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The Fonz greets customers at the door.
...continued from page 45
Traditional carpets
Modern rugs
Decor pieces
Cushions
Runners
Textiles
SHOWROOM OPEN FOR VIEWING
10am to 4pm the last Sunday of every month
Enjoy our hospitality – no form of sales pressure here! We know rugs...since the 1980s!
ALSO OPEN by APPOINTMENT ~ Call us! •
The Talk of Turkey Carpets
129 Ocean Beach Road, Tairua
07 8649846 or 0216670808
Handpicked
by experts
Phil and
Elly Smith
throughout the store; the window displays
alone are always captivating and an enticement
to step inside.
GROWING THROUGH GUT INSTINCT
AND COMPLEMENTARY SKILLS
But how did they do it? Although it is clear
on talking with the couple that they have drive,
determination and motivation – dare I say it – in
spades, it is nevertheless a challenge to build up a
business from one employing 3 part-timers to one
employing 11 full time staff and 2 contractors.
In Julian and Rachael’s own words “From the
start we made a conscious effort to learn from
the team. We wanted them to know that we
are very grounded people and know how to
get dirty. We would never expect anyone to do
something we could not do ourselves. It was
a fast learning curve, and a lot of the aspects
of the trade were mostly self-taught; we
made our own decisions and went very much
on gut feel”.
One of these gut-feel situations was the
decision to expand from essentially paint,
paper and curtains into flooring and carpeting
when the chance to acquire the store next door
came up. Julian says that “at that point the
business really took off. We rebranded, refitted
and led the charge to become decorating
specialists strong in all categories”.
Having complementary skills and
understanding each other’s strengths and
weaknesses has enabled Julian and Rachael
to work well in business together. Rachael
comments that Julian can take any challenge
and put it together – “he’s flexible, he gets stuff
done” – while she is “a management, a details
person” and runs the team.
“We’re a good balance of head and heart, and
it’s interesting that many of the successful GB
franchise owners are actually husband and
wife teams”. Julian comments that one of their
strengths is that they are both positive in nature
with similar ways of looking at opportunities
and coming to decisions.
“You have to be able to change with the
market, you can never be complacent and you
need to be ethical”. They are also careful to
“make sure that there is a good vibe happening
so customers can enjoy the interaction”. They
are very much team-focussed and say that
“team is like family”. In choosing their staff,
they focus not only on skills but personality and
attitude. “It’s better to upskill someone with the
right attitude”, says Rachael.
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TAKING THE DIVE INTO COMMUNITY
So does this high octane couple ever have
time out from their business? They currently
have a business coach, and one of the areas
they are currently working on is more work-
life balance. “It’s easier now” says Rachael
“because we have competent staff across all
categories we trust to take ownership of the
business while we are away, but it takes a long
time to build to this level”.
During their time in Whitianga they have learned
to dive (“we do have a dinghy” says Julian
with a wry smile). The couple is very much
connected to the community, and Julian is
a volunteer with the Whitianga Fire Brigade,
whom he affectionately regards as ‘family’.
As to future directions it seems unlikely
that this couple will slow down! “A sense of
achievement makes us happy,” says Rachael.
With Rachael now vice chairperson of the local
Business Association and recently appointed
to the Franchise Advisory Council of Guthrie
Bowron – notably the only female on the board
– it looks as though the future is business in
spades for this dedicated couple.
They both laugh when they look back at the
time they first expressed interest in purchasing
the business. Deceived by their extremely
youthful looks (a boyish young man and a slip
of a girl rocking up in shorts and t-shirt) the
marketing agent cautiously warned them that
“there’s a lot involved in buying a business you
know”. The stuff of anecdote!
The store’s Dulux paint ‘Big Chill’
winter theme display from mid-July
“TEAM IS LIKE FAMILY” – Andrea Whitehead, Karmen Hoar,
Steve Hinton, Rachael Lee, Hayley Paillandi, Linda Fraser, Pam
Tarrant-Hoskins, Fonzie Lee & Julian Lee. Absent from the photo
but no less important are: Nathan Goodall, Lesley Yeoman, Dave
Wakelin, Nick Duncan & Patrick Flanagan.