Jim's Podcast

Jim's Group
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The Jim’s Podcast is hosted by Joel Kleber, Chief Marketing Officer of the Jim’s Group. Each week, I sit down with the people who make Jim’s what it is. Franchisees, franchisors, and Jim himself. We talk honestly about what it’s really like to build a business inside the Jim’s system. The wins, the surprises, the lessons learned the hard way, and the advice Jim has been sharing with business owners for decades. If you’re researching a Jim’s franchise, these conversations are essential listening. You will also find them valuable if you're looking to start a business or franchise.

  1. 20 hrs ago

    Jim's Bookkeeping - Lloyd Richardson

    bookkepping

    54 min

  2. 5d ago

    How a Jim's Hazmat franchisee did $750k in year two

    One Jim's Hazmat franchisee did $750,000 in revenue in his second year while taking three months off. In this episode Joel sits down with Gary, the Jim's Hazmat franchisor, and Jason, the national franchise manager, to break down what is one of the fastest growing and least understood divisions inside Jim's Group. Gary started six years ago working from a corner of his kitchen and now leads 31 franchisees across the country. Jason walks through the three day induction, the 13 services Hazmat franchisees deliver, and what kind of person succeeds in the role. You will hear the real numbers behind the division, including a $42,000 fire job finished in three days and a $90,000 asbestos job done by a franchisee less than a year into the business. Gary explains why most franchisees pay off their buy-in within six months, how the team coordinates work across franchisees instead of competing, and why he set a goal of 1,000 franchisees. If you want to know what franchise opportunity Joel calls the best kept secret in Jim's Group, start here. 0:00 The $42k and $90k jobs that paid off franchises 0:46 Gary's journey from FIFO worker to Jim's Hazmat 4:19 What Jim's Hazmat actually does 6:17 The 3-day induction and 13-service training 10:16 Six years building from a kitchen corner 13:04 Hoarder cleans and jobs nobody else wants 17:47 Women in Hazmat and partner involvement 19:56 Buy-in costs and 6-month payback 24:20 Why there's no income ceiling in this division 28:00 The $42k fire job and $90k asbestos job 30:31 Hard work, hot conditions, real reward 34:05 Goal of 1,000 franchisees 37:18 Training and support for new franchisees 40:41 Full fees breakdown 41:42 From Audi manager to $750k revenue in year two 45:04 Why this is Jim's Group's best kept secret 49:58 Expanding into New Zealand

    52 min

  3. May 22

    Jim's Handyman NZ - Robert Young: how to recession-proof a trade business in NZ

    Robert Young brought Jim's Building Maintenance and Jim's Handyman to New Zealand five years ago. His teams are now the market leader nationally, booked months out in Wellington and Christchurch while independent builders are calling him asking for work. Robert joins Joel on the Jim's podcast to make the case that property maintenance is the most recession-proof trade business in New Zealand right now, and that owning a customer base of around 1,000 people is the only real protection a tradie has against AI disruption and a flat economy. He has been through five NZ recessions and the pattern is the same each time. The conversation unpacks how the Jim's flat-fee model works versus percentage-based franchise systems that quietly turn franchisees into subcontractors. Robert breaks down how lead fees operate, why the maximum lead fee in NZ is $35, why some franchisees stop taking leads after 18 months, how territory and customer ownership actually work, and why his franchisees charge close to double the rates of independent builders. He also explains the pay-for-work guarantee and why it is rarely claimed. If you are a qualified builder or a seriously handy tradie in New Zealand thinking about your next move, this one is worth your time.

    53 min

  4. May 18

    Jim's Cleaning NZ - The Unserviced Leads Strategy That Built a Top Jim's Cleaning Franchise

    What's the real strategy a top Jim's Cleaning franchisee used to build their business? Not ads. Not leaflets. The unserviced leads report. In this episode Janille, head trainer for Jim's Cleaning New Zealand, sits down with Joel Kleber to break down how she and her husband went from bookkeeper and construction project manager to one of the top Jim's Cleaning franchises in NZ. Within the first few weeks they reduced their incoming leads and started cherrypicking from the unserviced leads report instead. Her husband refreshed it 50 times a day. Every lead got a callback within 30 seconds, before the customer had time to call anyone else. Janille now trains every new Jim's Cleaning franchisee in New Zealand on the same playbook. She covers why "no callbacks" is the service standard top franchisees build around, how one of her clients has sent her 8 referrals, the role real estate agents and property managers play in commercial work, and why "Facebook cleaners" can't compete on quality, insurance or accountability. If you're weighing up a Jim's Cleaning franchise in Australia or New Zealand, start here. 0:00 Janille's first 6 months 1:20 From bookkeeper to Jim's Cleaning 1:50 Reducing leads in month one 2:25 The unserviced leads report explained 3:40 How customers react to the callback 4:25 Building a top franchise in NZ 4:45 The no callbacks service standard 5:45 One client, 8 referrals 6:15 Moving into the head trainer role 7:15 What on-road training covers 9:14 Jim's Cleaning vs Facebook cleaners 11:15 The Jim's enzyme-based products 12:50 Oven cleaning transformations 14:35 What the best franchisees do differently 15:45 Working with real estate agents 16:00 Bimonthly franchisee meetings 16:25 Master one before adding more

    18 min

  5. May 17

    Jim's Mowing - 10 years a franchisee. One check-up changed everything.

