5 Australian Franchising Stories That Will Inspire You

The franchising market in Australia was measured at $169.5 billion in 2023, making it not just a large industry in the Australian market but a fantastic way for smaller businesses to thrive and grow. 

There are many incredibly successful franchises in Australia that are well-known in the country and some even internationally. If you’re looking to become a franchisee or are considering franchising your own business, then this article is for you.

We’re going to take a look at five inspiring success stories from Australian franchises. Learn more below.

What is a Franchise? 

Before we get into it, if you’re reading this and you’re still not entirely sure what a franchise is, we’ve got you covered.

A franchise business model is one in which individuals (known as franchisees) buy the rights to operate a business using the branding, products, or services, and business model from an established company (the franchisor). 

The franchisee must pay fees or royalties to the franchisor and work within their guidelines and standards. A franchisee, in turn, benefits from the brand recognition and support of the franchisor while still operating their own business.

Many well-known brands are franchises, including McDonald's, Pizza Hut, 7-Eleven, and Subway. 

5 Franchising Success Stories to Inspire You

Here at Eden Exchange, we love to share success stories with our readers. We want to give you inspiration and the push you need to become an entrepreneur, business owner, or franchisee.

Below are five inspiring stories of success from Australian franchises to help inspire your franchising journey.

Roll’d

Roll’d began in 2012 with three co-founders and a passion for real Vietnamese food. With a determination to serve real, family food–not the commercial kind, but the type that celebrates Vietnamese heritage and shows off the culinary skills of the culture–the franchise now includes over 125 stores across Australia.

During the pandemic, unlike many other franchises and smaller businesses, Roll’d thrived. They managed to switch up their offering, ensuring people could still get their hands on the incredible Vietnamese food they offered by enhancing their takeaway and Grab n Go offerings. 

On top of this, they have recently launched a range of pantry items, including traditional Vietnamese sauces, vermicelli noodles, and Roll’d branded rice paper, as well as announced drone delivery and a new drive-thru concept.

The success that Roll’d has had isn’t even close to being over, either. With plans set for store launches in the US to begin their international roll-out, the franchise is on the way to having global success from its relatively humble beginnings right here in Australia.

For potential franchisees or franchisors looking for inspiration, Roll’d’s story is one to learn from. Fast food is a common area for franchises, and the team at Roll’d has taken the concept and run with it.

Urban Clean

Urban Clean is a franchise close to our hearts at Eden Exchange. As a franchisor, they’re not only committed to excellence in their customer relations, but they also want to empower their franchisees and grow together with them.

Franchisors are expected to guide and train franchisees, and for Urban Clean, this is a huge part of their business strategy. After winning an initial value of cleaning contracts, Urban Clean is committed to helping franchisees grow these accounts and expand their client base.

The franchise also offers training resources, regular coaching, workshops, accounts management, field support, and more to their franchisees. Many Urban Clean franchisees have discussed the ability to grow with the franchise and develop their own careers by becoming franchisees.

Though many franchises have struggled through economic downturns and the recent pandemic, the commercial cleaning business is a pretty steady industry. Urban Clean knows this and uses its tried-and-tested business model to ensure that each franchisee has stability and security in their business.

The franchise itself was born out of the idea that franchisees are business owners first. They looked into what aspects of the industry weren’t being done well and ensured that Urban Clean did them well. 

The model operates slightly differently from other franchise models, meaning that while master franchises have location-specific work, unit franchisees under these master umbrellas operate closely, sometimes even in the same building. While this seems odd for many franchises, the idea is to avoid blocking unit franchisees from quality contracts.

The tiered system of franchising and the lack of regional segmentation shows how Urban Clean took the franchise model and tweaked it to fit their industry and their goals.

Gutter-Vac

Gutter-Vac is a successful Australian franchise that started with a need for a manual gutter cleaning alternative. With the influx of redback spiders, a lack of on-site caretakers, and biohazards being disposed of on roofs, the need to avoid cleaning gutters by hand sparked the flame that became Gutter-Vac.

After having his own plumbing business previous to the Gutter-Vac franchise, Warren Ballantyne, the founder, owner, and managing director of Gutter-Vac chose to use all the mistakes that had been made in the previous business to make the next one a success. 

Ballantyne is a proud franchisor and truly believes the best way to do small business is to become a franchise. While he admits it is a long process, he still believes it is entirely worth it. Selling its first franchise in 2000, Gutter-Vac has gone on to do great things in its time.

Support for Gutter-Vac franchisees is second to none, and with exceptionally low running costs, franchisees can be very successful operating within the Gutter-Vac family.

