Strap yourself in for the ride…

After four years of spending much of his working life travelling interstate for his pharmaceutical career, Steven Giles sought a change of lifestyle that he and his wife could control.

Central to the change of lifestyle for Steven and his wife Debbie a legal secretary, was the decision to own their own business, preferably a franchised one.

“As a family we wanted to spend more time together and decided that a franchised business could deliver the lifestyle we sought after,” said Steven.

“There are so many franchises on the market today but after researching different options we choose Bakers Delight because of the franchise support network and it delivered the best return on investment if managed correctly,” he said.

We purchased North Essendon Bakers Delight in September 2005 and haven’t looked back since,” Steven said.

Steven & Debbie Giles, North Essendon, Vic.

Debbie believes that Bakers Delight’s overall success stems largely via the strong working relationships between franchisees and the sharing of business intelligence. 

“In twelve months of being in the chain, we’re amazed by the support, and training that’s been passed onto us by head office and other franchisees.  No wonder the company has been so successful over 25 years,” she said.

Steven and Debbie were also grateful to be introduced to Henri Camellieri, who owns three Bakers Delight franchises and became a mentor to the two.

“Meeting Henri and observing how he handled 18 – 25 staff per store and how he constantly reinvented himself was invaluable.  He was someone who had already succeeded and he gave my wife and I the confidence to do the same,” Steven said.
 
Steven also relishes the fact that he gets to work with his wife everyday at their North Essendon bakery, although from time to time he needs to remind her of starting times.

“It’s very funny because my wife has a habit of turning up late which is something we’re working on.  I continually tell anyone who wants to listen that the best job in the bakery is the franchisee’s wife!

Steven’s advice to interested franchisees:

“Be positive and passionate about your business, stay calm and above all, strap yourself in for the ride of your life.”

Click here for more information on becoming a Bakers Delight Franchisee

Locals to ride wave of success
with business boom

Business opportunities on the Sunshine Coast are continuing to boom with interstate companies drawn to the region by the opportunity to grow their business in a thriving local economy.

The new Noosa Civic Shopping Centre is a prime new retail centre and Victorian based food franchise Trios has been lured to secure a site, keen to bring its unique offering to the Gold Coast.

Mr David Elia, Trios Managing Director said the company had been scouting Queensland for the right location and the Sunshine Coast was quickly identified as optimal option.

“We have spent considerable time evaluating a number of locations in Queensland and the Sunshine Coast was one of the prime locations due to the continued property development in the region and the ever growing and revolving population,” he said.

“Once we realised the potential in Noosa it was just a matter of finding a site for the store and the new shopping centre offers the right size of 55m² site, it is in the food court and the centre is bound to be popular anchored by large retailers like Big W, Woolworths and 70 specialty shops.”

Trios, the brainchild of brothers Elias, Sam and David Elia is already enjoying immense success in Victoria and New South Wales thanks to its signature product the Laffé Wrap™.

The special wrap based on Lebanese bread that the brothers used to help their Mother make every second Friday because it wasn’t available in supermarkets, has become the lifeblood of a business worth $10 million.

Mr Elia said the company was now interested in hearing from locals keen to go into business and operate a profitable franchise in the heart of the Sunshine Coast. 

“The great benefit of franchising is that you go into business for yourself but not by yourself, full support and training is provided”.

“We did our research and found that Australians eat more than 450 million sandwiches annually and more than a third of the money spent on food in Australia is going towards meals prepared outside the home, so that gives us great scope to own a good portion of the market.

“We have a unique product that answers the needs of a health and taste driven time poor consumer, which is unusual in the fast food game but it is obviously a recipe for success as all of our stores have experienced continual customer growth and increased profit margins.

“We have also set up the Trios Food Group so franchisees have the opportunity to manage multi-site operations if they chose to expand their business. The Sunshine Coast is a thriving centre and once Trios is introduced demand may skyrocket.

“Essentially, anyone who wants an improved lifestyle and has a passion for good health and good food can run a successful Trios franchise,” Mr Elia said.

Mr Elia said franchisees did not need to have food work experience as full training was provided.

“The only prerequisites are passion, good communication and a commitment to healthy living. From what I have seen people on the coast optimise these qualities already, so it should be easy to find the right franchisee.
 
The company has a distinct style with its unique, trendy stores offering over 28 meal options, all of which are unique to Trios and offer an extensive variety of tasty Laffé Wraps TM, hand tossed salads and baked spuds.

In just over three years Trios has experienced great success with 14 stores throughout Australia and the Middle East. The store at Noosa will be the company’s first in Queensland.

Click here for more information on becoming a Trios Franchisee
franchises available nationwide