Brendan and Helen McKenzie have been passionate Boost Juice customers for years. But as Warrnambool locals in regional Victoria, they had limited access to their favourite brand.
So when they heard about a brand new store coming to their home town the couple jumped at the opportunity to buy the business.
The news came at the perfect time; Brendan had spent 26 years in management roles in dairy manufacturing and was more than ready for a change.
“I’d been looking at other franchises, and nothing grabbed my attention. We’ve always loved the Boost Juice brand and its values, they fit ours,” Brendan says.
Boost Juice application process
They flagged their interest in the spring of 2022 and immediately started the comprehensive, application process to buy the franchise.
“Boost is very structured in the way they run this; it’s a 12-step process and you have to cross off each part before moving on to the next,” he explains.
He believes this approach favours serious and committed potential business owners. “To go through this process means you really want to be in it,” he says.
A passionate head office team
While going through the well-structured approval process, Brendan and Helen also met the Boost Juice team.
“Everyone we met was so welcoming. It was more like a family than a corporate business,” Brendan says.
Helen agrees. “They are all really passionate about the brand and their enthusiasm is infectious!,” she says.
As first-time business owners the pair had no idea what to expect about the process of setting up a business.
Strength of the Boost system and structures
And that’s where the value of the Boost system really comes in, says Brendan.
“Before opening I had three weeks training in Melbourne, at Chadstone, one of the busiest stores. Our daughters come down to get experience in-store as well.
“Then, during opening, we had two people from Boost supporting us in the store for four days. They supported us really well.”
The business launched just before the Christmas rush, but the pair acknowledge the hard graft to get everything sorted on time was worth the effort.
They achieved an impressive first day, hitting the top 10 store sales in Victoria for a Thursday.
“We broke the records – we are really proud of that!” he adds.
Once the initial frenzy around the opening was over, everything calmed down and the team slotted into a routine.
Initial challenges for first-time business owners
While both Brendan and Helen are franchisees, the couple decided Brendan would work in the business with Helen maintaining her medical admin job.
“We decided we wanted one steady income to pay the mortgage and school fees,” Helen says. “I took a month off when we opened; now I work in the business on weekends.
“There’s nothing like learning on the job, but Boost Juice has a great online learning system. That’s why buying a franchise that’s a tried and trusted brand makes sense; it has solid experience in training and how to do things better,” she says.
Brendan’s initial challenge was staff rostering and stock maintenance.
“Getting your head around order quantities, how much you need for stock items, and the right staffing levels is hard when you don’t have trading history,” he says.
“And over the first 12 months, our sales were better than projected – that’s a good win.”
As locals in a country town of 35,000 people, the McKenzies have good connections. Strong customer support was backed up by promotions from local newspapers, radio and shopping centre social media.
“We get lots of repeat customers, and our customers say we are the best and friendliest store. That’s really important to us, that’s what we and the brand are about,” he says.
The McKenzies are looking to develop more connections with local community. Many of their staff are in the basketball league, and last year Boost Juice Warrnambool sponsored the local team.
Enjoying the benefits of flexibility and business knowledge
There have been several clear wins for Brendan, as a Boost Juice franchisee. There’s a regular game of golf on a Thursday morning, which is a real treat.
“I have a bit more flexibility, even though I’m working seven days a week, I’m not there 10 hours a day, I can roster myself to suit my schedule,” he says.
He also loves meeting new people in the store.
“The number of people I interact with on a daily basis, is so much greater than in my previous life. I know customers by their first name; we are almost friends. We have conversations about family, holidays, and plans.
“It’s simple stuff but I love those conversations!”
Easy to use systems
With the Boost Juice systems, Brendan has learned a lot about business and accounting. He’s learned when to tighten the purse strings, when to save, and when to splash out.
“If I’d tried to open a new business by myself, I’d be sinking,” he says. “You underestimate how much you need to do.
“We have such easy-to-use structures, from training to safety to quality control; all the documentation, everything is really well done. Most of the time support is just a quick phone call way. And we have access to live data to help us in our daily business.
“That’s why Boost has been so good. It has such a good structure. I’ve been involved in big business and I can see that Boost does it really well,” he says.