"At Worldwide Online Printing, it's not about print and it's not about franchising, it's about the business of being in business," says CEO Mark Manderson.

 

For three of Worldwide Online Printing's top women franchisees - who together generated over three million dollars of design and print revenues last year - it's about juggling the usual everyday challenges of customers, sales, marketing, HR, finance and operations - but in an environment where you know you're not going to encounter a problem which hasn't already been solved by someone else.

 

With two successful Western Australian Worldwide Online Printing (WOP) franchises already under her belt, 31 year old Lisa Stephenson drew from her eight years as a creative powerhouse in the advertising game for an insight into the crucial role which customer service plays in the business mix - and how it can make the difference between a good franchise business and a great one.

 

"However many times it crops up in cheesy sales conference packs, you can't get away from the salient fact that people buy people first," she said. "Winning and retaining customers reflects how effectively you can devise an outcome which is the best one for them - and then deliver it in a compelling way."

 

WOP's hub and spoke operating model means that Lisa has access to $10 million of the latest technology to assist her. The network has production hubs on the east and west coasts of Australia that operate around the clock to meet demand.

 

Over 70 staff are employed at the hubs including technical experts in software applications for the printing industry, highly experienced pre-press, press and finishing staff and highly experienced production and dispatch managers.

 

"The business world is a lonely place, and it's tremendously reassuring to know that, as a franchisee, you're among friends who have already come across your challenges," says Lisa.

 

"Franchising as a business model offers women huge advantages over the traditional employer/employee workplace model because it also neatly sidesteps any remnants of the 'glass ceiling' growth restriction myth.

 

"Instead, it offers a very reassuring support structure while we get on with the business of being in business. There was initial scepticism - mainly fuelled by surprise among customers when they were confronted by a young woman in what they still perceive as a messy and aggressive male-dominated working environment. But they soon got over it."

 

 

 

In NSW's North Ryde WOP franchisee, Kate Richards also lacks the fear gene - a quality she remembers drawing upon when a Japanese machinery supplier called to see her for the first time.

 

"The look on his face when he turned up was priceless, but he soon realized he was talking to an engineer who understood his technology,"she said. "Given that his culture isn't exactly best-known for its ability to accept women in meaningful roles, I was quick to show respect, and acknowledge the areas where I needed his guidance. Being the buyer also helped!

 

"At the end of the day, franchising confers upon your business instant credibility and respect - which means you have much more time to channel your energies into managing customer expectations and helping your team to grow while also keeping life's other everyday challenges under control. In essence, multi-tasking". But let's not go there!

 

"It's also about accepting that while business life is laced with emotion, it's important to know when to show it and when to rein it in. After all, most workplace decisions are made in order to further a company or a product, not as personal attacks. Where women often get into trouble is when they become unsure of how to handle such emotional situations. An intense fear that they'll come across as a bit 'too emotional' doesn't help.

 

"We need to stop thinking in terms of 'I shouldn't care so much', and start focusing on how to process strong emotional reactions and move on with the job at hand. Too many business women dwell on how disappointed they may feel if they fail. They forget that they're doomed anyway if they don't even try."

 

Few WOP franchisees have seen the industry driven through as much change as Stephanie Walls; who runs the network's Hamilton centre in Queensland. With 15 years in print under her belt, she puts success down to drive - and the confidence to accept that, ironically, experience doesn't count for quite as much in franchising.

 

"When you're sat behind the name and reputation of a major franchise group, you're seen as part of the corporate whole - which is a double-edged sword,"she explained. "On one hand, there's a huge sense of security, but on the other it's harder to establish differentiation for your own personal culture and business beliefs."

 

Unlike the 6,200 cottage-style businesses that are currently operating in the highly fragmented print industry, a WOP franchise has meant that Stephanie hasn't had to make a huge capital investment in printing equipment and the hubs bring economies of scale in production and supply.

 

 

The productivity gains are clear and Stephanie has successfully mixed her corporate and personal identity, "The trick is to dive into the network's vast repositories of skills and experience when you've a problem or need clarity on an issue - but also use that layer of protection to develop personally and professionally so that you can foster and grow your own identity."

 

With ambitions to double the size of his rapidly growing franchise, Manderson is looking for more entrepreneurs like Lisa, Kate and Stephanie, growing their own financial success with his business system.

 

For Manderson, old-school perceptions about women and about franchising are history. "Success is all about having a mind-set and a corporate culture that creates a slick, admirable and profitable commercial enterprise.

 

"Tomorrow's business leaders are today's 30-something wannabe entrepreneurs, bright people with great ideas, wanting to turn their dreams into dollars. In fact all they usually lack is a proven system or infrastructure."

 

His network of 80 Australian franchisees delivered over 150,000 design and print jobs involving over 120 million items last year. They ranged from entire corporate identity portfolios and training manuals, to business cards and fridge magnets. His hub and spoke production model delivers 98% of its offset and digital jobs on time with a return rate of less than 1%.

 

WOP, established in Perth in 1994, has an annual turnover about $60 million. It was listed in Australia's FAST 100 companies by BRW magazine in 2003 and each year since then has continued to be named one of Australia's fastest growing print franchises.

 

Manderson is fostering a 'Worldwide Means World Class' culture to continue the growth and to plot a new entrepreneurial path for existing and new franchisees through the $8 billion print market.

 

"Sure, it's tough and it's not for the faint-hearted. And neither is it the place for anyone without determination, an achiever's edge and the motivation to succeed,"he claims. "But for everyone who comes to us with those vital assets, this is the right time and place to generate considerable wealth."

 

Download PDF: Behind Every Successful Man

 

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