There are more ways than one to establish a franchise and give it the greatest chance of success for a franchise partner. Mark Watkins, founder of the Lounge Repair Guys is doing something a bit different, and putting in serious time and effort to make it happen!

A mobile repair business, Lounge Repair Guys cover a whole range of repairs from commercial furniture, leather lounges, to major retailer warranty repairs, accidental warranty repairs and more. The business was founded by Mark Watkins on the Gold Coast.

Canberra - so much more than politics!

Headquartered in South East Queensland, Mark and the business has set its sights further afield.

“Our franchise model and systems proved excellent in QLD and NSW and our major clients / retailers wanted to bring this to the ACT and duplicate the quality furniture repair business to service their needs.

I wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip, so I decided to work in the region myself to build a solid and loyal customer / client base to pass on directly to a brand new franchise partner.”

The success of Lounge Repair Guys is grounded in good relationships. Mark says, “It’s all about being personable. Also the systems and procedures we have in place ensures quality service that is sought after by everyday customers as well as national retailers. A great mix."

Not only does Mark’s unique model instil confidence in multinational clients, it sets a new franchise partner up for immediate success, and that Canberra territory is the ideal demonstration of this in action. As Mark says, “They’ll be earning money from day one.” 

In fact, to make sure that happens, Mark has been servicing Canberra over several weeks in a row now, working three days flat out. All this to grow the territory serving clients, so it can be handed to a brand new franchise partner with existing customers.

And, he is going so far as to show his daily sales takings by-each job on territory in Canberra to demonstrate this.

“And we’re not planning to stop at Canberra either. We’re looking at other territories to do exactly the same in as well, which will always be guided by manufacturer and retailer demand”.

Where it all started

Mark was inspired by his father, a traditional upholsterer back in the UK, who also transitioned into furniture repairs.  

When Mark moved to Australia, he joined Nick Scali as a service technician. He started branching out doing repairs as a sole trader and by the age of 30, started Lounge Repair Guys. From day one there was never a shortage of work. 

A hands-on, supportive Director and Franchisor, Mark not only likes to stay close to his franchise partners, but he also puts time in maintaining relationships with the multinational companies and furniture retailers serviced within the business. 

Importantly, according to Mark, there is a big difference between his franchise model and others. He wants to enable success and set up a successful customer model before even bringing on new franchise partners, and he’s putting in some effort to do that!

To find out more about Lounge Repair Guys click HERE.