Hotondo Homes’ Toowoomba franchisee Steve Allan joined the brand in April 2009, and this year he and his wife Cassandra took out the National Professional Builder of the Year title – the company’s highest accolade.

The prestigious national award ranks franchisees based on a number of criteria, including customer satisfaction and service, quality of homes built, attention to detail, commitment to the Hotondo Homes system and brand compliance.

From business owner to franchisee

Steve was involved in running his own construction business prior to investing, and explains Hotondo Homes approached him at the perfect time.

“They reached me at a point when I was at a crossroads and not sure how to move the business forward or how to promote it,” he says.

“I was surprised by how much there was to running a business. There are so many different strategies and structures out there. Hotondo Homes provided me with the support to navigate it all.”

Steve likes the fact that he’s got the support of an established brand behind him. “I wouldn’t have taken some of the risks that I did if it wasn’t for the backing of a franchise. These risks include my shop front and employing certain staff. It all paid off in the end though.”

The key challenge

He says the very nature of the building industry can prove challenging for his business. “One of the biggest challenges that I face is the swinging marketing of the building industry.

“It requires a more flexible business structure compared to what you would have in a more stable environment. We need to be able to grow and pull back to survive when the market turns,” Steve explains.

Tips for running a successful business

Firstly, potential franchisees should sort their finances, as well as exercise patience, advises Steve. “One of the biggest things is entering the franchise with sufficient capital to get it running and off the ground.

“Also, change isn’t going to happen overnight. Set yourself a series of goals that you want to achieve and create steps to get there. We’re always creating new goals.”

Franchisees will also need to be flexible, as no two days are ever the same as Hotondo Homes’ franchisee. “Every day is different; I don’t have an average day.

“I’m very involved in the business, which sees me meeting clients, overseeing construction, networking, managing staff and ensuring that everything is flowing in the right direction to achieve our goals,” Steve explains.

He says it’s important franchisees focus on ensuring their business fits in with the local community. “You need to be able to merge all the important parts of a national system and adapt it into a local system.

“Especially in building, you need something that works for your local market. I believe this would be a lot more challenging for other franchise systems that aren’t as flexible, yet with Hotondo Homes you’re able to adapt it to suit you,” adds Steve.

When it comes to marketing the business, he explains branding is the key. “You need to let people know you are around and keep reminding them. We still do local branding, but it’s more special events that we do now. We’re not promotions oriented. Networking is also very important with real estate agents and land developers for us.”

Training and support tailored to suit the franchisee

He explains the training provided by Hotondo Homes varies according to how long a franchisee has been with the brand.

“The support that I receive now is very different to the support that I received five years ago.

“The original support was delivered through a lot of training sessions. Now, depending on what we need help with, we’re able to contact that particular department manager in the support office and they are there to assist us whenever we need,” says Steve.

“We work quite closely with the marketing manager, especially at the moment as we’re expanding into a new area.”

A renewed focus

Steve explains franchising has changed his approach to business. “It’s definitely changed from a hammering and nail focus to a business focus. Before I was a builder, but now I see myself more as a business owner.”

He plans to continue to build the business. “Our main business goals are to develop a growing business that will be a sellable asset in the future,” says Steve.