An Australian Franchisor Interview
Franchisors name: Mark Wood
Name of franchise: Kleenit
Tell us about how/when Kleenit business was started and the motivation behind establishing the company.
Kleenit was established in Perth way back in 1987, and grew to become the major player in high pressure cleaning and the application of anti-graffiti coatings and through diversification into other markets and a strong focus on customer service excellence, has grown steadily ever since.
Peter Robinson and Mark Wood saw the massive potential that Kleenit had as its disposal with its multiple revenue streams, and expanding markets, and teamed up to buy Kleenit in 2004
When and why did Kleenit decide to go down the franchise route?
After the purchase of Kleenit in 2004 Peter and Mark spent 2 years behind the scenes creating all of the manuals, processes, specialist products and other support resources to launch the Kleenit franchise group, and offered the first franchise in late 2006. At this time Kleenit had a $1.2 Million turnover.
What have been Kleenit’s biggest achievements/successes to date so far?
Fast forward 6 years and Kleenit has a turnover of almost $10 Million, there are over 35 franchisees and the company has become an industry leader. Most impressively 24 of the franchisees are located in Western Australia, proving Kleenit to be a solid business model that can be expanded across Australia with significant opportunities for potential franchisees, especially along Australia’s eastern seaboard.
What challenges have you had to overcome?
Lack of availability of Finance for potential franchisees has impacted on growth…which is frustrating, given that the already proven system is so profitable
What marketing/promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise?
We have a dedicated National Business Development Manager to secure business from national clients. Google adwords, Radio, and Social Media.
What differentiates Kleenit from the competition?
Its huge range of services…we are not reliant on one avenue, we have multiple income streams.
In your opinion, what makes a successful Kleenit franchisee?
Good communication skills….the ability to talk to customers….people deal with people not companies…if the franchisee forms relationships with their customers they will be so much more successful than those who don’t.
What changes have you seen in your industry over recent year? And how have you adapted to them?
Technology advancements….we are just about to launch our own ipad/tablet based job allocation and quoting system…it has been purposely built for us.
What does the future hold for Kleenit?
Kleenit are just about to finalise a major acquisition in Melbourne.
What expansion plans have you got nationally and internationally?
Want to grow to 100 franchisees nationally then look at international expansion
What advice would you give to someone considering franchising their business?
Do your research first…get the model right before committing.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
Wish I had done it 20 years earlier
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