Franchise Everything

What happens when you grow up in a family business and eventually get the opportunity to take it over?

Brooke has known Donut King for almost her entire life. After growing up in her family’s franchise business, she chose to build her own career first, gaining experience in retail, multi-site operations and marketing before returning to help manage her family’s eight Donut King businesses.

In this episode, Brooke shares how her experience at National Storage taught her to track performance across multiple locations, understand the numbers and work on the business rather than just in it.

She explains how those skills helped her take on greater responsibility within the family business and purchase her first Donut King franchise in November 2024.

Key takeaways:

Chapters

00:32 Meet Brooke Kochelak and Her Donut King Family Legacy

02:48 Learning Business Skills From a Young Age

03:48 Why Brooke Built Her Career Outside the Family Business

06:00 Taking Over the Family Business

07:27 Learning to Manage Multiple Locations

10:18 Understanding the Role of Marketing

11:21 Planning the Family Business Succession

13:37 Buying Her First Donut King Franchise

14:08 Assessing a Franchise Purchase

15:14 Managing Staff Across Multiple Stores

16:27 What Running a Donut King Business Looks Like

17:11 How Changes to Store Operations Made Business Easier

18:11 Lessons From Brooke’s Franchise Journey

19:13 Why Franchisee Support Matters

20:41 Brooke’s Five-Year Vision for Donut King

21:38 Wrapping Up

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How do you turn an event photography side hustle into a business that can grow into a franchise?

Haim Kadar shares the story behind Magnet-Me, explaining how the photo magnet business developed from a side hustle into a full-time opportunity and eventually a franchise model.

In this episode, Haim discusses the lifestyle flexibility the business can offer, the skills needed to run it, and how the right equipment, training and support help franchisees get started. He also explains the “business in a box” approach and the systems that support the operation, including its CRM, workflows, packages and contracts.

Haim also explores how Magnet-Me can complement an existing photography business, create referral opportunities and generate repeat business through events.

Key Takeaways:

-How Magnet-Me developed from an additional income opportunity into a dedicated business

-The flexibility the business model can offer

-What prospective franchisees need to know before getting started

-The capabilities required to operate a Magnet-Me business

-How equipment, training and support help franchisees launch

-The role of CRM, workflows, packages and contracts in running the business

-How Magnet-Me can fit alongside other photography services

-How events and client relationships can create further opportunities

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Haim Kadar of Magnet Me

02:10 Starting a Photo Magnet Business in 2010

04:00 Buying the Original Business

06:36 Why Haim Returned to Australia

07:27 Leaving His Corporate Job to Pursue a New Opportunity

08:05 Building a Family Business With His Wife

11:12 When Haim Went Full Time in Magnet Me

12:15 Why Customer Service Matters

14:02 Using Contractors to Grow the Business

16:02 Navigating COVID as an Events Business

17:41 Why Haim Decided to Franchise Magnet Me

19:21 Why Franchising Offers More Than a Contractor Model

21:51 Turning Business Experience Into Franchise Systems

23:07 Haim's Five-Year Vision for Magnet Me

24:05 Expanding Into More Australian Territories

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/5WhLm3zOrD8

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Can you own a plumbing franchise without being a plumber?

In this episode of Franchise Everything, Glenn Walford speaks with Shaun McCarthy, Master Plumber for Plumbing Bros, about how he works alongside franchise owner Cal to manage the technical side of the business.

Shaun shares his journey from completing his plumbing apprenticeship in New Zealand and running his own plumbing business to moving to Australia and taking on a different role within a franchise.

He explains how the arrangement works, from quoting jobs and checking compliance to maintaining work quality and communicating with clients.

