In 2021, Richard Kelly returned to Queensland after a 20-year stint overseas working in medi and advertising sales, only to find an economy under unprecedented pressure and limited business prospects.
When a Poolwerx franchise came up for sale, Richard took a bold leap into an unfamiliar industry. He recognized an opportunity at the intersection of two resilient sectors – pool care and cleanliness, driven by Australians nesting at home. Despite his lack of prior experience,Kelly saw the potential and embraced the franchise model’s proven blueprint for success.Two years later, he’s celebrated double-digit year-on-year growth, building a million-dollar topline and cementing himself as one of the company’s fastest-growingfranchise partners.
The Mount Gravatt Poolwerx store began as a “man in a van” about 17 years ago. Kelly sawthat the company was at a crossroads, having grown organically over the years, and recognisedan opportunity to embrace efficiency and innovation to take it to the next level.Scaling up the business was an exciting prospect given its existing size.
It’s about focusing onthe “one percenters” – those small improvements that accumulate intosignificant gains. Forinstance, optimising technician routes to increase service efficiency, leveraging technology for real-time data, and enhancing customer communication through service reports.If you’re buying into a franchise network, you want to be part of the market leader with thebiggest share of voice. Ultimately, that’s what attracts new customers and reassures them that their asset will be serviced and maintained by absolute professionals.
For Kelly, having thatbrand equity already in place for the last 30+ years was a huge advantage.Central to Kelly’s transition from his prior role as Country Director of Sky Media Dublin to poolcare entrepreneurship is the robust support and resources provided by the Poolwerx franchisemodel. This includes building skilled teams and creating a positive work culture to enhanceemployee retention.
You can contact the Mount Gravatt Poolwerx store here or at 07 3349 3100.