Ipswich’s franchise kings and queens reveal their secrets to success

Ipswich’s franchisees are testament to the notion that with hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, anything is possible. Read their inspiring stories of success.

The city of Ipswich is filled to the brim with savvy businesspeople who have built empires from humble beginnings.

From delivery driver to Domino’s multi-franchisee, and hospitality workers to the king and queen of Ipswich Coffee Clubs, these are the stories of some of the region’s most successful business owners.

THE COFFEE CLUB CAFE

Coffee Club franchisees Boubacar Barry and Angela Holmes-Barry in their Brookwater Village Coffee Club. Picture: Claudia Baxter

Boubacar Barry and his wife Angela Holmes-Barry are two of Ipswich’s most widely known franchisees, employing more than 130 local team members across their seven Coffee Club stores.

The pair opened their very first store at Riverlink Shopping Centre 15 years ago and have since gone on to open Coffee Clubs at Booval Fair, Redbank Plaza, Plainland, and in the Sunshine Coast at Buderim.

Mr Barry said becoming franchisees and running their own companies as part of the Coffee Club chain just made sense, given their extensive work experience and history in hospitality.

“What led my wife and I to here was that we both are from the hospitality sector and have worked in the industry for many years prior to opening the first store in 2007,” he said.

“The Coffee Club for us was just perfect to start this journey with as we first worked for other franchisees for five years. In that time we built that passion and a great relationship with the brand and founders.”

He said he and his wife attributed their success to their unwavering belief in their staff and management team.

The pair have big plans for the future and hope to expand even further across the region.

“Our plan for the future is to try keep focus and look for further opportunities in growing our existing business and be open to new exciting sites in the Ipswich (and) Lockyer Valley region,” Mr Barry said.

PIZZA PLUS

Formerly franchisees of pizza chain Eagle Boys at Raceview and North Ipswich, Tracey Heilbronn and her son Jessee were at a loss when the company entered voluntary administration in 2016.

“Do you go bankrupt?” Ms Heilbronn told The Queensland Times in 2017.

“I’m a fighter and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

“We had meetings with other pizza chains but in the end we decided to do it ourselves.”

The mother and son duo formed their own business, Pizza Plus, which operates out of the same two locations and now employs nearly 30 people.

“Currently the North Ipswich store employs eight staff,” Mr Heilbronn said. “I am currently looking for a driver or two plus another junior staff member in the near future.

“While Raceview employs 19 staff.

“Since opening in 2011 across both stores we’ve given well over 100 young people in Ipswich their first job.”

Having worked in the industry since he was 14 — first at Eagle Boys and then at Pizza Capers — Mr Heilbronn said the opportunity to own a pizza store was one he could not pass up.

“After graduating high school in 2009, my dad asked me in mid-2010 if I’d like to open a business as an investment for the whole family,” he said.

“We saw an ad in the paper for Eagle Boys wanting to open around eight new stores and one just happened to be either Yamanto or Raceview. Since working in a pizza store was the only job I’d ever had we decided that was the way to go.”

He opened his first store at Raceview in 2011, just before his 19th birthday, and purchased his North Ipswich location in 2013.

Mr Heilbronn said he loved to experiment with pizzas and sides to keep things interesting for his customers and regularly released new and revamped menus.

He attributed the huge success of his businesses to the work ethic and the support of his parents, his loyal and ever-helpful customer base, and his fantastic staff and said he actually hoped to downsize to a single store in the near future to “lessen the pressure on ourselves and achieve a better work-life balance”.

“After things have settled down we’re definitely interested in expanding the Pizza Plus brand so as many people as possible can enjoy our pizzas,” he said.

FITSTOP

For fitness fanatics and husband and wife duo Antony and Maegan Drinkwater, becoming owners of Ipswich’s first Fitstop gym was a dream come true.

Mr Drinkwater said he came from an athletics background and coached at an international level before he and his wife opened their brand new store in December last year.

The pair now employ three people — two trainers and a manager — and have plans to expand further as their business develops.

“Both my wife and I loved the model, loved the brand so we made the enquiry and went from there,” Mr Drinkwater said.

“It’s been an amazing fit for our family.”

He said owning a business and working for himself had always been goals of his and he was thrilled to see the Ipswich community were as taken with Fitstop as he was.

“We’ve grown exponentially in such a short space of time. We’ve built an amazing community out here in Ipswich,” he said.

The Drinkwaters hope to one day manage multiple sites, as Fitstop inevitably grows beyond its North Ipswich location.

