Business gurus to share their secrets of success at franchising expo

His face is seen on the side of trucks, vans and trailers all over Melbourne, and now wannabe business owners can hear from Jim Penman, and other entrepreneurs, at a franchising expo this weekend.

Jim’s Group founder Jim Penman will share his expertise at the Melbourne Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo.

Have you ever thought about running your own business?

Whatever your reasons — from the appeal of being your own boss to the challenge of trying something new — you can learn the secrets of franchising success from top entrepreneurs at the Melbourne Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo.

Leading business brains speaking at the event include Jim Penman, founder of home maintenance empire Jim’s Group, and business growth guru Andrew Morello from The Entourage.

Jim’s Group started as Jim’s Mowing in 1982 and the former part-time gardening business now has more than 3000 franchisees across four countries.

Poolwerx franchise owner David Copsey. The pool servicing company will be among businesses sharing insights about franchising.

Event director Tim Collett said franchising could be a good gateway for people wanting to work for themselves.

“Every entrepreneur faces risks in business. A good franchise actually removes some of this risk because the branding, marketing and financial systems are already in place, and there is a supportive network of fellow franchisees,” he said.

“(At the expo) you can talk to experts, compare the options, eyeball the people behind the brands and ask the hard questions, all under one roof.”

More than 100 franchises and business models will be on show including successful brands such as Clark Rubber, Poolwerx, Noodle Box and Fastway Couriers; emerging brands such as The Source Bulk Foods, Kool Kids Childcare and Medimart.

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You can also hear from New York Minute Burgers managing director Anthony Crowther about how small businesses can work with disrupters like Uber Eats, along with Victoria’s Small Business Commissioner and the head honchos from Franchise Simply and the Franchise Council of Australia, Brian Keen and Mary Aldred.

The Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo is at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 10am-5pm on August 24-25.

Entry is $20.