Jim’s Franchising with Jim Penman, who is the Founder of Jim’s Group, which now has nearly 5,000 Franchisees. He started a part-time gardening business while earning his PhD in history at Latrobe University. He launched a full-time mowing business in 1982 with a $24 investment. In 1989 he franchised his business, and since then Jim’s Group has become the largest franchise chain in Australia and the largest and best-known lawn mowing business in the world. Jim’s Cleaning was launched in 1994, followed by more than 40 other divisions which now operate in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Jim says the key to success in franchising is an overriding concern for the welfare of franchisees, and constant improvement in customer service. He is still actively involved in the running of the business. Every Franchisee is given his direct phone number and Email address and is invited to contact him at any time. He also responds to any client with a serious complaint. He is funding a research program into the epigenetics of social behaviour, a continuation of his PhD work, which he believes could help in the treatment of mental illness and addictive disorders. His books ‘Biohistory’, ‘Epigenetics and Character’, and ‘Every Customer a Fan’ are available on Amazon and from www.jims.net. An authorised biography ‘Jim’s Book’ by Catherine Moolenschot, was released by Wiley in March 2019. He helps people build successful lifestyle businesses with nearly 5,000 franchisees and counting! We talk about the benefits of franchising, the importance of training and growth, how to leverage our resources, increasing our energy with health and fitness, plus much more!
