An Australian Franchisee Case Study
1996 – In store, Domino’s Tamworth
1998 – Shift runner, Domino’s Tamworth
2001 – Left Domino’s to study, also worked in the hotel industry
2003 – Returned to Domino’s in Sydney as a Franchise Consultant, then took on a role as a Regional Manager
Dec 2003 – Bought 1st store in partnership with Domino’s (they were my 50% business partners)
2004 – Bought one more store and built another
2006 – Bought out Domino’s share in the partnership and bought a 4th store
2007 to Current 2009 – Bought another seven stores. I have since sold one store to one of my Managers so I currently own 10 stores.
How old were you when started?
13
How old are you now?
26
Do you have any qualifications?
Yes, Diploma of Tourism and Hospitality Management/Bachelor of Business
Did you begin at Domino’s with the goal of becoming a franchisee?
No, I was just 13 and wanted to earn money, have fun and eat lots of pizza!
If not, when did you know you wanted to become a Domino’s store owner or how did you fall into it?
When I returned to Domino’s in 2003 the company was growing so fast and I could see there was so much opportunity to have some success in any role within the company – I thought my skills were best suited to being a franchisee.
What is the key to your success at your store/s?
My people. Store Managers are the people who can have the biggest impact in a Domino’s store, so I believe that if you select the right people, treat them well and give them the tools and training to do the job well you can be successful.
What is your business goal for the future?
I want to keep growing the business by expanding my current group of stores and continue to build a great team – as to how many more stores – who knows?
What do you love about Domino’s?
There are not many companies I can think of where you can walk in as a casual “front-line” employee and be afforded so much opportunity that you can find yourself successful in such a short amount of time. Domino’s is a big company with more than 8,000 stores all over the world and it’s almost 50 years old. If you want to be a lawyer, accountant, work in marketing or own your own business – you can do it with Domino’s! A lot of successful people were at one stage given an opportunity by someone within Domino’s and are now doing very well for themselves, those people are now trying to give an opportunity to someone else.
What do you love about being a franchisee?
It’s great to own your own business but at the same time be part of a huge brand that has lots of history and success behind it.
What marketing or advertising do you do?
Nothing out of the ordinary, all Domino’s stores do TV, internet and mailbox coupon drops. The best kind of marketing is to deliver a great product, be fast, friendly and be consistent.
It varies greatly from week to week depending on what’s happening. I try to spend as much time as I can working in stores (I believe this is the most important place for a franchisee) but some weeks there are lots of other things going on too. I am always contactable and spend a lot of time on my phone and email. I enjoy doing it so I don’t really keep track of my hours!
If you were to give a potential franchisee three pieces of wisdom, what would they be?
1. Don’t fall in love with the “idea” of owning your own business. Research exactly what skills and attributes it takes to be successful and what is really involved. Then if you like the reality of what that is, take it further.
2. Embrace the system. Good franchisees bring some innovations and ideas to the system but they also focus on following the system passionately. Don’t join a franchise if you’re the kind of person who likes to reinvent the wheel so to speak!
3. Never confuse effort with effectiveness. Be prepared to work very hard on the right things – ascertain what is important to focus on and what will bring success and work hard on doing that. Just because you’re busy or trying hard doesn’t mean you’re moving forward.
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