MUFFIN BREAK

Entrepreneurs Justin and Kelly Bowman have owned a number of small businesses across different industries and worked in some major organisations over the years. But, in May 2020, felt it was time to take a leap acquire a franchise business.

Mr Bowman said purchasing Muffin Break Ipswich at Riverlink was the perfect fit for them, as its brand was easily recognised and had well-established business systems in place.

They now operate their cafe business alongside their 20-year-old farming business, Bowman Park Pastoral, which is centred around breeding and producing stud Droughtmaster cattle.

The pair’s wild success over the years has been no accident, with Mr Bowman revealing they regularly assess where they are at in their business, set new goals, and take steps toward achieving them.

“Success is something that comes through commitment, hard work, continual improvement, and self assessment,” Mr Bowman said.

“You must have a clear picture of what you want to achieve and understand why. We have a family and part of our success is about setting an example for our children.

“Most of all success in any business is about your customers. Appreciating your customers, understanding their needs, and trying to provide them with a positive experience.”

He said that, like many small businesses based in shopping centres, Muffin Break Ipswich suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and were now focused on recovering.

“We are also always on the lookout for opportunities for our business and the Muffin Break brand to grow to serve the wider community,” Mr Bowman said.

“We are also looking to grow our cattle business continuing to meet the requirements and needs of our customers in the beef industry.”

SILK LASER CLINICS

Becoming owner of Silk Laser Clinics Ipswich in October 2020 was a natural progression for former beauty therapist and beauty therapy teacher Alicia Doulman who spent years in management positions at similar businesses.

“When the opportunity arose to open our own clinic I jumped at it,” she said.

“It was exciting to start a new business that Ipswich had never had before.”

The new mum said she felt lucky and grateful to have six staff members who were as passionate about cosmetic medicine as she was, as well as a loyal and supportive local community and customer base.

“As much as we love servicing local people with treatments that were only previously accessible in Brisbane, I think they have loved seeing our business evolve into something really exciting with new focus-driven treatments offered all the time,” Ms Doulman said.

So, what is next for the first-time franchisee?

Reluctant to give too much away just yet, she said: “you never know what’s around the corner”.

ZARRAFFA’S COFFEE

Zarraffa's West Ipswich franchisees Scott and Nicole Penrose previously won the City Pride competition for Best Customer Service. Picture: File

Zarraffa’s at West Ipswich, owned by husband and wife Scott and Nicole Penrose, has been a favourite among Ipswich coffee lovers since it opened in February 2017.

Its drive-through has been a godsend for many tired parents, school kids, and workers and its customer service is widely appreciated and commended.

Mr Penrose said the business’ huge success came down to producing quality food and beverages and engaging with customers.

“We've always tried to focus on quality and customer service,” he told The Queensland Times in 2017.

“We don’t hand anything out that we wouldn’t pay for ourselves. They are the two things that if you get right, then people will return, and enjoy their experience.”

DOMINO’S PIZZA

Morgan Wilkins’ career with Domino’s began in a dramatic fashion, as he delivered pizzas to homes on a record-breaking night in September 2000; the night of the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.

He has since worked up the ranks and acquired several Domino’s locations, including Greater Springfield, Goodna, and Redbank Plains.

He has often said the highlight of his career is training staff who become friends and he hopes to continue this trajectory well into the future, growing and perhaps acquiring more stores along the way.

“As a local business owner, I understand it is a privilege to be able to operate and safely feed those in the community during this time,” Mr Wilkins told The Queensland Times in 2020.

MCDONALD’S

McDonald’s Yamanto, Ripley, and Riverlink general manager Chris Kimmorley. Picture: Rob Williams

Ipswich man Chris Kimmorley’s professional relationship with one of the world’s most recognised brands — McDonald’s — commenced long ago in 2006, when he was in high school.

Upon graduating, he advanced from crew member to crew trainer, then to shift supervisor, assistant manager, and, eventually, second assistant manager running an inventory budget in excess of $2 million every year.

He left the brand in 2009 after working full-time for three years, moving into a sales and marketing role with meat processing company JBS Australia in 2009 and then into an international trader role with Swift and Company Trade Group in 2012.

But Mr Kimmorley returned to his roots in August 2017, purchasing and working as a general manager of McDonald’s stores in Ripley, Yamanto, and Riverlink.

He now employs more than 400 people and has a management team of 40.

BOOST JUICE

A teacher-turned-businesswoman, Sarah Williams now owns both Boost Juice Riverlink and Springfield, as well as the one in Airlie Beach.

The accomplished franchisee has long been involved with the chain of stores, leaving her teaching role with the Queensland Department of Education in 2006 to be business manager of Boost Juice Springfield in 2007.