Jason Charles, National Network Development Manager, Clark Rubber, joined us for a brief chat at the Sydney Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo, August 2022.

We covered some of the key aspects of the Clark Pools & Spas mobile franchise business including the type of people that are best suited, any common misconceptions about the brand or industry, as well as what he loves about what he does and more..

What is your business?

“So we have Clark Rubber and as a division of that, we now have Clark Pools & Spas mobile service office located in Melbourne. 

Where are you located?

We have a new office in Hawthorn in Melbourne, but we have stores all over the country. 

What do you love about the business and what you do?

Look, everybody will tell you a story about Clark Rubber as a kid. So it's an iconic brand that's been operating for over 75 years and it's just one of those brands that everybody knows and loves. 

What do you look for in the right-fit person to be a franchise owner, can you describe them?

Yeah, look, we want somebody that's passionate about the brand, somebody that will be a genuine advocate. 

And we want people that are prepared to work hard and work within the system, understanding that they've bought into a system for a reason and understanding also that their actions impact all the other business owners within the system, particularly with the mobile service vans. 

What’s a common misconception you believe people have about your brand or niche?

Everybody thinks there's no work in winter, but the reality is there's plenty of customers out there who want ongoing maintenance 12 months of the year and equipment breaks down. It doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter. So a good operator will find that ongoing work and make sure that that's sustainable throughout 12 months of the year. 

What would your advice or guidance be to people looking to get into their own business?

Hands down, be committed to whatever it is you're doing. If you're going to go in just expecting to make money without working hard, don't waste your time and make sure that it's going to be something you enjoy doing. 

If it's not something you love, then at some point it will become hard work and it will become hard work that you'll regret. And the whole relationship starts to sour. So find something you're passionate about, commit to it 100%, and go and love what you do.

What is your key focus for the next 12-18 months?

We are in a growth phase for our full format retail stores, so we're looking to double our network in the next three years. 

But our mobile service vans offers a huge opportunity for us to grow that network out in all of the gaps within the Australian market. So absolute focus on greenfield growth in in full format and adding a whole heap of vans on the ground throughout the country.”