Franchise Everything

Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome from the Melbourne Franchising Expo and introduction to Paul Benjamin founder of Benjamin & Benjamin Insurance

0:40 Introducing a new transaction insurance product for buying and selling businesses in Australia

1:06 Why transaction insurance has traditionally only been available for business sales above $100 million

2:12 How warranty and indemnity insurance protects both buyers and sellers during a business sale

3:42 Why transaction insurance is particularly valuable for franchise businesses and resale transactions

4:13 How lawyers, brokers and insurers work together throughout the transaction process

5:35 Reducing transaction risk improving buyer confidence and supporting business finance approvals

6:02 Why this insurance product has only recently become available for Australian small and medium businesses

7:03 Making due diligence simpler while still protecting buyers from hidden risks

8:28 How claims are handled and why the policy provides confidence after settlement

9:56 Helping buyers protect significant investments and retirement savings when purchasing a business

11:18 Working with accountants lawyers brokers and the Franchise Council to bring the product to market

11:56 Final thoughts on how transaction insurance can improve business sales across the franchise industry

Buying or selling a business is a major financial decision, and in this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Glenn Walford speaks with Paul Benjamin, Founder of Benjamin & Benjamin Insurance, about a new transaction insurance product now available for Australian small and medium-sized business sales. Previously only used in large corporate mergers and acquisitions, this solution is designed to reduce risk and provide greater confidence for both buyers and sellers throughout the transaction process.

Paul explains how transaction insurance can benefit franchise businesses by protecting investments, supporting finance approvals, and providing greater certainty after settlement. The discussion also highlights the important role of accountants, lawyers, brokers, and franchise advisers in bringing this innovative solution to market, making it a valuable episode for anyone involved in buying, selling, or advising franchise businesses.

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Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome and guest introduction Himanshu Gandhi franchise owner Town and Country Pizza and Pasta Lara Victoria

00:37 Arriving in Australia in 2016 as a Masters engineering student and starting as a delivery driver at Town and Country Geelong Waterfront

01:21 Rising through every role from delivery driver to kitchen hand pizza maker kitchen supervisor and store manager in just three years

06:14 Asking Joe Rossi if he was ready to own his own store after 10 years with the same employer

07:31 Buying an existing 13 year old store in 2023 and how visa conditions and timing aligned perfectly

07:55 Choosing to put savings into the business rather than a house and paying off the loan within two and a half years

09:47 Navigating years of visa uncertainty through COVID and the path to permanent residency

10:16 How Himanshu blended into the conservative Lara community by sponsoring local footy netball soccer and the RSL

11:54 Managing a team of 30 people and how rising through every role shaped his management style

12:20 Work culture in India versus Australia and why the lifestyle model here changed everything

13:20 Operating just four to nine in the evenings six days a week and why the lifestyle model suits his family

14:38 How central marketing is handled by Town and Country while Himanshu focuses on local community support

16:01 Plans for a second store in regional Victoria within 45 to 60 minutes drive and what consistency means for the next step

17:01 Stay consistent put your focus on hard work and the opportunity will come towards you

Himanshu Gandhi arrived in Australia in 2016 as a Masters engineering student with no plans to stay in hospitality. He took a delivery driving job at Town and Country Pizza and Pasta as a side hustle, and a decade later he owns one of the brand's stores in Lara Victoria. He has never worked for anyone else. His entire Australian career from delivery driver to kitchen hand, pizza maker, kitchen supervisor, store manager and now franchise owner has been with the same brand under the same managing director Joe Rossi.

He opens up about choosing to put his savings into the business instead of buying a house, paying off the loan in two and a half years, navigating years of visa uncertainty through COVID, winning over a conservative Australian community by sponsoring every local footy netball and soccer club he could find, and running a lifestyle friendly four to nine evening model with a team of 30. With permanent residency around the corner and a second store in his sights, his advice is simple: stay consistent, keep showing up and the opportunity will come to you.

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Magdel Barnard did not plan to run a tutoring franchise. She was a chartered accountant with her own practice in South Africa, moved to New Zealand and went straight back into accounting.

Then a mum in the school playground told her something was wrong with her son's reading. The school reports said otherwise. The educational assessment did not. What followed was a tutoring course, a kitchen table classroom, a friend asking if her son could join in, and a phone call to Kip McGrath. That was ten years ago. She has never looked back.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast recorded at the Kip McGrath conference, Magdel shares what that decade actually looked like. Why switching from accounting to tutoring means giving up control of the outcome. 

Why she tells every student to choose their hard now or face it later. Why she makes sure every child in her centre understands the financial sacrifice their parents are making to be there. And why no AI tool on the planet can replace a tutor who looks a struggling student in the eye and says I know you can do this.

