Graham and Ann Thatcher opened their first Ella Bache salon in the Brisbane CBD in 2004, and 10 years on they’re still passionate about the business – it’s just grown a little. 

The couple has expanded their empire to include five salons which collectively employ a total of 42 staff, and they were recently named Multi-Unit Franchisees of the Year at the QLD/NT FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards.

Graham and Ann, who both hail from corporate backgrounds, began to explore the world of franchising after Ann in particular sought a career change.

“Even though we wanted to go into business for ourselves, we didn’t want to invent a brand – we were looking for something that already existed,” Graham says.

“We weren’t specifically looking for a beauty business; however we were looking for a business that Ann could move into – she specifically wanted to move into a new direction.”

In the early stages this meant Ann would devote all of her time to the couple’s new business, meanwhile Graham retained his nine to five position, attending to the business at night and on weekends.

“Around the time our fourth salon opened we decided the business was getting too big for me not to be fully involved in it,” Graham recalls.

IDENTIFYING A NICHE

Ann opted for a beauty business because she felt there was a shortage of salons that delivered quality services to clients in the Brisbane CBD.

“As a CBD worker who was busy in their job I didn’t really feel there was an opportunity for me to visit a salon that was reputable and available at the times that I needed it – there were salons here and there but they didn’t really appeal to the corporate client.

“I felt that there was an opportunity to offer corporate clientele great treatments in a time frame that works for them, which is why we are open from 8am until 7pm,” she says.

The pair explains the Ella Bach_ brand was appealing for a number of reasons. “We felt there was a good structure there – they have a good reputation and have been around for a long time,” Ann says.

“While they’ve been operating in the Australian market for 50 years Ella Bach_ is still owned and operated by the original family, it is a family business,” Graham adds.

“That very much appealed to us as opposed to getting involved with another corporate entity. Over the past 10 years we’ve built up a really strong personal relationship with the family and I think that’s been one of the positives for us as far as being a franchisee is concerned.”

COMPLEMENTARY ROLES

Graham and Ann have clearly defined roles within the business – Graham handles back-of-house tasks, meanwhile Ann’s domain is front-of-house.

“We are often asked ‘what’s it like to work with your husband or your wife?’ and for us it works really well,” Graham says.

“I am very much involved in the administrative side of the business; I manage the books, the marketing, the maintenance, the repairs and the targets and figures,” he adds.

Ann is responsible for devising rosters and managing staff, interacting with clients, placing product orders and more.

“Basically I am there to support our managers in any way that they need to be supported, which is a full time job. I visit each of the salons at least once a week, however sometimes I might be in one salon four days a week – it just depends on what’s happening.

“We have a managers meeting every week where we all sit down and look at the week that was and the week that is going to be,” she explains.

A 24/7 COMMITMENT

Ann admits switching off from the business is definitely a challenge, and says it’s important to be passionate about the brand in which you invest.

“We are very busy, and while we try and switch off when we can it’s just not reality. I think as a franchisee you have to be aware of that – a lot of people think ‘oh I will be my own boss and I can do what I please,’ but honestly you are a slave to your business and you have to be, you have to be switched on 24/7.

“We have a great lifestyle, we try and get away on an overseas holiday once a year, and that just gives us an opportunity to refresh, however we still work on the business while we are away. I don’t think you can make it work and not be 100 percent passionate about what you do, because if you’re not then it’s hard work,” she says.

Graham adds each salon has its own manager, enabling the pair to operate the business remotely. “Our business allows us to get away somewhat, but that’s because we’ve set it up that way. As long as we have internet access we can still do what we need to from a remote perspective.”

Stay tuned for part two of the feature, where Graham and Ann talk challenges and tips for budding franchisees.