In celebration of Megasealed’s 25 years of pioneering business success, Megasealed Founder and Managing Director, Jacques Courtin, recently sat down with Inside Franchise Business to reflect on the past 25 years and the future of Megasealed.

Megasealed has 33 franchises operating territories in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. Between them, they undertake more than 18,000 jobs each year fixing Aussies’ leaking showers and balconies, with a 98 per cent satisfaction rate amongst both household and commercial customers.

This year the founder Jacques Courtin is celebrating 25 years in business.  

Q: Tell us a little about how Megasealed started.

A: As a builder, I was looking at how could we repair leaking shower, building and balcony renovations we were demolishing. Much of the work could have been repaired without removing tiles. Most of the time we were fixing bathrooms only one year old.

The issue was always the grout, silicone, and poor sealants. So I developed an epoxy product that has no downtime so the shower could be used the next day.  Clients loved it. Property management firms and builders were very happy.

Q: What’s been key to growing the business?

A: Marketing is the fuel of the engine today and it has been the most important part of growing the brand. I did smart marketing, attracted builders, property management, and building inspectors.

The job was quoted on the telephone. I’d send a technician to do the service. It worked very well in Sydney, so I decided to go to Melbourne and build that up; I put management in Sydney. Then I developed Queensland, and then Perth.

Q: When and why did you decide to franchisee?

A: Franchising is very important. I used to have about 185 people working, five call centres. I wanted to slow down. I already had the formula and the business became stronger and bigger.

I completed a franchise diploma and decided to franchise five years ago: 80 per cent of the business was sold to employees. They knew the clientele, how to run the business, so for me, it was a low-risk option.

Q: What has sustained the business for 25 years?

A: Our industry-leading experience and commitment to product innovation have seen the product and service range expand to include comprehensive solutions for tile re-grouting, waterproofing and anti-slip safety.

This is the only business in the industry to be certified as a Quality Endorsed Company by SAI Global.

I’ve enjoyed seeing smiles on the faces of clients. Some say ‘you haven’t done anything and I say ‘you’re not supposed to see anything!’

Q: What have proven the biggest challenges along the way?

A: Challenges never stop! One of the biggest is Covid. I support my franchisees, I don’t charge any fees during the lockdown and we will work harder afterwards. What’s fantastic is we grew 20 per cent straight after lockdown.

Q: Why do you think franchisees join the network?

A: This is like a big family. We offer franchisees a unique opportunity to draw on our product knowledge, training resources and extensive sales and marketing support, which in combination with their low-cost investment, has allowed them to build their own dream businesses.

In Covid, we’ve implemented virtual inspections and quoting to ensure the safety of clients and staff.

Q: What are you goals now? 

A: We still need more franchises around Australia. Right now, the sky’s the limit.

“Read the original article on Inside Franchise Business here.”