Gutter-Vac has awarded husband and wife franchisees Kristy and Murray Pendlebury the company’s top honour, Franchisee of the Year.
The couple have significantly boosted their turnover in the two years they have been operating the outdoor service.
When they first purchased the business at the end of 2018/19 financial year, it had an annual turnover of $285,000. By the end of FY20/21 the turnover was $400,000. This year, the goal is $600,000.
The franchise is now set up to run two trucks are on the road delivering about eight jobs each day, with three technicians and two admin staff keeping up with customer demand.
Kristy Pendlebury said “The idea of running two-person teams is because it’s such physical work and very tiring so we wanted the guys to be able to work five or six days a week without being exhausted.
“That’s been our structure from day one. Our employees are key to our growth. I also think the other thing is, we haven’t been afraid to spend money to make money.”
Another element that has helped push the pair into the top franchise spot at Gutter-Vac is offering additional services: solar panel cleaning, pressure cleaning, roof cleaning, a bird proofing service and cleaning ceiling cavities.
While Murray takes on the physical outdoor work and customer facing services, Kristy manages strategy and finance.
“As far as administration goes, I realised pretty quickly that it wasn’t my strength. Now we employ staff so that I can focus on the business strategy including the marketing and social media,” she said.
The financial success of the business has already had an impact on the pair.
Kristy said “It has definitely changed our financial outlook. We’ve now got a 10-year plan thanks to the business and we’re able to think about renovating our house and being able to pay it off far sooner than expected.
“It’s been a lot of work and a lot of commitment, but we knew what our goal was, and we just focused on that.”