0:00 Welcome and guest introduction Magdel Barnard franchise owner Kip McGrath Auckland New Zealand

0:50 Background as a chartered accountant in South Africa and the move to New Zealand

2:00 Taking a tutoring course specialising in dyslexia dyspraxia and dysgraphia to help her son

2:52 How helping her son led to contacting Kip McGrath and becoming a franchise owner

3:04 The emotional moment of finding out her son was struggling and the guilt that followed

5:00 How New Zealand's curriculum changes in 2025 are creating a new wave of students falling behind

7:05 Why the curriculum change is both an opportunity and a challenge for the business

8:17 How an accountant convinced Kip McGrath she was the right person to run a tutoring centre

10:28 The key difference between accounting and tutoring: success is no longer fully in her hands

11:23 Why AI can assist tutoring but can never replace human motivation and belief in a student

13:52 Choose your hard: the philosophy she uses with every student and parent

16:18 What a typical week looks like running Monday to Thursday afternoon sessions

17:24 The flexibility of franchise ownership compared to a corporate accounting career

18:12 The acceleration strategy: identifying the highest impact gaps rather than filling every one

19:24 Plans for multi-centre expansion and the challenge of finding passionate afternoon tutors 

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE 

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Joe Papiccio is the co-founder of Plumbing Bros, a fast growing national trades franchise headquartered in Perth.

While his co-founder James Riddle leads the day to day franchise operations, Joe has carved out a specialised and highly valuable role within the business as the person responsible for winning the major tenders and contracts that provide Plumbing Bros franchise partners with guaranteed long term revenue streams.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, recorded at the FCA Franchise Forum on the Gold Coast, Joe breaks down exactly how Plumbing Bros wins the major tenders that set their franchise partners up with guaranteed work for years.

0:00 Welcome and guest introduction Joe Papiccio co-founder of Plumbing Bros at the FCA Franchise Forum

1:00 What a tender is and how contractual work builds long term revenue for franchise partners

2:30 The difference between reactive maintenance and preventative maintenance in a tender contract

3:44 How the tender process works from subscription notifications to information sessions and submissions

5:35 What goes into a tender submission: methodology storytelling resources and pricing

7:19 Why some tenders are worth walking away from and the criteria for saying no

9:12 How AI tools like ChatGPT and NotebookLM have halved the time it takes to complete a tender

11:30 The full tender timeline from brief to evaluation to finalist interviews: six to eight weeks

12:30 What it feels like to win a business defining tender and why Joe calls himself a rainmaker

14:00 What happens when an incumbent fails to deliver and the tender comes back around

14:50 The key advice for winning tenders: competitive pricing honest storytelling and backing your systems

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

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Joe Rossi is the managing director of Town and Country Pizza and Pasta, a 36 year old Victorian founded franchise brand with 14 high volume locations across Victoria and Western Australia.

A finalist at the FCA Awards for franchise innovation, Joe leads a business that blends traditional hospitality values with a genuinely tech forward approach to operations, training and customer experience.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, recorded at the FCA Franchise Forum on the Gold Coast, Joe breaks down how Town and Country Pizza and Pasta is using AI not to replace hospitality but to strengthen it.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome and guest introduction Joe Rossi managing director of Town and Country Pizza and Pasta

0:43 Town and Country Pizza and Pasta: a 36 year old brand with 14 locations across Victoria and Western Australia

1:23 The national growth strategy and what it means to be a traditional brand with a tech forward mindset

2:04 How technology evolved in the business before and through COVID and why the fundamentals of hospitality must not be lost

3:37 Why Town and Country focuses on high volume per location over simply chasing store count

4:24 How AI is being used for site selection training franchisees ordering forecasting and customer data analysis

5:38 How AI is reducing friction in the ordering process and improving the customer experience

6:09 How AI is being used in back of house to break down kitchen timeframes and improve efficiency

6:38 The AI powered hardware training product that delivers staff training with minimal human intervention

8:00 Why Town and Country has not changed its position on third party food delivery aggregators

9:16 Why growing deliberately and focusing on consistency is more important than rapid expansion

10:07 Why AI is being used to feed timeless hospitality values rather than replace them

10:46 Why human interaction will become more valuable not less in an AI driven world

11:18 Wrap up

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE 

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Nathan Hornby has spent 15 years in franchising and is now head of franchising at Plumbing Bros, one of Australia's fastest growing trades franchises. And they do something most people don't expect. They don't recruit plumbers. They recruit white collar franchise partners. People who can read a balance sheet, lead a team and actively grow a business in their community.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, recorded at the Franchise Industry Awards Forum Day in Brisbane, Nathan breaks down the weekly reporting system implemented by CEO and co-founder James from day one, the three word framework of prioritisation, organisation and delegation, and why a record revenue month can still leave you cash flow negative.

