Business View Oceania | February 2020

43 44 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 DAV ID RE ID HOMES builders in Australia on board. We’re very proud of that. It’s been a lot of hard work to get where we are and we’re only a third of the way to where we want to be. The intention is to keep growing and moving forward.” The life of a franchise is usually six or seven years, but David Reid Homes has some that are nine or ten year operations. Two young franchisee partners in Tamworth are in their late twenties (by age) and could potentially be going for another 20 years. “We’ve certainly taken custom building franchising to the next level,” says Beissel. “We look at the longevity and how good these young blokes could be in five years time. They’re exceptional now. I’ve been in franchising for 25 years and I have a unique relationship with all the franchisees. We’re not a traditional franchisor, we don’t crack a whip, we work with our people and it’s a big family atmosphere. We all respect each other and everyone enjoys the business.” Franchisees get together several times a year at national meetings and an annual national conference. Networking and helping one another is encouraged and breeds a healthy, productive atmosphere. On Sept. 6, David Reid Homes held its National Conference 2019 at Sea World Nara Resort on the Gold Coast, where franchisees had a full day of workshops and mingling with suppliers to enhance their business. The National Awards Dinner held at Movie World completed the day by recognising outstanding franchisees of the year. Each franchisee has their own territory and the company is grooming some people to become sub-franchisors; to be able to spread their wings and have enough area to do that. When recruiting potential franchisee candidates, the company looks primarily for great young builders. Not necessarily great business people. The franchisor is there to help them become better business people; how to work on their business, not in it. Apprentices in the home building industry are taught how to build, how to swing a hammer and construct houses, but in most cases not how to actually run a business. So David Reid Homes finds it sensible to take them to the next level through training in Business Programs and Construction Management Programs. They come to the company as great young builders looking to Managing Director of David Reid Homes, Ken Beissel