Joel Kleber, Chief Marketing Officer of Jim’s Group, shares his journey from law student and paralegal to one of the key voices behind one of Australia’s most recognised franchise brands.

With more than a decade inside the organisation, Joel offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the business has grown and evolved through content, transparency, and strong franchise support.

Jim’s Group is widely known for its home services network, covering hundreds of service categories across multiple divisions. The discussion explores how the brand continues to expand, the systems behind franchise recruitment, and the role content marketing has played in building trust and attracting new franchise partners.

Joel also reflects on leadership, resilience, and personal experiences that shaped his mindset, including his advocacy for mental health awareness within franchising. His perspective highlights how culture, mentorship, and openness can influence both business success and individual growth.

0:00 Introduction

0:53 Joel’s early career journey from law and commerce student to joining Jim’s as a paralegal

3:16 Explanation of the “560 service codes” system and how it expands what franchisees can offer

4:41 Why the old division model changed due to cost barriers and slow growth

7:07 Jim’s “radical transparency” philosophy, putting the full reality online to filter the right candidates in

8:31 The Ask Jim live Q&A concept and its direct impact on franchise enquiries

10:27 Hiring videographers and building a consistent publishing engine

13:34 How the content strategy evolved

15:03 Why many franchisors still hesitate to invest heavily in content creation

17:17 How Joel gets shy franchise partners on camera: switching formats

19:45 Joel’s upbringing including foster care and family mental health challenge

22:55 Relocating to Victoria and the stabilising influence of extended family

30:20 Mentorship from Jim and how trust enabled career growth

34:41 Challenges accessing mental health care during crises

37:50 Mental health initiatives within Jim’s including accessible counselling support

42:27 Wrap up

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

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Steve Halls, COO of Poolwerx, shares practical insights on what has helped build one of Australia’s most recognisable pool service franchise brands. From strong market positioning and steady long-term growth to the importance of structured support systems, he breaks down the operational foundations that keep franchise partners sustainable and competitive.

There’s also a closer look at how marketing, peer-to-peer collaboration, and community-driven customer acquisition contribute to ongoing expansion.

The conversation highlights how balancing national brand strength with local engagement continues to shape growth across the network while supporting franchise owners at different stages of their business journey.

0:00 Introduction

0:42 Key Thing #1: Market leader & brand recognition

3:39 Key Thing #2: Consistent growth & resilience through economic cycles

7:35 Key Thing #3: Structured franchise support & ongoing business development

9:15 Key Thing #4: Supporting multi-territory franchise owners as their business scales

13:01 Key Thing #4: A scalable “marketing machine on tap”

15:42 Wrap up

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

Listen or Watch on;

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/fh4dnpwb

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Mitch Gross didn’t come from a plumbing background. He came from Silicon Valley, startups, and senior roles at eBay and still ended up building a multi-territory plumbing business in Sydney with Plumbing Bros.

e walks through the real transition from corporate life into business ownership, why he chose a franchise model, and what it actually took to survive starting a business during COVID.

He also shares how winning a major government contract helped accelerate growth, what happens when you rely too heavily on one big client, and why diversification across customer segments became critical to the next phase of the business.

You’ll also hear about leadership, delegation, building the right team, and what changes when you move from “doing everything yourself” to running a growing operation across multiple territories.

0:00 Introduction

0:49 What Plumbing Bros does

1:29 Mitch’s background before Plumbing

6:10 The decision to leave corporate and buy a business

8:22 Discovering Plumbing Bros as a Franchise Opportunity

10:40 Running a plumbing business without having a plumbing background

12:32 Starting the business during COVID and survival mode

13:31 Post-COVID growth and expanding into new territories

16:08 The risk of relying on one big client

17:30 Diversifying into new segments (strata, real estate, commercial)

19:06 What Mitch actually does day-to-day as an owner

22:01 Maximising contract value vs chasing new customers

23:03 The next 2–3 year plan and growth strategy

25:23 Wrap up

Franchise Recruitment Marketing - Appear on our Podcasts HERE

Listen or Watch on;

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/56uvua63

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/eczfbnbh

Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/4pjesfku

YouTube: https://youtu.be/hE-URdcbKYg