If you run a trades business, manage a franchise network or just want to understand what disciplined cash flow management actually looks like in practice, this one is for you.

0:00 Welcome and guest introduction Nathan Hornby

0:27 What Plumbing Bros does and why it looks for white collar franchise partners

1:00 Why significant top line revenue does not always mean healthy cash flow

2:00 Working with franchise partners weekly to understand when money is actually coming in

2:44 How different payment terms across multiple daily jobs creates cash flow complexity

3:41 Training franchise partners in cash flow from entry level and ongoing weekly reporting

4:48 Weekly cash flow meetings and when Plumbing Bros insists on them

5:31 How to handle bad payers without damaging valuable client relationships

6:10 Weekly cash flow forecasting: non-negotiables, income expected and supplier bills

7:15 How invoicing delays can blow out payment terms from 30 to 90 days

8:09 The three words that drive the Plumbing Bros approach: prioritisation, organisation and delegation

9:06 Building an offshore admin and bookkeeping team to support franchise partners

10:24 The biggest cash flow challenge: is it sales volume or management of existing work?

11:07 Why a diverse payment portfolio is the real solution to cash flow stability

11:39 How Plumbing Bros differentiates itself through proactive cash flow management

12:17 Wrap up

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE 

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Debbie Thompson is the chief supply chain officer at Sushi Sushi, one of Australia's largest and most recognised sushi franchise brands with over 170 stores nationwide.

Her role spans everything from fresh food supplier sourcing and farm audits to Japanese ingredient imports, food safety certification and in-store quality assurance across the entire franchise network.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Debbie pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to manage a fresh food supply chain at scale across a major Australian food franchise.

0:00 - Welcome and guest introduction Debbie Thompson

0:26 - The complexity of managing a fresh food supply chain across 170 plus stores

1:42 - Where to start: sourcing sustainably certified salmon from Tasmania

2:26 - Visiting farms and auditing facilities through qualified food safety specialists

3:18 - Why Sushi Sushi only sources salmon from the east coast of Tasmania

4:12 - Temperature controls from the farm all the way to the store

5:23 - How long it takes to approve a new supplier and why certification matters

6:47 - The four hour response system for delivery and quality issues raised in store

7:43 - The story of opus rice and the Australian version of koshikari

8:37 - How the Riverina rice mill uses solar power to reduce emissions

9:26 - Pre-portioned rice bags and the Japanese vinegar sachet that makes it food safe

9:52 - What rice milling actually means and the double polishing process

11:57 - Sourcing authentic Japanese ingredients including nori soy sauce and vinegar

12:21 - The Sushi Sushi sourcing office in Japan and the export license

14:11 - The biggest challenge in supply chain managing realistic timeframes versus business expectations

15:51 - Building strong supplier relationships as a shared responsibility

16:21- Wrap up

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

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In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, host Glen speaks with Darren Schultz, co-founder of Stellarossa, at Stellarossa Coffee Headquarters in Brisbane.

Darren shares his journey from leaving school in Bundaberg and unexpectedly starting a hairdressing apprenticeship, to working in hospitality overseas, running his own salon, and eventually discovering the coffee industry through Brisbane’s Park Road cafe scene. 

His early career shaped his customer service skills, resilience, and ability to connect with people, which later became essential in building franchise businesses.

The episode also explores how Darren launched Expresso Mobile Coffee, one of Australia’s early mobile coffee van franchise concepts, before going on to co-found Stellarossa in 2009. Darren explains the lessons learned from franchising, the importance of proving a business model before expanding, and how Stellarossa has grown into a recognised cafe franchise brand with around 25 locations, drive-through concepts, and international expansion plans including India and Sri Lanka. 

0:00 - Welcome and guest introduction

0:56 - Why understanding the leaders behind franchise brands matters

2:40 - Trying a pre-vocational course and discovering what was out there

5:11 - The interview with the ex-Stefan salon team and the telephone role play

8:01 - Finding his groove and earning $51 a week as an apprentice

9:00 - Working in a men's fashion store and being rescued back into hairdressing

10:28 - Working in a bar cafe in Covent Garden and falling into hospitality

11:55 - Teaching water skiing and getting a job by chance in Greece

14:51 - Heading back to London a second time and landing a management role

17:48 - Coming home to Australia and a stint back in Bundaberg

19:42 - Reconnecting with Sam Canino and moving to Brisbane for hairdressing

22:08 - What hairdressing taught him about understanding franchise buyers today

23:06 - Running his own salon for 12 to 13 years and doing very well

27:27 - Park Road Milton as the epicentre of Brisbane coffee in the late 90s

30:43 - Pitching the concept to a head chef and launching Expresso Mobile Coffee

31:40 - Why mobile coffee had never been done in Australia before

34:32 - The challenge of getting coffee right in all climates from a mobile van

37:31 - Meeting lawyer Derek Sutherland and making the franchise agreements

39:26 - Buying out his business partner in 2007 and running Expresso with his wife

