Serviced apartment business, Quest has lost one of its key head-office staff members, but it’s all smiles at the accommodation chain. In the ultimate show of advocacy, former franchise relationship manager Jason Travers is launching his own site at Quest Goulburn, just outside Canberra.

It’s a significant step for the career corporate, who has spent the last five years working with the established franchise chain in the head-office.

“I’ve run my own business before, and I’ve sort of dabbled between business-ownership and corporate life. Working with the business as a consultant for five years, I suppose I saw the opportunity in Goulburn and decided it was time to take the plunge again,” Travers told Inside Franchise Business.

“It’s shown me what it takes to run a successful franchise, so I’m confident to take the next step into business ownership.”

Quest Goulburn

Making the move to a regional operational will be no mean feat for Sydney-based Travers, but the experienced franchise veteran is used to travelling.

“In my previous role, I helped franchisees in the ACT and New South Wales regions, looking out for their total welfare and serving as a conduit to the corporate office,” he said.

“Besides, 45 minutes from Canberra isn’t so bad, it’s not really that regional.”

Travers said that he was inspired to take on the Quest Goulburn greenfield site after charting the projected growth of the region. Approvals for wind and solar farms are underway, while the NSW Police Academy and Corrections Centre attracting business visitors to the town.

“The feedback I’ve received from business owners has been positive and there’s a lot to get excited about,” he said.

“The business environment here is strong, so the conditions for premium serviced apartments are terrific.”

Despite the strong predicted economic and business growth, Travers admits that it took months of preparation to get to this point.

“I was very specific on size and very specific on geographical location. It was literally over a year of due diligence just on assessing the town, determining if there was a real opportunity for growth and success in Goulburn,” he said.

Transitioning

While business ownership does present an element of risk, the lure of entrepreneurship can prove to be too strong for some people. One of the hardest decisions for prospective franchisees to make can be to walk away from a stable income in favour of a new venture.

In the case of Quest Goulburn, Travers revealed that the biggest support came from the internal team.

“My immediate boss knew my goals, it’s something I’ve been working towards for around two years, waiting until the right opportunity came along,” he said.

“It wasn’t always the goal from start, but around mid-tenure, it really emerged as a possibility. Quest was very comfortable in helping me in the transition, in a way that didn’t distract me from my current job. I knew it wasn’t going to be a quick process, but I’m happy I’ve made the move.”

Moving forward the new Quest Goulburn franchisee said he is excited to kick-start the business when in opens in mid-November. However, after years helping other Quest franchisees take the step into multi-unit ownership, he is already contemplating growth.

“Ultimately, you enter entrepreneurship for financial gain and the ability to create wealth. Business ownership is the true test; you have to get the right business for you, one that fits within your lifestyle,” he said.

“Being very much a part of the discussion with other franchisees, helping them to make the transition to multi-unit, I have faith that I can achieve that goal.”

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