LEADERSHIP
MEGA ANNIVERSARY Fixing leaky showers and balconies has been bread and butter for Megasealed for 25 years.
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hirty-three franchises undertake more than 18,000 jobs each year fixing Aussies’ leaking showers and balconies – and they can boast a 98 per cent satisfaction rate amongst both household and commercial customers. Franchises operate territories across NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia under the Megasealed banner. Yet the business has only been franchising for a few years, founder Jacques Courtin tells Inside Franchise Business. “Franchising is very important. I used to have about 185 people working for me and five call centres. I wanted to slow down. I completed a franchise diploma and decided to franchise five years ago: 80 per cent of the business was sold to employees. They knew the clientele, how to run the business, so for me it was a low-risk option.” Jacques already had the formula and the business became stronger and bigger with franchise expansion. Like many successful business ideas, Megasealed came about because Jacques could see a real need for a particular service – and he provided it. “As a builder, I was looking at how could we repair leaking showers, building and balcony renovations we were demolishing. Much of the work could have been repaired without removing tiles,” Jacques reveals. “Most of the time we were fixing bathrooms only one year old.” The issue was always the grout, silicone and poor sealants that had been used. So he developed an epoxy product that doesn’t require any downtime so the shower could be used the next day. “Clients loved it. Property management
firms and builders were very happy,” he says. He started out marketing to his target customer: builders, property management, and building inspectors. “Marketing is the fuel of the engine today and it has been the most important part of growing the brand,” he says. The job was quoted over the phone and a technician would deliver the service.
“It worked very well in Sydney, so I decided to go to Melbourne and build that up; I put management in Sydney. Then I developed Queensland, and then Perth.” As the business footprint has grown, its commitment to product and service innovation has remained steady. There are now comprehensive solutions for tile re-grouting, waterproofing and anti-slip safety.
NOV/JAN 2021-2022 | 24 | WWW.FRANCHISEBUSINESS.COM.AU