Rich Pickings

Jamie Parker: ‘Provender is incredibly rewarding’

Provender franchisees enjoy a flexible lifestyle as their machines make money 24/7

Full-on, family-friendly and incredibly rewarding.’ That’s how Jamie and Linda Parker describe their Provender franchise.

Stretching from a timber processing plant just north of Napier to a meat processors 60 kilometres south of Hastings, their territory covers a fabulous part of the country – one that Jamie is very familiar with. Over the last 12 years he has worked hard and worked smart to become one of Provender’s most successful franchisees, earning himself and his family an enviable Hawkes Bay lifestyle in the process.

And the journey to success has indeed been a family affair. While Jamie is the face of the company, Linda, who is also a local police officer, plays an important role behind the scenes managing admin for the business. 14-year old son Albert also helps by packing the van every morning before he heads off to school.

Home-based, minimal overheads, no debts

Provender is New Zealand’s leading refreshment vending franchise. Originating back in 1991 with honesty snack boxes, today the franchise operates highly-sophisticated food vending, hot and cold drink, and coffee machines in workplaces around the country (as well as the honour vending boxes, which are ideal for small businesses). In many cases, the locations work 24/7 – but franchisees don’t. The result is a home-based business with minimal overheads and no bad debts that can consistently earn established franchisees like Jamie a substantial six-figure income.

Franchisees select high-traffic locations and re-stock the machines with a range of snacks, healthy foods, confectionery and drinks, and are not tied to any one food or drink manufacturer. Group buying power means that each franchisee can enjoy a healthy margin on some of the country’s most popular food and beverage brands.

It’s about people

Jamie is under no illusion as to why his Hawkes Bay franchise has enjoyed such success. ‘You have to work at it consistently, and build up those all-important customer relationships,’ he says.

‘I love the variation of businesses I service, from government departments to meat-works and bottling plants, hospitals, correction facilities and gyms. My contacts range from small business owners to the CEOs of very large companies. I often feel a bit like a people magnet, as people are attracted by the sight of somebody opening up a machine to re-stock it. Chatting to them each visit and getting to know them is absolutely vital – over time, your customers will not only become loyal, but become your friends and recommend your service to others.’

Finding new locations has never been an issue for Jamie. ‘It’s not rocket science,’ he says. Business growth happens as a result of word-of-mouth recommendation, a contact phone number stuck on every machine, the occasional cold call when Jamie sees a new business or factory opening, or a lead from the Provender franchise support team.

‘After that, it’s a matter of getting the new machine installed and then servicing it regularly, trying different mixes of products until you find the combination that best suits the customers in that location.

‘You don’t need to be super-smart to succeed at this – you just need a can-do attitude and a reasonably outgoing personality. If you’ve got those, then you should do well.’

Making it easy

Despite the turmoil caused by Covid-19 – which Jamie welcomed as ‘a chance to take a small break’ – 2020 turned out to be ‘insanely busy’. He attributes his revenue increase to the rising popularity of cardbased cashless payments, including tap & go: around 70 percent of his machines are equipped with the technology, and the goal is to have that figure up to 100 percent within the next 12 months.

‘Just imagine a busy packhouse with 25 or so young, hungry and thirsty workers,’ says Jamie. ‘Cashless makes it so easy for them to get refreshed.’

Jamie was just 36 when he invested in Provender. He admits he had big ambitions for growing the business, while not knowing quite what to expect. ‘I’d say if you’re looking at buying a Provender franchise, get as many business insights as you can from existing franchisees. If you work to build it up, you’ll find it generates a strong income.

It’s also flexible. ‘These days, I mostly work mornings, which gives me the afternoons to do other things, and we often head out of town for long weekends, too. Another bonus – in all the time we’ve had this business, we can’t remember missing any of the kids’ school events.’

New Zealand-wide opportunities

Provender’s support network provides the training, tools, advice and motivation needed to succeed as a franchisee. Franchisor Philip Horrocks says that Jamie has taken the opportunity and run with it to create a great income and a great lifestyle.

‘We have opportunities for others to do the same, with both new and existing businesses available as some long-standing franchisees prepare to retire. Established opportunities with immediate cashflow exist in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Taranaki, Marlborough, Oamaru, Central Otago and Dunedin, with investment ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. Start-up franchises are Advertiser Info available in most main centres from $100,000, including new cashlessenabled machines.

‘This is an opportunity for anyone who enjoys success, likes meeting people and being active. Contact me now to find out more.’

Advertisor Info

Provender

Contact Philip Horrocks

P 0800 661 663 M 0800 955 965

philip@provender.co.nz

www.provender.co.nz