Right now you’re on your own—but there is another way
I have a confession to make. I’m from Auckland and I want to sell you something. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, maybe you’ll give me the time of day.
This all started when I read about Tiwai Point closing. 2,600 jobs, they said. That’s not jobs, I thought. That’s a community. That’s families. That’s uncertainty. That’s life changing. Even someone from Auckland can see that.
I know it’s not a done deal. They’re still in negotiations. There’s talk of a lifeline. But that’s politicians talking. It’s not their jobs that are at risk. It’s not their lives that are changing. It’s your jobs, your lives. And even if there is a lifeline, five years down the track, will those jobs still be there? You think?
So the question is, if it’s your job that’s on the line, what are you going to do and when are you going to do it? If your kids are grown up, your mortgage paid off and you have a big enough financial cushion, you can take your redundancy payment and go fishing or hunting. Otherwise you can look for a job doing what you do now. Or you can retrain and look to get into a different job. Or you can start your own business. No matter how skilled, smart, capable, determined and hard-working you are, none of these are easy options. Not when over 2,000 people are doing the same thing. And whatever support the company or the government says they’ll give you, at the end of the day, you’re on your own.
Or are you?
Back to the “I want to sell your something” bit. I run New Zealand’s second largest franchise business, Green Acres. The largest is Lotto, and I’m a Director of that. I also run Hire-A-Hubby. We have run successful Green Acres franchises in Southland since 1993 so we know what’s possible. But even I don’t think I can sell 2,600 franchises in Southland. There aren’t that many lawns to mow, homes to clean, cars to valet or shirts to iron. Only Aucklanders need looking after like that. You’re proud Southlanders. You do those things yourselves, right?
I get it. But what I do want you to think about, if your job is on the line, is the concept of franchising, because in 2021 that’s the Kiwi way of getting into business. There are, in this land of ours, over 600 franchise organisations and 37,000 individual franchise businesses. They don’t all mow lawns and clean houses. There are fast food outlets to help people put on weight and gyms to help them take it off again. There are bakeries, builders, beauticians, cafés, couriers, dentists, driving schools, petrol stations, pet playgrounds and realtors. Between them these businesses have created another 24,000 jobs.
If you don’t fancy your chances in the job market and want to be your own boss, you have two options. You can start your own business. A lot of people do that, but not a lot of those businesses survive beyond two years. The other option is buying a franchise business. That’s a proven, effective way of starting your own business. You get training, systems, branding, marketing and support. You can check it out before you buy. If you like what you see, you can make a deal. You still have to work, but you have a far better chance of succeeding. And you’re getting a business that you can grow then sell.
You don’t have to take my word for it. On 9 December I’m hosting a franchise expo in Invercargill with Green Acres and Hire-A-Hubby. We tried to get Tiwai Point involved. They were very polite, but they have “a process”. We asked Great South (part of MBIE) if they wanted to be part of it. They let us post a notice about the event on their website. That’s it. In other words, like you, we’re on our own.
Only we’re not on our own. The Southland Chamber of Commerce is getting behind the programme. And we’ve invited other local businesses that sell and support franchises to be there too. Link Business, ANZ, Xero, Vodafone, Findex, Z Energy, Bunnings. They can see what’s coming. They’ve all been very supportive and they’ll help explain about choosing, financing, buying, managing, growing and selling a franchise.
If you end up buying a Green Acres or Hire-A-Hubby franchise, great. But I can only sell so many, because, as we know, there are only so many lawns to mow and homes to clean in Southland. So why am I doing this? Good question. I’m doing it because, it’s good for franchising. And if it’s good for franchising, it’s good for Green Acres and Hire-A-Hubby.
What I really want is to give you an opportunity to check out how franchising works, to hear from experts and spend an evening thinking positively about how you can take charge of your future and change your life. And I want you to know that you don’t have to do this on your own.
Project Life Changer:
9 December, Ascot Park Hotel, 6 PM - 8 PM.
We’ll feed you.
Come along. Bring your partner. Ask me anything.
If you think this is worth doing, I’d love to hear from you. Or if you want to tell me I’m wasting my time and not to bother, I want to hear that too.
You can email me at logan@fbl.co.nz.