Gold Coast franchise kings and queens and how they built their empires
It’s no secret ‘the shoeman’ loves his job. He’s turned his love for a centuries-old craft into a thriving business, with stores across the Coast. Here’s how the inspiring boss and other franchisee heavyweights have made their mark.
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It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build an empire.
And the franchise kings and queens of the Gold Coast are no exception to the rule.
Some made their meteoric rise to success with nothing more than big hopes and dreams – and a few dollars in their pocket.
Others simply turned a career they loved into a multi-franchise kingdom, opening one store at a time until they had a million bucks in the bank.
There’s no shortage of extremes in the list, either.
One had to cuddle up to his wife for a ‘make or break’ loan that would propel his business into a multimillion-dollar coffee shop giant.
Another flogged slippers on the street to drunk Schoolies students before opening one of the most successful streetwear stores in the world, racking up a net worth of over $626m.
While one operates a small-scale cobbling and key-cutting business and another runs a portion of the global franchise with golden arches, they all share one thing in common:
Luck didn’t factor into their success. They all worked incredibly hard to stake their claim.
KENTON CAMPBELL, ZARAFFA’S
As good husbands know best, it’s wise to ask nicely if you want something from your wife.
For Zaraffa’s top gun Kenton Campbell, a ‘favour’ from his wife Rachel came in the form of co-signing a $9000 personal loan.
It was an ask that changed his life.
With the ‘make-or-break’ loan approved, Mr Campbell started the Zaraffa’s coffee franchise, and his caffeine kingdom has grown into a chain of 73 outlets throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
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From slinging lattes from a humble coffee cart on the streets of America to becoming a self-made multi-millionaire and father-of-four, Mr Campbell said his journey “hadn’t been an easy one.”
He’s also at the helm of Tonken Property Group, who are developing the $50m Distillery Road Market project in Beenleigh, inspired by London’s Borough Market and New York’s Chelsea Market.
Scheduled to open in April 2022, the market will feature food and grocer outlets, eateries, bars, a brewhouse, live entertainment and various stalls.
TRAVERS ‘CANDYMAN’ BEYNON, FREE CHOICE
Australia still has a love affair with cigarettes. And despite their known danger to our health, Queenslanders are smoking more than the residents of any other mainland state. More than 15 per cent of Queenslanders are daily smokers, compared to the national average of 12 per cent.
Just ask tobacco tycoon Travers ‘Candyman’ Beynon, who oversees the $250m Free Choice empire.
Travers Beynon: Gold Coast ‘Candyman’ famous for wild parties was model and football player
And while the colourful cigarette mogul has gained international attention during the past five years for his flamboyant parties and antics at his northern Gold Coast mansion which promote the brand, he’s an astute businessman.
Starting out as an Australian Rules hopeful in the late 1980s, a serious back injury sidelined his dreams of glory on the field.
He then turned to modelling, where he strutted catwalks in Milan for the likes of Valentino. His chiselled looks took him to fashion shows all over the world, where he earned the title in the press as Australia’s “first male supermodel.”
After working for his “family’s computer business”, in 2008 he had moved into the tobacco industry, become managing director of Free Choice, which he continues to run today.
The company is Australia’s leading retail tobacconist franchise, with over 304 stores, plus a vending machine operation with more than 1300 machines nationwide.
SIMON AND TAHNEE BEARD, CULTURE KINGS
Rich-lister lovebirds Simon and Tahnee Beard weren’t always living in multimillion-dollar digs on the Gold Coast.
They were hanging out on the sidewalk at Schoolies Surfers Paradise and flogging slippers to students for a few bucks.
Culture Kings to open its first US store at Las Vegas’s famous Caesars Palace casino
In 2008, they took their love of hip-hop culture and pulled together DIY resources to open the first Culture Kings store on the Gold Coast.
From that single venture they saw rapid growth, opening eight additional shopfronts and employing over 700 staff.
The brand has its loyal fans such as rappers Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky and Drake, and ‘Bieber fever’ has even swept the stores, with the Canadian superstar guest attending to much fanfare.
Culture Kings queen Tahnee Beard sells Ashmore mansion for $4.95m suburb record
Culture Kings made a net profit of $19.4m in 2020, with a US expansion plan in place after the couple sold a majority stake in their business to a.k.a brands, owned by private equity group Summit Partners.
NBA superstar Ben Simmons has also invested in a.k.a as the company acquired the stake in Culture Kings.
DEB FARNWORTH-WOOD, AUSTRALIAN SKIN CLINICS
Deb Farnworth-Wood saw that quality skincare products and routines had the potential to be trendy before they plastered every Instagram and TikTok feed.
We live in the age of the skincare renaissance. Both men and women the world over are looking to all-new treatments for acne, lines, freckles, spots, crows feet, stretch marks and scars.
Australian Skin Clinics franchisee Deb Farnworth-Wood is Gold Coast Woman in Business of the Year
Arguably, Ms Farnworth-Wood was at the forefront of the movement in Australia when she opened up a tiny clinic in Ashmore back in 2007.
Notably, she launched her business with no sales experience and once said she “never planned on building an empire”.
The 2017 Gold Coast businesswoman of the year went on to grow the business into one of Australia’s largest franchises with a turnover of $70 million and 58 stores.
In 2019, she sold the company for an undisclosed amount, with ASX-listed group SILK Laser Australia, acquiring the company late last year for $52m.
MARCUS DUNN, MCDONALD’S
Ever wanted to know who the man in charge of the southern Gold Coast’s golden arches is?
A new McDonald’s is opening on the Gold Coast at Tugun
Marcus Dunn, who owns and operates McDonald’s franchises in Reedy Creek, Elanora, Burleigh Waters and Robina expanded his empire further in 2018, when opening another restaurant in Tugun.
STEVE WHITTARD, MISTER MINIT
Not all franchise moguls rock designer clothes and own speedboats or mansions.
Some come in the form of humble cobblers.
And it’s no secret that Steve ‘the shoeman’ Whittard loves his job.
In fact, he’s turned his love for a centuries-old craft into a multi-franchise business.
From starting out as a Mr Minit trainee at the age of 21, Mr Whittard now owns and operates seven shopping centre kiosks across the city, where he says “you’re doing something different every day, every customer is different and it’s a fun job”.
He said when starting out, he had “no idea” that he’d be with the same company 33 years later, and running seven of their stores.
Mr Whittard’s stores are at The Pines in Elanora, Runaway Bay, Westfield Helensvale, Robina Town Centre, Pacific Fair, Australia Fair and Westfield Coomera.
PAIGE AND PJ JOHNSON, F45
Paige and PJ Johnson are no strangers to sweating it out to achieve bigger business growth – and bigger muscles too.
The fitness fanatics opened a Currumbin F45 studio, growing it from 40 to 250 members in just one year, only to shortly thereafter scope out an ideal site for a second franchise in 2019.
The couple opened the doors to its newest studio at Pavilions Palm Beach Shopping Centre, which underwent a $60m expansion and redevelopment.
The Johnsons say the southern Gold Coast is ripe for those who love fitness: “We know there is a fitness culture in Palm Beach, with lots of people out and about at the beach and in parks, so this (the Palm Beach studio) is an opportunity for them to try something new or take their exercise regimen to the next level.”
F45 has over 1,750 studios in 45 countries and is backed by Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg.
The fast-growing fitness franchise currently has 20 studios on the Gold Coast alone.
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