From a single pizza store franchise, to four (4) PACK & SEND franchises in the booming freight and logistics industry, Johnny Tao is quite the story!

Johnny Tao is a hard working man who grew up in China before deciding to move to Australia at 24 to study finance at Macquarie University. One Bachelor degree and a Masters later, he then expanded his expertise in accounting in the workforce.

2 years later Johnny started a family with his wife Kiki. They now have 2 children, Michael (12) and Lana (11). As a result, financial security and flexibility became increasingly important and so he researched the benefits of starting his own business.

Starting with a fast food franchise

Johnny purchased a new territory from Domino’s Pizza and went about setting up a brand new store. For two years, he worked hard on the business.

“I worked crazy hours. The store had to be open every single day, except for Christmas. We were working from 10am-1am.”

With a young family, he found it difficult to maintain balance. He was missing his wife and kids and decided it wasn’t the right decision to continue, leading Johnny to sell his Domino’s Pizza store. 

 It was clear that the guiding path forward was around finding a business with ‘normal office working hours, so that was where his research was focused.

Inspired at home

Research is everything, according to Johnny, and his own research is how he ended up becoming a part of the PACK & SEND business as a (now) multi-site franchise owner.

“I did my research thoroughly. Freight is an essential service everywhere. Nobody can live without it. And the operating hours were far better”.

Johnny is inspired most by news and online research. 

“If there’s anything I want to know I do it myself. I dive into it and research until I have all the information I need. I don’t have a business mentor, however I discuss everything with my wife. Happy wife, happy life!”

The booming freight industry

Unquestionably, freight is one core industry that has boomed throughout COVID. Johnny’s entry into the PACK & SEND business was so successful he quickly hired more staff.

“We realised it was a very good chance to expand our business because we had the resources and a good foundation with systems to expand. So I quickly locked in a second store.” 

Johnny’s businesses (of which there are now 4) were all opened through COVID lockdowns. 

Especially with the standard postal systems under pressure, PACK & SEND became even more important to customers.

Business success principles

Johnny knew that his studies would set him up for success with his own business.

He said, “Accounting is very helpful. If you want to succeed in your own business, you have to know accounting. Otherwise, it's very difficult to manage the finances.”

While this mightn’t be essential for all business owners, the skills in accounting have provided Johnny and his team a sound foundation for financial success.

“If you want to run a business, do your research. Make sure you're interested in the industry. Don't just aim for the money. I also suggest everyone works for a big corporate to get some experience before you get into a franchise system.” 

According to Johnny, you don’t have a good business unless you have a good team.

“I'm just trying to build a very strong team. I've got four teams and over 15 staff right now.  

A happy team is important.

We work hard to provide a very good working environment for our staff, making sure everyone's happy in their position. I’m always visiting the stores. COVID is very difficult for everyone. We always keep a very close eye on them.”

Systems and support

Johnny speaks highly of the support from the PACK & SEND franchise group. The online systems are set so that everything can be managed remotely and in addition they host training sessions periodically.

What’s more, Johnny has been lucky with his Kings Cross store to maintain a relationship with the previous owner who in fact now works for him in the store. Johnny says that maintaining that great level of knowledge and IP has been invaluable to taking over that business and a point to note for any new owner.

As for what’s next for Johnny? He is looking at opening a warehouse office space as a business hub, so they can service more businesses and keep growing.

Interested in a what a PACK & SEND business is all about?

To speak with them about their business, click HERE.