Family Business

Father-and-son business: Mike and Mason Crawford

Jim’s Test & Tag suits father and son team

There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a very good franchise. It’s doing everything my family and I wanted of it, and I’ve had nothing but excellent support whenever I’ve needed it. It’s money very well spent.’

That’s high praise from Mike Crawford, who has owned his Jim’s Test & Tag franchise since December 2020. After a long career in sales, he and his wife Michelle were looking at a motel business before Covid came along. ‘We pulled out of that, then I ran into an ex-boss who told me her husband was involved with Jim’s Test & Tag in Richmond. It sounded like something I could do, and he put me onto the Nelson/Tahuna franchisee who was wanting to retire.’

Jim’s Test & Tag provides testing and tagging services for electrical equipment, fire extinguishers and first aid equipment in workplaces throughout the country. Much of this equipment, particularly on building sites, needs to be checked every three or six months, while office equipment also needs at least annual testing, all to the relevant standards: AS/NZS3760:2010 or NZS4503:2005. That means a lot of work for franchisees, and a lot of repeat business, too.

No qualifications needed

One thing Jim’s Test & Tag franchisees don’t need is electrical qualifications. The franchise prides itself upon the rigorous training it provides, and the investment of $55,000 +gst covers everything you need except a suitable vehicle, which can be leased.

‘Training used to be carried out in Australia,’ says Mike, ‘but I was in the second batch that completed it in Auckland and my son, Mason, joined me on the 10-day course. He is fully qualified as my “apprentice” and is working full-time in the business with me. If he wants his own franchise eventually, he can do that, too. It’s a real opportunity for a young person to learn about business, and means I have the support I need too – and even the occasional holiday.’ Father-and-son business: Mike and Mason Crawford

Plenty of work

Mike and Mason are certainly being kept busy. ‘There are over 2,000 clients on the database, and a continuous stream of leads generates more work all the time. If you are a “people person”, this is easy to run – the systems for keeping control of your customers’ testing schedules are very good, so you just need to make your customers happy by keeping their businesses safe and keeping the records to give them all the information they need to be compliant with the law.’

Mike and his family have no hesitation in recommending Jim’s Test & Tag to anyone keen to get into business. ‘I did a great deal of research and spoke to all the local franchisees so I knew what to expect. That paid off, and I was able to start with confidence. Despite Covid, the business is paying us well and we can see there’s a lot more to come.’

Advertiser Info

Jim’s Test & Tag

www.jimstestandtag.co.nz

Contact Peter Mahon

P 0800 454 654

info@jimstestandtag.co.nz