Quentin and Lara one of our husband and wife teams, joined NightOwl in April 2013, they purchased their first store at Charles Street in Townsville and just recently have become multi-site owners through their second purchase of the NightOwl store at Deeragun Street in Townsville, please have a read of their journey so far.
Quentin & Lara’s Journey (so far) What was your background before joining NightOwl?
Quentin – I have had 21 years experience in the Sales industry in Fast Moving Consumer Goods. I moved my way through various roles beginning my Sales journey as a Sales Rep, then progressing to a Key Account Manager, then Field Management, then through to Regional Sales Management roles. I was very fortunate to have gained a lot of knowledge & experience working for companies such as Coca Cola, Cadbury, Parmalat & Lion Dairy & Drinks.
Lara – We have three beautiful children & I have been fortunate enough to have been able to stay at home to be with them while they were little. When our youngest just started Grade 1 last year, I was able to return to work and join Quentin in our NightOwl adventure. Prior to having children, I worked for 10yrs as a Legal secretary.
What in your opinion makes a successful franchisee?
- It is someone who is enthusiastic and driven to achieve results.
- It is someone who is genuinely interested in engaging with people, because after all we’re in the people’s business. If you love connecting with people & seeing them smile when they leave your store, then there’s a very good chance they’re going to come back.
- It is someone who knows their strengths & what they enjoy doing, & exploiting them in the business.
The other point is that we’re in the Fast Moving Consumers Good industry & they don’t call it that for nothing. If you enjoy a fast paced business with things happening & changing all the time, then this business is going to tick all your boxes.
It is someone who enjoys planning. Things don’t happen by chance. This system has all the sales programs in place however you still need to plan how you’re going to achieve the results you want to achieve.
If you could go back, what would you do differently, any words of advice for prospective franchisees?
To be honest my first response is I should’ve got into this business years ago. Some advice to prospective franchisees would be do your research then followed up by contacting the Night Owl Head Office to ask more insightful questions then go out & have a look at some stores. From this alone you’ll get a good feel for it.
What are your future goals?
Our goals are (not in order of importance):
- To continue to drive sales results in our business
- To gain a Second Store in the NightOwl Franchise system
- To build a skilled team who clearly understand our expectations & standards
- To engage sponsorship opportunities in our community and thereby building the NightOwl Brand awareness
- Continue to have fun with our team & customers
What are the rewards?
The rewards we are looking for are;
- Return on our time invested in & on our business
- A successful business that will give us more time to spend with our young family
- A business for our kids should they choose to could step into & continue
- Satisfied, happy customers that choose our business to be their store of choice