Phill and Nicole are the franchise owners of Bedshed, Robina on the Gold Coast.

We spoke with Phill, as Nicole was overseas scouring the globe for their next products on a bedding supplier, factories and expo buying tour. Previously multi-store owners in a different licensed business, they exited that business, and have been with Bedshed for around one year, and this is their story!

Opened the store on the biggest shopping day of the year!

After a lot of preparation, fate would have it that store opening day was Boxing Day 2018. 

"Obviously prior to that we'd done a lot of work with Bedshed and we'd been fitting out the store and all of that...so like everything, when you first start something new, it's exciting but full of nerves."

In pinpointing what has been the stand-out feature of their time in the business so far, and in particular, how they are working with Bedshed HQ, Phil is full of praise for the franchisor.

Level of engagement with Bedshed has exceeded expectations 

"...I think the main thing that has surprised me is probably the level of engagement with Bedshed as a franchisor. That's certainly been a real surprise to me. It's been fantastic. Coming from where I've come from, there wasn't always that level of engagement, so that was quite a surprise. Now it was probably what drew me to the business early on, but it's nice to see that it is actually delivering what was promised..."

As far as the product quality goes, Phill has been equally impressed.

"I think the quality, the sheer quality of the products is phenomenal. The amount of forethought that goes into anything that goes on the Bedshed floor. I had hoped that was the case. But it's so wonderfully refreshing that that is the case."

I think the quality, the sheer quality of the products is phenomenal. The amount of forethought that goes into anything that goes on the Bedshed floor. I had hoped that was the case. But it's so wonderfully refreshing that that is the case. To see that in action.

Initial '5 min' conversation turned into 90 mins...

In what is a bit unusual for many initial enquiries following expressing an interest in a franchise, Phill's initial conversation went much longer than he expected, and this clearly made a lasting impression. 

"I think one of the things from the very first conversation that I had with Bedshed, you know, a five minute conversation turned into probably an hour and a half on the phone where we just kept talking about things that were aligned, in that I wanted to put the customer at the center of everything I did and that would drive my business."

"That I wanted to work with a franchisor that also cared about customers that much, but also one that would engage with the owners within the business for best practice ideas, for ways to do things differently."

Wanting to put their extensive experience into action and benefit from it, Phill was wary of getting involved in a business that was 'stuck in it's ways'.

"...despite being a business that's been around a long time, Bedshed instantly came across as a business that was interested in new ideas. I think that was one of the things that probably attracted them to us, is that we had a lot of experience from our (previous business) and we had a lot of ideas that have worked well that may also then provide some benefit for the greater program."

In Phill's experience in Bedshed, "Everyone listens and communicates openly. Ideas are respected, viewpoints are respected, even if they're vastly different."

What was their previous business?

Prior to Bedshed, Phill and Nicole were licensees with Telstra shops. Well-established in that business, they had 3 locations across 12+years, and describes it as "... a great learning period and I think we made a great success of it."

Of course, compared to what they do now in their Bedshed business, it was very different. 

"...the Telstra environment is lots of people, lots of the time. And so on many occasions you, as much as you hope to give the greatest service you possibly could to those people, the sheer volume necessarily meant that sometimes you couldn't have the depth of conversation that you would like to have. 

"(In Bedshed), you can spend really quality time with the customers and ensure that the average transaction value of that customer, (and) the total solution, is as good as it can be."

A win for customers and the business

Phill is very happy with the quality of product he ranges. The Bedshed business has built it's model around franchise owners being central to the buying and product range decisions.

"...it's a fantastic range of products that absolutely meets the requirements of the customers that we get, that allows us to then be able to put the customer at the centre of the conversation..."

He continues, "...I think at the heart of what we do is getting to know customers and being able to match the absolute best quality product in the market with those customers. So it's a really genuine win-win for both our customers and ourselves as a business."

Having a say in the product range

When we spoke with Phill, Nicole was not at the store as she was on an international trip with other franchise owners and the senior support team to assess and source product.

"She's over in Kuala Lumpur at the moment with many of the franchisees from Bedshed and a lot of the senior team from Bedshed and they'll be doing visits to a number of the facilities over there and also to a number of trade shows..."

The tour will also a visit to China as well and is a key component of the network in that they source exclusive product as well as ensuring that franchise owners are at the heart of the decision making process for what they range in stores. 

"I spoke to her just before we did this and she's having a great time already. (She's with) A great bunch of people and she's already got a couple of great ideas to bring back. "