Mason Lee owns and operates the Warragul Battery Zone store and loves it, but it wasn’t his original career plan.

Mason was heading for an office job when he shifted his focus to a traineeship with the local council. Before he started, he discovered a job with Battery Zone at the founding store in Pakenham would pay him more.

The 24-year-old admits he knew nothing about tools or batteries – “I didn’t even know what a spanner was!” he laughs.

But it didn’t deter him, and Mason joined the family-owned Battery Zone business. Before long he discovered he loved everything about it.

“The boss, Charlie, trained me up and I was dealing with customers and handling sales. I loved it. I enjoy the problem solving too,” he says.

“After about a year or so I gained all the knowledge to go out on my own, and I wanted to work closer to home. I could see there was untapped potential in my area.”

Mason and Charlie discussed the opportunity and found a site for Mason to set up as the first Battery Zone franchisee.

From an early age Mason had shown a keenness to get ahead.

Practical support

“We built our own house when I was 20, so I borrowed some money against the house to open up the store,” he says. “Charlie was extremely helpful, we were both brainstorming ideas, and he helped out along the process.

“Charlie has helped me build up a strong clientele, shown me how to reach trade customers, how to bet more retail. He was able to help if I made a mistake. I’d call him every day.

“I was nervous. I had taken money out against my house. But you are always going to be nervous, and if you don’t make the move, you’re not going to get anywhere!”

Luckily Mason’s partner was fully supportive and backed Mason all the way.

For the first 18 months, he worked seven days a week and held down a second job.

“I wanted to ensure I could keep things going, so I was doing 8am to 5.30 pm weekdays in the store, and four or five days a week I worked a 5.30pm to 9pm shift delivering pizzas.

“I got to an income of more than $15K a month fairly quickly and within 12 months I’d landed on my feet,” Mason says.

It took him a while though to adjust to managing his cashflow.

“I had revenue coming through and got excited. I had to remind myself to take it easy and build up an emergency fund,” he says.

Building a team

Reflecting on the early days Mason also admits if he had his time again he would hire a team member at an earlier stage.

The business draws revenue from trade accounts, retail, and callouts.

“There were times where I would get call-outs but couldn’t attend so I’d miss out on sales. Once I hired a team member my revenue lifted $15,000 a month just from having someone extra.”

A second pair of hands is also helpful in some of the tougher callouts, he says.

“If there’s a callout for European cars, you can offer to jump-start the vehicle and bring it back to the store, then there are two hands on the job,” he says.

Mason will add another staff member when he finalises the purchase of his second store.

Buying second Battery Zone store

“My next goal is to bring more money in and I’m in the process of taking over the original Pakenham store so Charlie can focus on franchise expansion,” he says.

He plans to shift his attention from running the operations to running the business, overseeing the back end of the two retail outlets.

It’s easy with great software and technology to hand, he says.

“The Point of Sale system is very easy to use, and next month we’re getting a new system that will make it even easier to issue invoices and change prices.

“Battery Zone is up to date on the latest tech. Charlie is always looking for better prices and deals, the best suppliers, the cheapest EFTPOS fees to boost our profits,” Mason says.

“Charlie is really good, very open to new ideas for social media, ecommerce or digital marketing.”

Two and a half years after buying his first business and Mason is well-placed to reflect on his investment.

“I didn’t expect it to go so well. There are hard times, but I honestly didn’t think I’d excel so early.

“What this has given me is the joy of working for myself. It’s the biggest bonus, the best thing you can do. Just having the money is a plus, but the freedom is great.

“I can’t think even think about what I’d be doing if I was in the desk job!” he says.

“We’re getting married this year and I want to ensure everything in the business is running well. Battery Zone has helped me set up strong foundations for our future, and I’m very thankful I backed myself.”