Mike left architecture at 27 to run a Jim's Garage Doors franchise in Melbourne.
We spent a full day on the road with him. Five jobs, live customer calls, one commercial price negotiation and a straight answer on the fees.
Mike studied architecture for four years. He picked up garage door work on weekends with Mick, who now runs the Jim's Garage Doors division with Brian.
He became a franchisee in December and has traded for under a year. In this day on the road, Mike tows a scissor lift across Melbourne to service a commercial roller shutter.
He finds a manual release chain too short to reach from the ground and quotes the fix as a safety issue. He installs a Merlin roller door motor, reprograms remotes, refits a roller door blown off the tracks and frees a jammed sectional door.
Between jobs he takes calls on speaker.
A Broadmeadows customer has a car trapped in the garage.
A builder has a stolen remote after a break in.
A construction company pushes his price down. If you are a garage door installer weighing up a franchise opportunity in Australia, this is what the work looks like.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Why Mike calls every lead back within 2 minutes
How one drive-by led to two motor replacements the same day
What the $199 plus GST service fee covers
How Jim's franchisees pass jobs to each other instead of competing
Why Mike fixed one unhappy customer's door free of charge
What Mike says about fees, running costs and paying back his franchise
Who the division is recruiting right now: experienced garage door technicians
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:40 Meet Mike from Jim's Garage Doors
1:09 Start times and a midnight call out
2:28 From architect to garage doors at 27
3:44 Training: 8 to 12 weeks
4:34 How territories and leads work
6:35 Live call: garage door stuck
8:02 Passing jobs to other franchisees
8:33 Why regular servicing saves money
10:07 Why Mike works late
11:10 The hardest part of the job
11:54 The 2 minute call back rule
12:34 Call transfer and 24/7 emergency leads
14:53 Architect income vs franchise income
15:58 What his parents think now
17:04 Why Jim's signage wins work
20:30 Franchisee numbers in Victoria
21:10 Local marketing: emails, flyers, magnets
24:16 Social media
25:10 New franchisees in Adelaide and Perth
25:33 Turning an unhappy customer around
29:30 Are the fees worth the money
31:25 Income month to month and seasonality
33:10 Job 1: commercial roller shutter service
35:13 Manual release safety problem
42:44 Live call: break in and stolen remote
46:09 What Mike carries on board
48:02 Job 2: roller door motor install
58:40 Negotiating a commercial quote
1:00:45 Live call: door off the tracks
1:03:50 Job 3: programming new remotes
1:05:50 Cowboys and an unregulated industry
1:09:45 Who the division is recruiting
1:11:00 Same day service
1:12:32 Franchisor and franchisee support
1:14:10 Jim's vs other franchise systems
1:15:50 Paying back the franchise cost
1:17:08 Running costs
1:18:20 Advice for installers
1:19:45 8 to 10 jobs a day
1:21:40 Support vs paid business coaching
1:22:21 Your own brand vs the Jim's brand
1:23:50 Job 4: roller door off the tracks
1:29:00 Job 5: jammed sectional door
1:35:37 Wrap up
INCOME DISCLAIMER
The income, revenue and profit figures shared in this video reflect one franchisee's individual experience. They are not a promise, projection or guarantee of earnings. Results vary based on location, hours worked, effort, skill, market conditions and other factors. Some franchisees earn more and some earn less. Figures may refer to revenue rather than profit unless stated otherwise. Before making any decision, review the official franchise documentation and seek independent legal, financial and accounting advice.
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