Nathan Hornby has spent 15 years in franchising and is now Head of Franchising at Plumbing Bros, one of Australia's fastest-growing trades franchise networks.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Nathan explains how Plumbing Bros has built a scalable trades franchise model by doing something most people don't expect — recruiting business-minded franchise partners rather than just skilled plumbers.

Recorded at the Franchise Industry Awards Forum Day in Brisbane, Nathan shares the disciplined systems behind the business, including the weekly reporting framework implemented by CEO and co-founder James from day one, the three-word approach of prioritisation, organisation and delegation, and why achieving record revenue does not always mean a business is financially healthy.

Nathan also explores the importance of cash flow management, financial discipline and business leadership for trades businesses, franchise owners and anyone looking to build a stronger, more sustainable operation.

Episode Highlights

0:00 Welcome and introduction to Nathan Hornby, Head of Franchising at Plumbing Bros 

0:27 How Plumbing Bros built a trades franchise model by recruiting white collar franchise partners 

1:00 Why strong revenue does not always mean a financially healthy business 

2:00 Helping franchise partners understand cash flow through weekly financial reporting 

2:44 Managing cash flow complexity across multiple jobs, payment terms and customer payments 

3:41 Building financial discipline into franchise partner training and ongoing support 

4:48 Why weekly cash flow meetings are critical for franchise business success

5:31 Managing overdue payments while protecting valuable customer relationships 

6:10 The essentials of cash flow forecasting: expected income, supplier payments and timing 

7:15 How invoicing delays can turn 30-day payments into 90-day cash flow problems 

8:09 The three principles behind Plumbing Bros' approach: prioritisation, organisation and delegation 

9:06 How offshore administration and bookkeeping support franchise partner growth 

10:24 The real cash flow challenge: increasing sales or improving business management? 

11:07 Why a diversified customer payment mix creates greater financial stability

11:39 How Plumbing Bros uses proactive cash flow management as a competitive advantage 

12:17 Key takeaways and episode wrap-up

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