Husband and wife team Neil and Sharon Menzies have been with the San Churro brand for three years.

They currently own two franchises, one in Fremantle and the other in Subiaco, and they plan on eventually opening a third store. 

Their Freemantle site received the Best Merchandised Store award at San Churro’s annual franchise awards in March. 

Neil and Sharon decided to consider franchising after their own company collapsed.

“It became obvious there was no such thing as a safe job or career. We needed to take things into our own hands and not rely 100 percent on other people,” they explain.

The pair engaged in various types of research to better understand the San Churro brand and determine whether it was suitable for them.

“We visited our local store frequently, spoke to the then owner, and called as many of the east coast franchisees as we could. Watching the customers in the Fremantle store was also a big factor,” say Neil and Sharon.

While their research was extensive, there are a few things Neil and Sharon would change if they had their time again.

“We would do more research into the practicalities of running a small business and [learn more about] how we can fund and pay it off.”

The pair say they opted for the San Churro brand for multiple reasons.

“We had thought about having a coffee shop for a long time. This morphed into a coffee/chocolate shop idea (before we had heard of San Churro) based on our experience of the European style hot chocolate in Italy.

“When we discovered the idea already successful it seemed silly to try and reinvent the wheel,” they explain.

Neil and Sharon acquired the funds they needed to invest in the two stores in different ways.

“We took out a bank loan for the first one and the second we funded with personal funds and a loan.”

It seems there are three key things Neil and Sharon have learned since becoming franchisees.

“Pay the business off as fast as you can. Keep the customers happy. Keep the staff happy,” explain the pair.

The primary challenge they have faced as franchisees? Managing their time. 

“We didn’t realise the extent of the time commitment,” they say.

Neil and Sharon have several pieces of advice for potential franchisees

“Be prepared for a lot of hard work and late nights to begin with. Dealing with the realities of employing people also has its challenges.

“Be prepared to be very understanding when it comes to staff issues” add the husband and wife team.