40:25 - Jonathan Payne coming on board as Expresso business partner

42:16 - The deal Darren made with Jonathan before taking him on as a partner

44:41 - Phil DiBella stepping back from the cafe concept due to wholesale client pressure

45:40 - Finding the name Stellarossa in an architectural magazine at the dentist

46:38 - Phil Cronin coming on as co-founder and how a 45 year friendship became a business

49:00 - Where Stellarossa is today with 25 stores and international expansion

51:26 - Drive-through Stellarossa stores and what is next for the brand

52:18 - Wrapping up and why knowing the leaders behind franchise brands matters

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

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In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, we go inside the coffee roasting room with Cam from Stellarossa and Steve from Bancroft Roasters to explore the science behind the perfect coffee shot

The conversation covers how roasting, green bean sourcing, barista training and espresso extraction all work together to create consistent coffee quality across the Stellarossa franchise network. Cam also breaks down the key variables behind a great espresso, including dose, grind size, water quality, machine temperature and brew ratio.

Steve shares how Bancroft Roasters manages roast profiles, seasonal coffee sourcing and flavour consistency, while explaining why vertical integration matters for franchise coffee businesses. This episode is ideal for coffee lovers, cafe owners, franchise operators and aspiring baristas who want to understand what really goes into a great cup of coffee.

0:00 - Welcome and guest introductions

0:40 - Understanding the relationship between Stellarossa and Bancroft Roasters 

1:41 - The perfect shot of coffee starts with a recipe and a system

3:17 - Steve's role as the roaster in creating the perfect shot

4:13 - Collaborating on a crowd pleasing flavor profile for Stellarossa

5:29 - Daily flavor profile testing and pre-shipment green bean sampling

6:51 - The collaborative cupping process between Steve and Cam 

7:17 - How the Stellarossa and Bancroft Roasters relationship improved consistency 

8:41 - The importance of passion and self directed learning beyond the workday

9:36 - The yin and yang dynamic between Steve and Cam 

10:35 - The risk of quality drift when using a third party roaster 

11:34 - How Stellarossa maintains full oversight of coffee quality and cost 

12:26 - Live extraction demonstration with Cam 

14:33 - Understanding yield and brew ratio in espresso 

15:49 - The degassing process and finding the peak flavor zone after roasting 

16:46 - The 48 hour degassing window before packaging and distribution

17:46 - Why locking down the dose is the golden rule in coffee  

19:19 - The full quality assurance chain from farmer to consumer 

20:43 - Managing the doubling of green bean prices with long term farmer relationships 

21:40 - Why vertical integration helps control cost and quality simultaneously

22:01 - Wrap up and final thanks 

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In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, host Glenn Walford sits down with Vikas and Neetika Sharma, proud owners of Pack & Send Caboolture in Brisbane. 

Just six months into their franchise journey, this husband and wife team share a story that is equal parts honest, inspiring and practical. From careers in freight forwarding and banking across India, New Zealand, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, to a six year research journey before finally signing on the dotted line, Vikas and Neetika prove that the best business decisions are the ones made with patience, preparation and purpose.

With 80 five star Google reviews already under their belt and multi-store ownership firmly in their sights, this is a franchise owner story that will resonate with anyone thinking about making the leap.

0:00 - Welcome & guest introduction: Vikas & Neetika Sharma

1:47 - The training experience: Head office to store days

3:57 - Background in India, New Zealand and the move to Australia

4:34 - Freight forwarding careers and settling across Australia

7:24 - Niteeka's leap from banking into Freight Forwarding

10:10 - From Sydney to Melbourne to Brisbane: Following 0pportunity

12:28 - Why a franchise model made sense for their family

13:55 - How they found Pack & Send on SEEK Business

15:20 - A six year journey from first inquiry to opening day

17:39 - The moment they said: We are doing this

18:08 - Why Caboolture Was the Perfect Location

19:04 - Why Brisbane always felt like home

19:30 - Growing the business: Cold calls, knock on doors, show up

21:24 - How Vikas and Neetika split their roles as a husband and wife team

23:13 - The five year vision: Multi-store ownership on the horizon

24:35 - Six months in: Doing things they never thought they could

25:33 - Work life balance: The real reward of business ownership

26:02 - Wrap up and thanks

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

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