Aussie maintenance moguls, Jim’s Group, are swapping the garden sheers for a safety razor as they get set to trim a different kind of bush.
The brand behind popular garden gurus Jim’s Mowing is branching out into the beauty industry with the launch of its new personal care division, Jim’s Beauty.
Known typically for its home maintenance service franchises, Jim’s Group has grown to encompass 50 different industry sectors since its launch over 40 years ago, including plumbing, fencing, conveyancing, construction, electrical, roofing, and flooring.
Jim’s now has more than 5000 franchises nationwide and a turnover of $500 million.
But now the group can put its arsenal of gardening tools to the test both inside and outside the home as “Jim” ensures everyone’s hedge is trimmed back before heading home.
Jim’s Group CMO Joel Kleber spoke to Build-it about the new franchise brand, saying it was the customer and other franchisees who thought Jim’s skills with an edge trimmer could also make him the man for the job when it came to lining up a Brazilian.
“With new divisions, we don’t choose them. Someone goes to Jim with an idea, and if they are running it successfully and is a mobile service, Jim will generally give them a go,” he told Build-it.
“Our fastest growing divisions are women-focused, like Jim’s Dog Wash and Jim’s Laundry Services,” he said.
Mr Kelber says an unprecedented level of interest had left Jim’s Group anticipating a silky smooth launch into the beauty sector, regardless of whether existing customers take up the new waxing on offer.
“Interest has been huge…we have had 440 unserviced leads so far with no franchisees,” Mr Kelber told Build-it.
“We have found it’s not the idea, but the person that is the divisional franchisor the key (to success).”
“Which is why Jim gives most people a go; as we know, it’s person-dependent, not the actual service itself.”
Bush trimming just the beginning
The new franchise sector will launch in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with one franchisor already in operation and another four in training as of December.
Mr Kelber revealed to Build-it that while no tradies had yet registered their interest, they could have the tools needed to join the team, with the first ten franchises being offered for free.
Failing that, tradies are welcome to order an on-site makeover, taking advantage of the new mobile services range of treatments, including facials, nails, teeth whitening, lashes, eyebrows, spray tans and even bridal packages.
While another Jim’s Group franchisee can even swing by on the way home to help trim the partner’s bush.
Jim’s Beauty’s inaugural franchisee, Ming Zhang, says the new brand sector offers beauty therapists an opportunity to launch their own business at a fraction of the start-up costs.
“Now everyone who has these abilities and wants to become their boss is only paying around 10 per cent of the required investments to start their own franchise,” Mr Zhang said.
Interested parties can choose from three different business models of operation, including a mobile service, a home-based business or starting their very own Jim’s Beauty Studio.
Aussie franchise kingpin and Jim’s Group CEO Jim Penman told Channel Nine’s Today Show all onboarded beauty franchisees would be certified highly trained professionals, despite the cheeky reason behind the expansion.
“I mean, let’s face it, mowing a lawn is the same as waxing; it’s just different equipment,” he told Today.
“You can’t use a brush cutter in our beauty services as it might not go down too well, but we will have well-qualified people to do it.”
It’s not the first time in recent memory that a tradie-associated company has ventured into the realms of beauty care, with Aussie beer brand Victoria Bitter entering the space last year.
The larger launched a six-piece self-care kit to “reward hard-working bodies,” containing an exfoliating scrub, body wash, a bath bomb, a facial mask, a VB candle, and some moisturiser.
Jim said moving into industries popular with women made sense, with many of their female customer-focused franchises outperforming the classic Jim’s associated brands.
“The fastest growing divisions tend to attract women like cleaning, laundry, and dog wash,” he explained.
“But even we are surprised at the reaction, we cant believe the level of interest in this.”
For more information on Jim’s Beauty, visit their website.
