Former day care centre manager Tony Orlando is so enthusiastic about his new franchise he calls himself a ‘brandvocate’ for Kitset Assembly Services.

Tony is the newest franchisee to join the dynamic assembly business and he is fulsome in his praise for the brand, the business model, and the high level of support provided.

Tony discovered the Kitset business while researching businesses online. He was immediately impressed with the website’s top-quality presentation and content, and the level of detail shared about the business.

Since then Tony has been on an upward trajectory with the brand; meeting the team, signing up to a franchise, business planning and training.

“I really enjoyed meeting the team and the transparency of the conversations,” he says.

He got his first taste of what it is like to be a franchisee on Discovery Day.

“You work with a franchisee for four or five hours unbilled. I worked on the tools a little bit; I drilled a few screws in. But a lot of the process is a personality test, ensuring you are willing to stop and read instructions, and then follow instructions. During the day you can ask that franchisee anything you want,” says Tony.

“I had looked at starting up my own business but didn’t know how to get it off the ground,” he explains. “Kitset has everything in place and guides you through the process.”

From preplanning to business planning

Even before he signed the franchise agreement, Kitset helped him have everything in place to start the business; from a police background check and Working with Children check to having the right equipment.

“The preplanning is fantastic. I was sent a to-do list, with a note of the essential tools, and the tools that are nice to have.”

Franchisees benefit from the franchisor’s experience in business building as they set their own goals. Kitset helps refine a franchisee’s business plan, crafting a strategy to achieve short, medium and long-term targets.

“This franchise wants me to be successful, and you can feel it all the way through,” he says.

There’s a fixed fee structure that delivers a level of financial certainty for franchisees, and a robust business model backed up by premium support.

Kitset Assembly helps a franchisee succeed

Tony says the training for new franchisees is also first-class. Franchisees spend the first week of training in the head office, with franchisees familiarising themselves with the administrative requirements of running a business, the training manual, completing tasks in Kitset’s proprietary job management software, and exploring high-level customer service and marketing techniques.

The franchisee then spends three intensive weeks in on-the-job training with at least one other franchisee.

“Most people can assemble furniture but the scope of this business is amazing. We assemble gym equipment, barbecues, sheds, saunas, trampolines, swing sets, cubby houses,” says Tony.

Franchisees gain badges for assembling specific items, such as a piece of gym equipment, once they have assembled several of the same item. This means they are confident and competent at the job.

“If I get a job to build something I haven’t yet assembled, the system automatically flags I’m a novice at this. Head office will contact me and provide support on what I need to watch out for,” says Tony.

Once they finish their official training franchisees start work in their territory with the invaluable support of an experienced trainer.

Building a customer base

Tony is eager to get started in his Sydney Northern Beaches territory. Even in a brand new location, it’s easy to generate work because Kitset has franchise partners in big box retailers who recommend the business to customers needing help with assembly.

“We’ll do some marketing to promote the business – we already have a few jobs booked in,” Tony explains. “I’ll be on the tools, but we will also visit key retailers to establish relationships.”

Tony is already looking forward to customer engagement, committed to delivering top-level customer care. To him, that means spotting extra things that he can fix in a customer’s home, like taking out the rubbish for an elderly couple.

“It’s about being respectful and polite, meeting the customer’s needs, making sure everything is correct. You’re wearing a uniform and a brand, so you need to show your best side at all times.

“I have a fully-wrapped, kitted-out cargo van, so I’m representing the brand. When I’m driving and someone lets me into a traffic lane I roll down my window and thank them.

“I’m proud and honoured to drive around in that van, and wear my Kitset uniform,” he says.

“I’m going into this with an open mind, I want this to be my career for the next 15 years. My short-term and mid-term goals are not financial, but business building. I want to build my brand and my customer base and am grateful for the huge head start Kitset provides, and the amazing additional support.

“In my 15-year plan, my dream would be to run two vans and have someone working with me; to double my territory and build a nice sustainable business. I’m putting the groundwork together for long-term Kitset Assembly franchise success.”