    Damian Bush felt fit, coached footy, hit the gym, and weighed 80kg. Then a routine check found his resting heart rate sitting at 137 and he was in emergency heart surgery the next day. Damian has been a Jim's Mowing franchisee in Tasmania for nearly 10 years and supports the Tassie network alongside running his own crew. He joins Joel on the Jim's Mowing podcast to share the health scare that nearly took him out, and the business systems that kept his income running while he recovered. The conversation covers why franchisees service their machines but neglect themselves, the income protection gap most operators have no idea about, and how Damian turned every Tasmanian customer into a fortnightly retainer across all four seasons. Damian also breaks down the personal brand standards he runs his business by, how one local franchisee got 18 five-star Google reviews in two weeks, and why sponsoring local sport teams and raffle prizes still outperforms digital ads for long-term franchisees. If you run a service business or you are looking at a Jim's franchise, this one is worth your time. 0:00 Diversifying services and winter upsells 0:45 Meet Damian Bush, Tasmania franchisee 1:10 The health scare that changed everything 3:14 A resting heart rate of 137 with no symptoms 6:23 Why franchisees skip their own check-ups 9:25 Income protection and personal cover 12:11 Diversifying into a full-garden retainer model 14:24 How to get off Jim's leads and build referrals 19:07 Personal brand standards every franchisee needs 22:30 Setting your own non-negotiable standards 24:34 Upselling, networking, and Google My Business 33:00 Why one franchisee gets requested by name 38:16 The 30 doors a day local marketing tactic 40:21 Sponsoring sport teams and raffle prizes 46:31 Building referrals through community trust

    52 min

  6. May 13

    #ASKJIM May 2026 with Jim Penman and Joel Kleber

    #ASKJIM May 2026 with Jim Penman and Joel Kleber

    1 hr

  7. May 11

    $19,800 Fine for Not Updating a Website Nobody Uses Formula - Interview with Jay Westbury CEO of the FCA

    A franchisor recently copped a $19,800 fine for failing to update an entry on a government website nobody uses. Jay Westbury is the CEO of the Franchise Council of Australia. He returns to the show to walk through the regulatory changes hitting Australian franchising right now. The episode covers what's already been passed, what's sitting in the lower house, and what franchisors and franchisees need to be paying attention to. Jay breaks down the Franchise Disclosure Register fine and why the FCA is pushing for the register to be moved out of the ACCC. He covers the Unfair Trading Practices legislation, why Unfair Contract Terms reform has hit 100 per cent compliance across franchising, and the Reserve Bank's October surcharge ban, including the awkward gap where Mastercard and Visa surcharges are banned but Amex is not. He also covers the FCA Awards in Brisbane on 17 June and the National Franchise Convention in Canberra in October. If you run a franchise network or own a franchise, this is the brief on what's about to land.

    18 min

  8. May 10

    Jim's Cleaning - Yash hit 3x the income guarantee in his first month

    What does the first 30 days as a Jim's Cleaning franchisee actually look like? For Yash, it looked like three times the income guarantee, six staff hired, and not a single leaflet dropped. Yash came into Jim's Cleaning with six years of marketing experience and a plan to run his own lead generation. He never got around to it. The leads from the Jim's system came in faster than he could convert them.In this conversation with Joel Kleber, Yash breaks down exactly how the month played out. He explains why he calls every lead back within 30 seconds instead of two hours, how that single habit pushed his conversion rate to 60 to 80%, and why he hired six people in his first 30 days when his own franchisor told him to slow down. He covers the real cost of a Jim's franchise (which he calculates at around 7%), his quality control system for running multiple sites at once, and why "stupid questions" to his franchisor have been the most valuable training he has had. If you are weighing up a Jim's Cleaning franchise, start here. 0:00 Yash's first month numbers 1:00 From marketing to Jim's Cleaning 2:00 3x the income guarantee explained 3:30 Why he hired 6 staff in month one 4:00 Leads from the Jim's app vs leaflet drops 5:30 The 30-second callback rule 9:00 From desk job to physical work 10:00 Hiring from the student community 11:30 Quality control across multiple sites 13:50 Two weeks of training with Danny 15:00 Networking with other franchisees 17:00 Why stupid questions matter most 20:00 Jim's takes hardly 7% 20:30 Facing racism fears as a young migrant 22:10 Buying more franchises with friends 24:00 Never lie to a client 28:30 Working 7 days, 6am to 9pm 30:30 The Bali holiday after 3 months

    32 min
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About

The Jim’s Podcast is hosted by Joel Kleber, Chief Marketing Officer of the Jim’s Group. Each week, I sit down with the people who make Jim’s what it is. Franchisees, franchisors, and Jim himself. We talk honestly about what it’s really like to build a business inside the Jim’s system. The wins, the surprises, the lessons learned the hard way, and the advice Jim has been sharing with business owners for decades. If you’re researching a Jim’s franchise, these conversations are essential listening. You will also find them valuable if you're looking to start a business or franchise.

Information

  • Creator
    Jim's Group
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    410
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jim's Group
  • Show Website
    Jim's Podcast

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