Australian parents seek out franchise business for flexibility and work-life balance

A rising number of Australian parents are ditching their nine to five jobs in favour of owning their own franchise business as they seek greater work-life flexibility and wealth.

Fantastic Services Group CEO Rune Sovndahl.

A rising number of Australian parents are ditching their nine to five jobs in favour of owning their own franchise business as they seek greater work-life flexibility and wealth.

With the coronavirus crisis forcing a large number of Australians to work from home, many got extra time to spend with their family as hours were saved not commuting.

New research has found that more than a third of fathers say they are missing out on valuable family time because of their jobs and wish they had a more flexible schedule. And 16 per cent of men want to be their own boss but don’t where to start, according to a survey by franchise business Fantastic Services Group.

So what are the steps to take to check if buying a business that is part of a chain is right for you?

See if it will deliver work-life balance

Dads particularly are benefiting from home services franchises like lawn-mowing, pest control and rubbish removals, allowing them to schedule jobs and plan their days better.

Fantastic Services Group chief executive Rune Sovndahl expects his Australian franchise network to double to 280 over the next year as people look to change jobs.

He says running a franchise gives people greater flexibility and more time with their family. Plus, a franchise owner also has the support of a large network of fellow small businesses owners, unlike someone running their independent business.

“Right now the opportunity is so big and there’s a number of labour skills shortages and a number of other things that’s going on,” Sovndahl says.

“Plus, post-pandemic everybody wants to change something with their house,” he says.

A recent Fantastic franchise owner has seen his end of lease cleaning business take off in Western Australia after just three months, reporting $20,000 in revenue a month. Normally, they would do a little more than half of that, Sovndahl says.

“I was surprised, this was an exemption,” he says, adding that its not the case all over the country.

Cleaning, lawn mowing and gardening popular

Sovndahl says local businesses like this are successful because owners understand the community and want to be part of it.

For a franchisee to succeed, they must be ready for the career change and have excellent people management skills, he adds.

During the coronavirus crisis, franchises managed to navigate through the crisis because of the big support network available to them, compared to privately-owned small businesses, according to Sovndahl.

Neel Patel bought a pest control franchise last year so he could take his two young kids to daycare and school and spend more time with them.

“I bought a franchise because I wanted a better work-life balance and so I could especially spend more time with my young children,” he says.

“I chose a pest control franchise because ever since I was a child, I’ve always hated bugs and I’ve always been interested in home improvement. It seemed like the best career move for me because I get to meet many different types of people and am always expanding my knowledge and learning new things every day.”

Keep your income steady during pandemic

“People still needed pest control especially as they were spending more time at home,” Patel says.

“The franchise has grown as I have become more established, and I now have an excellent client base who are very appreciative of the work that I do for them.”

Patel has enjoyed his time running his own business and is “excited to see how much I can grow my franchise”.

“There are many benefits of owning a franchise business. A lot of the initial start-up costs that come with starting a business are taken care and there is no need to worry about starting from scratch. All the bookings and payments are done through the office which makes everything easier for me and I can properly concentrate on the jobs at hand,” he says.

“I also have much more flexibility with my schedule and can plan my time around my family which is most important to me.”

Patel would recommend buying a franchise “because it’s a lifestyle change that will benefit you in the long run”.

“I have so much more time to spend with my kids which I’m very happy about because they are growing up so fast and I don’t want to miss even a minute of it.”

Mary Aldred, Chief Executive of the Franchise Council of Australia

Undertake due diligence

Franchise Council of Australia CEO Mary Aldred says its members are telling them that the biggest growth is in inquiries from people considering franchises in the services sector such as home maintenance and gardening.

“We’ve heard of a number of single parents taking up franchises such as dog grooming because of the flexible hours and control over your own work/ life balance.”

There are around 96,000 individual franchise outlets across Australia, employing just under 600,000 people, according to IBISWorld Research.

But before jumping into a franchise business, the FCA “strongly recommends proper due diligence before buying any business, franchised or non-franchised,” Aldred says.

“This includes getting expert legal and financial advice, to understand your obligations and rights,” she says, adding it offers free educational resources for prospective franchisees.