GLENN KIDDLE: HIRE A HUBBY

Territories • Ashgrove • Kedron

When

you have been in the military for 20 years and the Queensland police for 18, the prospect of following the structure, rules and regulations of a franchise is appealing. That was the case for Glenn Kiddle, who this year was named Most Valuable Franchisee at the Hire a Hubby Franchisee of the Year Awards.

“I’ve gone from green to blue to magenta,” he says of his uniform transitions over the past three decades. “I loved my old job, but I’m 56 and in the Queensland police we can work only until 60.

“I made the decision three years ago: I wasn’t going to wait around until I was 59 then have to find something. I started looking for an alternative.

“For the past 20 years I’ve been renovating and selling houses, tinkering around while I’ve had my other jobs.” He grew up doing just that – tinkering around the garage with his dad. But today those skills are much harder to come by, which appealed to him about the Hire a Hubby business. That and the structure and procedures of a franchise. And the branding.

“For me this is a business, not a job, and the benefits are that I can grow my business, have staff who do what I need, and the business will provide me with an income for as long as I need it.”

Within 12 months of buying the first territory, Kiddle had another opportunity. The neighbouring territory was up for sale, and this, he says, was a chance to “future proof” the business. “I didn’t have to travel. It was the perfect opportunity, and I knew I had to take it while I had the skills and the people.”

The four staff members work across both territories with the business systems being kept separate and independent

P&Ls being produced each month for each territory. This means Kiddle will not need to split up the systems if he decides to sell off one or other.

His role is purely running the overall business, spending two-thirds of his week with suppliers, at client meetings, visiting potential clients and working on projects. The other two days are office-based on admin and producing quotes.

“I’ve taken on an office manager. I found I was working all day then spending five hours in the office after-hours. Then you get tired, and the things you pride yourself on doing properly start to fall through the cracks. Now when I finish at 7pm, I stop.

“I’m happy where we’re at. There is the potential to expand. It’s a growing industry because people don’t have the skills or the knowledge any more, and we’ll only get busier.”

His goal is to cut back on the work and spend more time with his family, allowing his “leading hands” to take a more prominent role.

“We often review what we’re doing. I’m driven and passionate. What’s good about franchising is that everyone has something specific they want to achieve. Everyone has the opportunity to work toward that.”

Business is going so well Kibble expects to have another two staff members by the start of next year, and in time to develop two staffers into management roles, one for each territory.

“The longevity of this brand and system has put me in a place where my age is no longer a concern,” says Kibble. “Monetarily it’s not been an issue from day one. I’ve done very well out of it. It’s hard work, but you’re putting in the work and reaping the rewards of your own work.”