The Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) recognised franchising’s best in South Australia at the 2016 SA Excellence in Franchising Awards night in Adelaide last night.
FCA CEO Damian Paull and Executive Chairman Bruce Billson attended the awards and were thrilled to be a part of the successful night and celebrate the achievements in the franchising community.
“What I enjoy most about the Awards night is seeing the franchising community celebrating success together and seeing the entrepreneurial spirit alive and thriving. The quality of the finalists and winners are first class and a great example of how franchising can be a successful business model.” Damian said.
Winners at the event include Darren Heath of V.I.P. Lawn and Gardens, who was named Single-Unit Franchisee of the Year – with less than two staff, Vipin and Astha Chandel of The Cheesecake Shop, who took home the award for SA Single-Unit Franchisee of the Year – with two or more staff.
The Awards also recognised Cheryl Catalano of Clark Rubber, who won the state Field Manager of the Year.
“From my perspective, it was not only an honour to be nominated by Clark Rubber, but also an honour to be a finalist. To me, it’s an opportunity to take everything that I’ve experienced and learnt, and use that to positively influence so many peoples’ lives…I’m not only proud of myself, but also of my store and all they’ve achieved,” said Cheryl.
For Darren Heath, the desire to balance his work around family time and focus on his children was a big reason why he went into franchising.
“I create my own hours around my family. I work closely with the other V.I.P. franchisees, and we all help each other. We throw work out to everyone, share our tools – it’s a great support network and that’s what makes it so successful.”
It’s a similar story for Vipin and Astha of The Cheesecake Shop, who owe much of their success from endless support from friends and family along the way. Vipin really appreciated the support of the franchise system and enjoyed creating close community bonds, although they did advise that success never came without challenges. As a small business, they made sure that passion and hard work was a cornerstone for their business.
“As a small business, you must always be there. If you want to provide good customer service and have good products, you have to be in the business. The more time you put in, the more benefits you get. A good franchise system also helps. My Area Manager is fantastic. Shane provides me with great marketing advice. Whenever I needed him, he was there. We worked together, shared ideas and I owe a lot of my success to the commitment and support I was given.”
Following their success, all winners have qualified as finalists for the MYOB FCA National Excellence in Franchising Awards. The Gala Awards Dinner will be held in Canberra on Tuesday 11 October at the culmination of the 2016 National Franchise Convention.
WINNERS
SA Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, two or more staff: Vipin and Astha Chandel, The Cheesecake Shop
SA Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, less than two staff: Darren Heath, V.I.P. Lawn and Gardens
SA Field Manager of the Year: Cheryl Catalano, Clark Rubber