Key takeaways:

Chapters

00:00 How Plumbing Bros Works Without the Owner Being a Plumber

00:27 Meet Shaun McCarthy, Master Plumber at Plumbing Bros

01:18 Shaun's Plumbing Apprenticeship in New Zealand

03:04 Learning the Trade and Building Experience

06:23 From Apprentice to Licensed Plumber

08:05 Learning to Lead and Train Apprentices

09:15 Starting His Own Plumbing Business

10:11 Why Shaun Moved to Australia

13:00 Getting Licensed to Work in Australia

14:02 How Shaun Supports Plumbing Bros Franchise Owner Kal

15:06 The Challenges of Running Your Own Business

16:03 Why Shaun Joined Plumbing Bros

17:02 Balancing Technical Expertise and Business Ownership

18:54 Quoting Jobs, Site Visits and Compliance

21:09 Working Transparently With the Franchise Owner

21:41 Why Compliance and Attention to Detail Matter

22:47 Bringing on an Apprentice

23:19 Wrapping Up

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/3praTryJ-9c

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Key takeaways

Chapters

0:28 Meet Charlie Carter, Founder of Battery Zone

0:59 What Battery Zone Does

2:08 How Charlie Got Into the Battery Industry

2:42 From Truck Driver to Business Development Manager

4:03 Learning to Grow Sales and Customer Accounts

5:11 Why Battery Knowledge and Testing Matter

6:22 How Battery Testing Can Prevent Breakdowns

7:32 The Service Philosophy Behind Battery Zone

9:30 Applying Seven Years of Industry Experience

10:42 Turning Experience Into Systems and Processes

11:04 Why Battery Zone Expanded Its Product Range

13:45 Growing From $18K to $120K a Month

14:29 How Word of Mouth Helped Grow the Business

16:47 Building Supplier Relationships and Better Margins

18:17 Developing the Mobile Battery Franchise Model

19:26 Why Franchise Royalties Go Back Into the Business

20:43 Why Every Franchisee Needs an Exit Strategy

21:37 Building a Valuable Franchise Business

22:07 Battery Zone’s Five-Year Growth Plan

22:48 Creating Hybrid Franchise Opportunities

23:35 Adding Value to Existing Business Space

24:00 Wrapping Up

What does it take to turn experience in the battery industry into a successful business?

Charlie Carter, founder of Battery Zone, share his journey from truck driver and battery industry business development manager to building his own battery retail business.

After spending seven years working with battery retailers and helping them grow their sales, Charlie saw an opportunity to open a dedicated battery store in Pakenham.

Charlie talks about the challenges of the first few years, how customer service and product choice became central to Battery Zone, and how the original store grew from around $18,000 in monthly sales to approximately $120,000 a month.

He also shares how word of mouth, supplier relationships and understanding what customers need helped the business grow.

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/gxjLYFcLvPQ

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Key takeaways:

Chapters

00:32 Meet Tom Elliott, Executive General Manager at Donut King

01:14 Donut King's 45-Year History

01:48 Why the Donut King Model Has Stayed Simple

02:02 The Three Pieces of Equipment Driving the Business

03:35 Why Simplicity Matters for Franchise Partners

06:00 Going Back to What Made Donut King Successful

07:17 Getting Franchise Partners Involved in the Reset

08:00 The Franchise Partners Behind the Brand

09:18 Moving From Compliance to Franchisee Profitability

10:44 New Dashboards and Financial Tools

11:38 Why Profitability Is the Number That Matters

12:13 The Marketing Reset

14:08 Why Donut King Doesn't Need to Reinvent the Wheel

15:03 Metro, Regional and Multi-Site Growth

16:42 Why Donut King Appeals to Landlords

17:12 The Future of Donut King

What does it take to take a 45-year-old franchise brand, get back to the fundamentals and build it for the next stage of growth?

Tom Elliott, Executive General Manager at Donut King, joins Glenn Walford on the Franchise Everything podcast to unpack the evolution of one of Australia's best-known franchise brands. With Donut King once operating around 350 locations and now sitting at around 180, Tom explains how the business has stepped back to understand what made the brand successful in the first place.

Tom talks about the simplicity of the Donut King operating model, the importance of listening to franchise partners, and the work the business has done to better understand its core customers. He also shares how new financial dashboards and operational tools are helping franchisees focus on profitability, while a renewed focus on core products, licensed partnerships and marketing fundamentals is helping drive the next phase of growth.

With significant white space across Australia, Tom also discusses the opportunities for new locations, multi-site franchise partners and regional stores.

