[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]-How Joel Farmer has gone from a one-man run business to two franchises!
There is nothing more exciting than for us to see our Clever Bunch member‘s businesses grow! To share the excitement, we will be highlighting a different member every month to celebrate their success since working with Basic Bananas. Our first success story comes from Joel Farmer who owns the business 13004 Gardening!
Give us a little background about your business!
I started the business 19 years ago as a sole trader. With a passion for lawn care and garden maintenance it has been built into two franchises with 20+ employees. Our servicing area is Tweed Heads to the Sunshine Coast. We also have a division in Cairns and are hoping to shorten the gap and service all other areas in the state within 18 months.
What are you most proud of in your business? Biggest accomplishment?
It has been a personal journey from being a one-man sole trader on the tools to employing staff. To becoming director and being responsible for multiple staff and having to deal with figures to determine growth, extra staff, etc. This has also become a journey of self-development.
What made you decide to work with Basic Bananas?
I looked at this about 10 years ago before the Internet was a big thing. At that time it wasn‘t viable. Now seems to be the right time to gain knowledge on how the market works on the Internet. Looking at the cost involved gaining information that the Clever Bunch was the most cost-effective and met the business expectations.
It is not always easy to find out this information when you don‘t have a lot of knowledge and can easily be lead astray or given information that is not useful and can‘t be used.
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]What is one thing you have implemented throughout the Clever Bunch that is working really well?
Ontraport – Being able to implement different sequences, from being a new customer gaining a quote or an existing customer that hasn‘t used us for a while. Being able to jolt their memory or spark their interest with the blog posts that we can put into the sequence such as garden care or mulching, it has reaped some benefits. Also being able to add staff sequences to remind them about being safety conscious, for example.
What is the best advice you‘ve ever received?
Eric from the Clever Bunch told me to go and buy a book called ‘Scaling Up by Verne Harnish‘. It has proven to be a resourceful tool and I have gained a lot of information that I can put to use in the day-to-day running of my business.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]If you could give a fellow business owner one tip, what would it be?
Be very clear on your goals or you will never get anywhere. Having them in your head is not always a good idea. You need to have them on paper so you can paint a clear path of where you want to go.
What is your most embarrassing moment as a business owner?
On one job I went to I was offered sexual favors instead of cash as payment. Even went as far as sending me pictures of her. Yikes!
If you could have a Skype call with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Greg Norman – as a golf lover and business owner he is someone that I would love to have a chat with and talk about his path to success and the trials and tribulations of getting there.
How can everyone get in touch with you?
Website: http://13004gardening.com.au/
Twitter: @13004gardening
Instagram: @13004gardening[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]