The Franchise Council of Australia honoured franchising’s best and brightest at the MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards on 10th October 2017. Huge congratulations to my business client, Nellie Dicks, the Owner Manager of Bank of Queensland Richmond for winning the Franchise Council of Australia 2017 Award for Single Unit Franchisee, 2 or more staff.

Well, how big was this win…the Franchising Australia 2016 survey, undertaken by Griffith University’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Franchising Excellence and supported by the Franchise Council of Australia, disclosed some 79,000 units operating in business format franchises in Australia.

As the Owner Manager of the Richmond branch of BOQ, Nellie knows her customers well and has built her business around being willing to go the extra mile to ensure that they always receive exceptional and personal service.

When Nellie first came to see me, like many owners of small businesses, she wanted to get some time back and away from the daily operational grind. Having built the business with long hours and sweat, Nellie was looking for a catalyst to change what was an unsustainable operational model.

So, I set about a business coaching journey with Nellie that set some medium-term goals;

  • Get some work-life balance, including an ability to take holidays without the business slowing
  • Continue to build the team to the same service benchmark she has for each of her customers so that the customer experience is nothing but exceptional (which means a seamless operation, from the front end to the back end)
  • Define, then better segment and target customers in the business’ sweet spot.

In talking with Nellie, she says “I understand my business more now than when I first started being coached by David. And yes, David is challenging, but he encourages me to really think about my business. Thanks David, my award is also a testament to what a great coach you are and an integral part of the team.”

As with all my clients, it’s important to stop, acknowledge and celebrate successes, especially by sharing it with your employees. Include them in your journey; the celebration is a reward in itself for the hard work everyone has done.

Well done Nellie, what an incredible achievement!