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/ew7eSyI41Ns

Key Takeaways:

Chapters

00:00 Meet Haim Kadar and Magnet-Me

1:19 Why Magnet-Me Is a Lifestyle Business

02:50 From Side Hustle to Full-Time Business

04:01 Why Magnet-Me Became a Franchise

04:07 What Skills Do You Need to Run Magnet-Me?

05:05 The Magnet-Me Kit and How It Works

07:44 Building the “Business in a Box”

08:10 The Systems Behind the Magnet-Me Franchise

12:00 Adding Magnet-Me to an Existing Photography Business

13:05 How Magnet-Me Generates Referrals

14:08 Weddings, Corporate Events and Repeat Business

14:40 Wrap Up

How do you turn an event photography business into a franchise and build a model that gives franchisees the systems and support to run it?

Haim Kadar joins Glenn Walford on the Franchise Everything podcast to talk about Magnet-Me, an event photography business creating instant photo magnets for weddings, corporate events, graduations and other special occasions.

Haim shares how Magnet-Me started as a side hustle before becoming a full-time business, why he sees it as a lifestyle business, and how the business developed into a franchise model.

He also explains how the Magnet-Me kit, CRM, workflows, packages and other systems help franchisees operate the business.

Listen or Watch on;

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/46awtfba

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/4hsdyj8h

Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/4xtzkmrm

YouTube: https://youtu.be/wxPihvYFrFk

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction to Kat Kammas and her Kip McGrath franchise journey

1:29 How Kip McGrath influenced Kat's education and career

3:15 Studying psychology and her original interest in child psychology

5:30 The unexpected opportunity to buy her former teacher's centre

6:09 Becoming the owner of the same centre where she had been a student and tutor

7:18 How incentives contributed to increased enrolments

8:53 What it was like becoming a business owner at 22

9:29 Using her previous experience with the centre to make the transition easier

10:14 The support she receives across marketing, communications and finance

10:47 The challenges Kat faced as a young franchise owner

11:25 Bringing social media and local marketing into a traditionally run centre

11:57 Preparing to take over her second Kip McGrath centre in San Suzy

12:31 Training staff and communicating changes before expanding

13:36 Taking over an existing Kip McGrath centre through resale

15:49 Kat's current day-to-day responsibilities

16:38 Using the Kip McGrath system to make the transition easier

17:35 Recovering from the drop in student numbers during COVID

17:54 Her long-term goal of owning three Kip McGrath centres

18:43 How Kat manages up to 250 lessons across the week

19:41 Kat's goal of reaching three centres

Kat Kammas is the franchise owner of Kip McGrath Miranda, where she recently celebrated five years of ownership. Her connection with the brand began much earlier, when she joined Kip McGrath as a shy student in Year 3, later becoming a tutor and eventually working for the teacher who would become her former boss.

Kat's journey came full circle when her former boss announced he was retiring and she immediately offered to buy the centre. She shares what it was like becoming a business owner at just 22, being the youngest Kip McGrath franchisee at the time, and learning how to lead a team while developing her business skills.

Listen or Watch on;

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3f9ck329

Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome and introduction to Matt and Dani Jamieson, Coochie HydroGreen

1:10 Matt and Dani's career backgrounds in property law and public service

3:05 Their Sunshine Coast and Glasshouse Mountains Coochie HydroGreen territory

6:15 Choosing a business that would give them a more outdoor lifestyle

7:04 Their first connection with Coochie HydroGreen more than 20 years ago

8:22 Why they originally walked away from buying a Coochie HydroGreen franchise

9:28 Assessing the Sunshine Coast territory and its potential for growth

10:12 Transitioning from corporate careers into franchise ownership

11:29 Reaching Coochie HydroGreen High Rollers status after three and a half years

12:45 How training and support from other franchisees helped them grow

14:35 How the franchise structure protects their investment and creates collaboration

15:22 Learning the technical side of the lawn care business

17:05 Hiring their first employee and making the transition from working in the business

18:50 Adding another truck and planning for another team member

19:08 Dani's role in managing the backend of the growing business

19:56 How their previous leadership and management experience helped them build their team

20:16 Future plans for more trucks and potentially expanding into additional territories

Matt and Dani Jamieson are Coochie HydroGreen franchise owners who made the move from long corporate careers in property law and public service to building a business on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. After years of wanting to leave Canberra, they finally made the decision to prioritise lifestyle and began searching for a business that would allow them to work outdoors rather than remain in an office.

