For Mr Rental franchisees, Mark and Liz Norman, two outlets are not enough…

When did you open this franchise and where is it?

In June 2003 we started with our first Mr Rental store in Toowoomba, Queensland, followed by a store in Ipswich not long after — we opened the doors in December that year. A third store will open in Brisbane West in 2010. When we started in Toowoomba there was just the two of us and now we have built a team of 15 across our stores.

What investment have you put into the business so far?

In terms of money, we put in about $300,000 in cash with the balance borrowed. But of course there has been seven years of time and effort from both of us too. Our time and effort has decreased slightly from our start-up phase and our flexibility has increased as we have gone from working in the business to now working on the business.

Do you intend to renew this franchise?

Yes, last year we renewed both franchisee agreements and were able to purchase a five year extension at the time so we are looking forward to another 10 years.

When you leave the franchise, what will you want to have achieved?

A good lifestyle while in Mr Rental; we enjoy working five days a week with no book work after hours as it enables us to enjoy time with our family. And when we leave Mr Rental our family’s future should be financially secure.

Briefly describe your typical day

The working week is Monday to Friday and a typical day starts at about 8am after dropping the kids to school. The day is spent working on the business; communicating with our national support office, our financier and other suppliers and helping our store managers lead their teams to ensure the franchise system is followed. One day a week is spent at the Ipswich store. The day finishes at 5pm.