5 minute read
THE RIGHT APPROACH
Heritage Homes franchise highly rewarding for professional couple
Kat Jones has a communications degree, a background in advertising, and four children aged 6-12. Oh, and she has just project-managed the building of a 580 sqm home in Mangawhai for one of her clients. Kat and her husband Hayden own the Heritage Homes Kaipara franchise, and it clearly suits her down to the ground.
‘This is a role that’s ideal for people with a young family like us,’ she says. ‘You have complete autonomy over your time, can schedule meetings between 9am and 2pm so you can do the school runs, watch the cross country, don’t need to be tied to a desk, and meet new clients at a time that suits you both. I love meeting people and am a problem solver by nature, so sales and project management are perfect for me.’
So how did Kat get from marketing to managing the building of the timeless, classic-style houses for which Heritage Homes has become famous?
‘I took a break from my career, to have the family, and then Hayden wanted to spend more time with the kids so he escaped his big corporate job and we moved up to Ruakaka Beach. That’s where we met John Mitchell, whose father had founded Heritage Homes, and he recruited Hayden as GM for the company. Once the younger kids were in pre-school, I started looking around and Hayden said, “Why don’t you come and do marketing for Heritage?” I loved it, learned a lot, and pretty soon we took on the franchise.’
Caring about craftsmanship
Heritage Homes uses sustainable technology to create modern homes to the latest specifications which retain the stunning look of classic, timeless designs. Founded by a fourth-generation master builder, the company has built an enviable and award-winning reputation for quality over the last 20 years, with 5 licensees already in place. Due to demand, the company is now looking for franchisees in prime locations throughout the country, with immediate opportunities in Waikato North and South, Manawatu, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.
Heritage Homes’ unique point of difference means that it hasn’t suffered the economic disruption that many mainstream builders have gone through recently. ‘Our homes attract higher spend clients who want to invest in their dream home or forever home, and have the money to do it,’ explains Kat. ‘In fact, we’ve seen enquiry levels increasing. We get developers approaching us because they know we do a quality build and don’t cut corners, and showhome investors too who don’t mind where in the country they go because they know a Heritage Home will be a good investment in a couple of years.
‘We don’t struggle to find contractors or tradesmen either, because they enjoy working on a Heritage Home – there’s an element of craftsmanship that attracts people who really care about their work, so we’ve found we tend to use the same teams on each job. That builds in reliability and trust.’
Pride and enthusiasm
So how did Kat learn to be a project manager? ‘Heritage Homes franchisees all have access to a range of popular designs and custom-build expertise, with management systems and software to support them through the whole building process. That makes it quite straightforward. I shadowed Hayden on our first few jobs a couple of years ago, and gradually took on more responsibility.
‘This is a great business for a professional couple. I handle all the initial enquiries – most of which are led by women – and then use the systems to take them through to site-specific plans. Hayden prices the plans, and then either of us can take on the project management from there depending on our workload.
‘There’s fantastic support from John, too, who is a great mentor and really cares about the quality of each build and making clients happy – he visits every one he can, in person. And we also have preferred suppliers nationally, with discounts and support to enhance profitability and supply.’
Having handed over the Mangawhai build to its proud new owners just the week before, Kat’s pride and enthusiasm in her franchise is obvious. ‘I love what we do, and it’s been a great success for us. The systems and mentoring mean that you don’t need a building background – just the ability to manage multiple projects with all the personal contact, sales, scheduling and administration that involves.’
An affordable route into business
Heritage Homes is keen to talk to people who are interested in building their own business in most parts of New Zealand. ‘The total initial investment has been kept low, at around $50,000, which includes the exclusive territory fee, training, launch marketing and everything you need to get going,’ says Hayden. ‘Show home investors can make it a very affordable way to get into your own business.
‘We are the only franchise combining traditional building designs and modern building techniques, so this is a rare opportunity to enter a highly-profitable part of the home building market under the mentorship of industry leaders with decades of experience.
‘If you have high standards, are friendly, motivated and, above all, want to create homes that you can be truly proud of, contact our broker, Nicola Bow, and learn more about the Heritage Homes opportunity.’
Advertiser Info
Heritage Homes
Contact Nicola Bow
M 022 194 8747
nicola@firstfranchise.co.nz
