Mark Mackenzie, Managing Director, The Graffiti Eaters, joined us for a brief chat at the Melbourne Franchising and Business Opportunities Expo, April 2022.

We covered some of the key aspects of the franchise business including the type of people that are best suited, any common misconceptions about the brand or industry, as well as advice or guidance for anyone looking to get into business for themselves, and more…

What is your business?

We're Graffiti Eaters, so we actually specialise in restoring hard surfaces. 

So whether it be graffiti removal, fire damage, cleaning, oil stain extraction, timber tenant stains, timber deck rejuvenation, we clean surfaces, and then we provide protective coating treatments to protect them moving forward. 

So whether there be any graffiti, coatings, epoxy floor, coatings or anti-slip tile coatings.

Where are you located?

Our Head office is in Bundoora in Victoria, and we operate nationally around Australia.

What do you love about the business and what you do?

I think for us, look, it's a passion that we enjoy about being able to help people keep their buildings clean, tidy, and compliant.

We have clients, you know, the phones run hot each day with clients that are distraught because of a spill or an accident or vandalism or a fire or something that's devastated their home or their business, and they're quite distraught.

Even if it's graffiti, it might be personal about them or one of their family members or a work colleague. And we sort of get to go in like a superhero almost, and fix the problem and rectify it for them in quick time.

So it takes a lot of stress and pressures off and you see the relief and people are so appreciative and they love the results that we're able to get for them.

 So it's just, you know, you leave the site feeling good that you've made a valuable contribution to the community.

What do you look for in the right-fit person to be a franchise owner?

Yeah. So look for us, the right type of franchise partner is someone that loves working outdoors because rain or shine were out there. 

You know, our trucks are our office and we've got to love connecting with people. At the end of the day, business is about people.

It's not about fancy trucks and cleaning solutions. It's about human interaction and it's about helping people. 

And for us, it's the, you know, for franchise partners, having that passion and that ability to really master the technology that we have and utilize it to its utmost degree so that they can get the very best results possible.

If we're working, for instance, say, for an insurance company, you know, every surface that we can save that's been damaged by either a paint spill, an oil spill, a fire, whatever it might be, can save that insurance company, you know, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars, and also enable the building to be restored quickly to get the business owner or the homeowner back into it quicker so that their life is not impacted as much.

So it's that passion and that desire to want to help people and use their technology to do that is the key thing that we like to see in franchise partners.

I think now it's about the realistic expectation of what it takes to run a business. You know, I think the great thing about franchising is you're partnering with a franchise store that has certain responsibilities that they're fulfilling, but there's still things that franchise partners need to fulfill. And in the case of our job, you know, it is it's a trade-based business. So it's physical. Where we're out there, we're pulling hoses where it can be up and down ladders, where we're physical in what we do.

What’s a common misconception you believe people have about your brand or niche?

And I suppose some of the biggest misconceptions that a franchise, an incoming franchise partner may have or a prospect is that, you know, I get to drive around in a nice truck and that the money just flows in, you know, and there's so much more to a business than that.

All the support and the system building is all there, but it still requires the individual to make it happen, you know, and particularly sometimes the younger generation coming through that likes to be able to do everything on an app and social media.

You know that's a different environment to what it actually takes to run the business.

What would be your advice for people looking to get into their own business?

Look, I think business is fantastic. I've been involved in family business now for 30-odd years, and it's so rewarding the feeling that you get by able to build and create something, you know, is second to none.

So, you know, if you're an individual who has worked for somebody for a number of years and developed good skills and there's something missing, there's just something that that passion, that drive is just gone or you've never experienced it. 

And you can see other people that are just hustle and bustle and love the thrive of business and excited about what they do.

If you're missing that, then that's where business ownership and franchising is fantastic. 

And I'd highly recommend that you, you know, dig deep, find out, really assess for yourself. What are your strengths, what are your weaknesses? 

What do you like doing? 

What do you not like doing? 

You've got to be honest with yourself. Then get out there and talk to franchisors and be honest with them.

You know? Don't hide anything from them. 

Be honest with them about your your weaknesses and strengths, because it will be a business opportunity out there for you, which will totally hit the mark, provide you the support that you need to be successful, and provide you that raw passion and energy that you'll love being part of business and love seeing what you can do to contribute to your local community.

What is your key focus for the next 12-18 months?

Look, for us, it's all about supporting our existing franchise network. There's obviously still a lot going on in the world. You know, we're still getting through a pandemic, you know, that could still drag on for some time.

Now we're dealing with a, you know, a war with sanctions, which is having an impact worldwide in terms of fuel costs and freight and vehicle supply and a whole heap of things. So, you know, there's plenty of challenges there moving forward that we all will manage through and we'll work through.

So a big thing for us is that support, making sure that we strengthen that alliance. It's currently within their network, but as well as that, we've got many of our corporate clients that are growing and have huge opportunities moving forward to expand their networks.

So, you know, they're all wanting us to come on board for the ride and move into new locations and areas. 

So we need to grow and we need to be able to service those contracts that we have in place with new partners in new areas and locations. So that'll be a big focus for us."