knew how much printing we did, so I could see the business potential.
“The one month’s training was intensive. It included visits to other Kwik Kopy franchise centres, as well as major suppliers. We got an idea of how the business runs and what we can offer our customers, when to outsource jobs and when to manage them inhouse.”
“I like the technical aspects and working out solutions for some jobs. I always like doing new things and print is a very dynamic field. There are so many different machines, so many products, you can do a lot.”
At Kwik Kopy, she’s quick to point out, she went in as a novice and with the franchisor’s training and support has emerged a confident business owner.
“It’s a good feeling to be a Kwik Kopy franchisee, and I love the flexibility. I am putting in a lot of effort, but it’s rewarded.”