Their connection with Coochie HydroGreen began more than 20 years earlier, and after exploring other franchise opportunities, they returned to the brand and launched their own business in 2022. Their business reached High Rollers status after just three and a half years, which they credit to hard work, commitment and the support of the wider franchise network.

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Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome and introduction to Tamika and Aiden Stender who have become the number one Kip McGrath store owners globally with their fifth WA centre about to open

1:34 Tamika's background in teaching and why the realities of working in schools left her wanting to make a bigger impact

3:07 Aiden's background in big-box retail management and initially supporting Tamika's tutoring business as a side venture

5:10 How rapid growth and purchasing their second centre turned the business into something they knew they could not walk away from

7:07 Expanding from one to two centres after a nearby long-term owner approached them about selling his business

8:58 The advantages of opening a new centre including choosing the location versus inheriting an existing centre and its client base

10:04 How existing teams and client relationships can make acquisitions easier while still requiring careful change management

11:02 Why their different personalities and perspectives are actually one of the biggest strengths of their partnership

13:41 What a typical day looks like for the couple and how owning the business gives them more flexibility with their two young children

16:26 Building children's confidence and creating a positive learning experience beyond simply improving academic results

20:32 Creating systems that can be replicated across five centres and making scalability achievable without adding unnecessary complexity

21:23 How AI is being used in the business for communication, ideas and productivity as the couple continues to scale

22:17 Why AI cannot replace the human relationships and confidence-building that are at the heart of tutoring

23:26 Preparing the fifth centre for opening and how their marketing strategy has evolved as the business has grown

25:11 Using real student results and positive progress to communicate the value of the business to parents

26:10 Why maintaining a small-business feel and helping every child feel valued matters more than simply becoming bigger

Tamika and Aiden Stender are WA-based Kip McGrath multi-centre owners who have grown their business from one centre to five and have become the brand's number one store owners globally. Tamika shares her journey from teaching into business ownership, while Aidan explains his transition from big-box retail management to joining the business full time.

Together, they discuss their growth through new centres and acquisitions, the importance of word-of-mouth and strong relationships with parents, how they divide responsibilities as a husband-and-wife team, and their approach to developing their people and using AI. Despite their continued expansion, Tamika and Aiden remain focused on maintaining quality, supporting their teams and ensuring every child feels valued and sees genuine progress.

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/P7J_nXoyF_0

Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome and introduction to Charlie Carter founder of Battery Zone from the Melbourne Franchising Expo

0:26 What Battery Zone does and why specialist battery expertise is still in high demand

1:30 Building Battery Zone after identifying a gap in the battery retail industry

2:08 Why batteries are a growing industry driven by increasing demand and technology

3:20 Growing Battery Zone carefully while remaining a hands-on franchisor

4:30 Why Battery Zone is moving from retail stores to a hybrid franchise model

5:39 How automotive businesses can increase revenue by adding Battery Zone to unused floor space

6:07 The phone call that inspired the hybrid Battery Zone franchise model

7:32 Launching Battery Zone's new roadside battery franchise opportunity

8:22 Why Battery Zone is focusing on Melbourne before expanding across Australia

8:51 Franchise training support marketing and Google Ads managed by head office

10:29 Why ongoing customer follow-up and centralised marketing help franchisees succeed

11:09 Charlie Carter's vision for growing Battery Zone across Melbourne before national expansion

Battery Zone has built a reputation as a specialist battery retailer and roadside battery service, providing solutions for everything from cars and trucks to caravans, boats and smoke alarm batteries. In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Glenn Walford speaks with Charlie Carter, Founder of Battery Zone, about how years of industry experience helped him identify an opportunity to create a customer-focused battery business that has now evolved into a franchise model.

Charlie shares why Battery Zone is shifting from traditional retail stores to hybrid and mobile roadside franchises, allowing franchisees to reduce overheads while expanding their services. He also explains how comprehensive training, centralised Google marketing, and ongoing franchise support help franchisees build successful businesses, while outlining his strategy of perfecting the Melbourne market before expanding nationally.

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/xf4Q0sngzpY

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