DREAM CATCHER

A big dream starts with a cup of coffee for this ambitious franchisee and family man. DREAM CATCHER

AA 10 year stint in retail, 12-hour days, sometimes seven days a week, was beginning to take its toll on South African Werner van Heerden. Jumping at the opportunity to leave behind the restrictions of the job, Werner moved to Indonesia before he and his wife decided to settle in Australia.

That was the catalyst for Werner to decide to do something for himself. So he took a business management course and started looking for work.

One of the rules of engagement that Werner imposed on himself was a five-day working week that would give him weekends off.

And proving that sometimes who you know really does count, he came across a business opportunity that was going to set him on the path to achieving his dream.

“I discovered Xpresso Mobile through friends of friends of friends,” he explains. “At the time I was researching the benefits of buying a franchise or setting up my own business. I know about business but it’s done a little bit differently here in Australia, so buying a franchise made sense to me.”

Werner was looking for more daily variety, too.

“In the retail industry I felt I was stuck in one place, either an office or a store, so I was looking for a mobile business.”

And to top it off, Werner admits to being a real people person.

“I love interacting with people, and this franchise gives me the opportunity to interact with a lot of people the whole day.”

He has been his own boss for just over two years now, and is fulfilling his dream of gaining more family time.

“We are blessed to have three children, aged four, two and seven months. They keep us up at night, it’s full on at the moment, but this business works nicely as I start quite early. I start at 6 am and I am home at the latest by 2 pm. All my admin is done by 3 pm, and then the afternoons are very open to spend time with the kids.” He’s even managed to find a way around the big challenge for all one-man businesses – taking a holiday.

Werner van Heerden

“It is difficult because if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. But most of my customers take holidays over the Christmas period and I take about three weeks off then.”

FRANCHISING DELIVERS FLEXIBILITY

Werner is loving the opportunities provided by operating an Xpresso Mobile Café business. “I can choose my own hours, when I want to work, it’s much more flexible than working for a manager or a CEO.”

He’s a big fan of the support that’s provided by the franchisor, too. “If there are any problems, the solutions have already been thought of, so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, I can lean on them,” he explains.

And he’s ambitious to keep developing his business skills and build a bigger future for the family.

“My ultimate dream is where I can establish a business where all family members can be involved in some way. That’s the main goal. The goal will be not just one franchise but several businesses that interact with each other.

“Xpresso Mobile Café is a stepping stone, it’s helped me so much. But I want to grow. I want to have my own franchise. I’m planning to expand my empire slowly. You have to dream big.” n

What the franchisor says… “Werner's passion is his family. He uses our business model to be able to fulfill his dream of spending more time with his young family. He's passionate about the brand, is a great operator but, again, uses the model to generate an income com- mensurate with the effort he puts in and still gets home by 2pm to put his ‘dad’ hat on.”

Jonathan Payne, Xpresso Mobile Café

Three reasons to choose Xpresso Mobile Café 1. Work the hours you want; no mandatory weekends 2. Get on the road; you’re not stuck in an office or retail store 3. Spend time engaging with customers, not overloaded with administration