Leap of faith pays off!

After 17 years of watching and helping others make the successful leap into franchising, Jamie McGillivray decided it was time to make a leap of his own.

The husband and father said goodbye to his career at the corporate level with McDonalds and, after much research and discussion, became a franchisee himself with the long-established Clark Rubber chain in 2009.

Now, two years on, Mr McGillivray and his wife Yasmin have two Clark Rubber outlets in Western Australia—one at Mandurah, which opened in March 2009, and the other at nearby Rockingham, which opened at the end of last year.

"You reach the stage in life when you want all your hard work to show fruit for yourself and your family," said Mr McGillivray of his decision to become a franchisee.

Mr McGillivray had a head start on many potential franchisees, having worked his way through the ranks to serve at a corporate and franchise level with one of the world's largest restaurant chains.

"From my time with McDonalds I gained an understanding of how a successful franchise system should work and an idea of what to look for in a franchise," he said.

Despite his experience, Mr McGillivray was aware he didn't have all the answers and embarked on a lengthy research process, researching several franchises and meeting with a number of franchisees before settling on Clark Rubber. His advice to other potential franchisees is to similarly do their homework.

"A lot of people don't realise what a franchise system is all about and whether a particular franchise is right for them before they take the plunge," Mr McGillivray said.

"It's like taking a car for a test drive; you need to ask ‘can I see myself driving this car on the road every day'."

Mr McGillivray said his interest in Clark Rubber's product range and past positive experience with the brand were determining factors in his buying into the franchise.

With his first store flourishing and his second store beginning to follow suit, Mr McGillivray said he had no regrets about his move into franchising but warned the franchising journey was often fraught with challenges.

"Although you've got the stability of a known brand and franchising network behind you, you're also opening the doors of a new store to a whole new customer base," he said.

"It's a steep learning curve and you only get out what you put in."

Clark Rubber is an iconic Australian retailing brand and has been for more than 65 years. We currently have over 75 stores nationally.