As a potential franchisee, it is important to notice that, once again, this business model differs slightly from other well-known franchises. For example, with no location or products needed, franchisees don’t need a physical location to operate from. If your small business operates similarly, you can look to Gutter-Vac as an inspiration for your own franchise.

The Cheesecake Shop

The Cheesecake Shop began in 1991 with one store in Rozelle, a Sydney suburb. Today, more than 225 shops exist across Australia and New Zealand. Almost all of these locations are operated by franchisees, and the brand is synonymous with high-quality, hand-crafted cakes.

Over the years, the brand has won awards for its franchising system, has undergone brand overhauls, and has modernised to enhance and maintain quality standards across its many locations.

The Cheesecake Shop is one of the most dominant brands in Australia's cake and desserts to-go industry. It stands in a relatively unique position of being the only real maker of homemade cakes and desserts that you can take home.

The franchise is obviously scalable, having gone from 1 shop to over 225 across two countries, and the franchisees love it so much that many own more than one store in their region. The satisfaction levels are high among their franchisees, and they earn good profits.

As a well-known brand, this kind of franchise is perfect for potential franchisees looking to benefit from the brand recognition of the franchisor. The Cheesecake Shop, like many of the franchises in this list, is all about celebrating and supporting franchisees while still operating on a customer-first basis.

As an Australian, it's likely hard not to know of The Cheesecake Shop, and this franchising story is truly inspirational for those looking to build a franchise from a small, family-owned business.

The Touch Up Guys

The Touch Up Guys is an Australian franchise that works in the automotive industry. As an industry set to thrive in the coming years, franchisees who get in early can reap the rewards of the fortunes of the automotive industry.

Repair demands in the automotive industry are common and recur frequently enough that franchisees always have business. Franchisees at the Touch Up Guys will not only learn new skills in automotive repairs but will also see their business grow.

The Touch Up Guys inspire us for a few reasons, but first and foremost, it is because of the way they take care of their franchisees. They commit to ensuring that the business is sustainable for new franchisees first so that no one goes in blind and everyone can reap the benefits.

The business is family-founded and has more than 30 years of experience. The training team that works with franchisees across the country are dedicated and keeps abreast of all the changes in their industry niche. This means that franchisees will always have the most up-to-date training available. In addition, the recognisable brand name and expected high quality of the work done by The Touch Up Guys means that newcomers to the industry are unlikely to surpass this franchise.

For those with automotive interests or experience looking for a progressive franchisor and a family-like business to join, The Touch Up Guys set a brilliant example!

If you’re interested in becoming a franchisee with The Touch Up Guys, Eden Exchange is proud to work with them, and we offer opportunities to do so on our platform.

Is Franchising Right For You?

If you’ve gotten to the end of these inspirational stories, you might be wondering whether the franchise model is right for you. Below, we’ve got checklists to help you decide whether the franchising system is right for you.

Is Being a Franchisee Right for Me?

Ask yourself the questions below, and if the answer is yes, being a franchisee might be right for you.

• Do you want the opportunity to own your own business but with the support of a franchisor to help guide you on this new journey?
• Do you want training and support already available for new employees?
• Do you want to benefit from the brand recognition from a bigger and more well-known company? Do you want to avoid doing the marketing yourself?
• Do you have the cash for the initial investment into a franchise?
• Do you have leadership skills you want to put to the test?

Is Being a Franchisor Right for Me?

Below are the questions you should ask yourself if you’re considering turning your business into a franchise.

• Do you own a small business and think it has the potential to become a nationwide brand?
• Do you want to help others become business owners?
• Do you have a scalable business or service?
• Do you have a proven business model that is already working well?
• Do you have the capacity to standardise your processes and production?
• Do you have a strong brand identity that has the potential to be recognised nationwide?

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, we need to understand how others did it before we can decide whether we should, which is why we love sharing success stories. The stories we’ve looked at today cover a wide range of industries and different franchise models, but all have found success in the Australian market and abroad.

Use these stories for inspiration and guidance on your franchising journey to ensure you make a success of the whole thing.

If you’re looking to become a franchisee or you want to find franchisees for your business, then Eden Exchange can help. We’re your one-stop shop for all things franchise. We can help you list your business, seek out qualified leads, and take on the people who will make your franchise run as smoothly as possible.

Check out our DealXchange platform today to find out more.

Who we are

Eden Exchange is an integrated multi-channel platform, simplifying business buying and selling. We match, refer and connect business buyers, sellers & brokers in an ecosystem that facilitates frictionless franchise, business and finance transactions. Visit www.EdenExchange.com and connect with our engaged and multidimensional transaction network today.