From Long Hours to Family Time | Apisai’s Real Franchise Story – Ep 54

Justin Well, welcome to another episode of The Real franchise, where we actually meeting some of the team. Today we’re jumping interstate down to cockroach country in all New South Wales. So big. Welcome to you. So thank you for joining us tonight.

Apisai Pleasure. My pleasure.

Justin Now, I guess at the start, before we dive into, you know, all these sort of questions about, you know, how you’ve been following it and what you’ve been learning and that sort of stuff. Would you mind sharing a bit a bit? I guess your background, what you were doing before James might be how you saw us. What what made you join?

Yeah. So we’ll find out. But you and obviously introduce yourself and where you are within the state of New South Wales. It’d be cool.

Apisai Nice. Hi, guys. My name’s up the side. I’m in Marsden Park, north west of Sydney. Before James Home services, I was working in, warehousing. Did a lot of management. There’s good word. Good money, to be honest. But the the biggest issue for me was, family. So family time. So, for example, during the with management, you had to work through the Christmas time, obviously working with food in that within the Coles industry.

What for Christmas, New Year’s. They give you an option to work, whether the, One day Christmas or has needs off? So which was, you know, you couldn’t really tell them I can. I have two days off. Both of us. It was never like that. But it’s gone. So I used to suck it up and just go with it.

I think just off the wall. Just started playing it all on the family myself. It just not being there when it met it, you know, like the bonus. As you know, I’ve got. They were the only they all into the sports. So, it was it’s important for me to be be there for them, especially at ball.

And it was something that I wasn’t familiar with. You know, when the kids were coming through. But they had grown pretty, fond of the sport. Yeah. Yeah, I’m pretty into it. Now. Say, you’ll find me there. I’m one of the dads that’s, stepping. That’s a contact.

Justin So. So you go do netball. Is that right there? Well, it. Yeah, yeah, there’s.

Apisai I was just missing out on all that. Not just that. Just, especially, Christmas need needs. You know, this these funds to me about family being together.

Justin Yeah.

Apisai Sharing, sharing time and stuff like that. And I was missing down and all that, and, I just I couldn’t deal with that anymore. So. Yes. So, without even looking for any work, I. Yeah, sort of sort of. I sort of had a look around and you know, what I was going to do sort of if and, and and then started, I ended up changing shifts with the warehousing.

I was on the night shift change that I was working back on when I was a lot there. And then I came across some services, was just looking online. Just something that I, forget what I was googling, but, yeah, just needed a big change with the opportunity. And warehousing kept coming through and, and just kept in, in away.

I’ll just like, this is not right. I got to do something else. Yeah. Not just stumbled across you guys in. And based on my luck.

Justin Good. Awesome, awesome. And so you you. So you found us. You went through this information process, went through your training, started your business, and you happened to from memory start right at the beginning of winter in Sydney. That’s from probably, you know, in hindsight now, probably one of the toughest times of the year to start. So and that’s a question I get asked a lot, you know, how do we handle winter.

And you know, one of our national trainers now. So, I’ll get you to talk about that and sick. But I guess. How did you get through that first winter? What sort of strategies and how did you learn to handle that?

Apisai It was it was, the good thing with, with James, obviously I can’t speak for anyone else because I’ve. And been a part of them. But the good thing with James is, just the support, obviously. You know, I try to sort my own things going out there. So I’m back on the eight steps. The 51 ways of, starting a business, stuff like that.

So went through all that process, you know, not a sort of just got a bit overwhelmed, I guess.

Justin Yeah.

Apisai I’m trying to get out there. Obviously the loans started down, started slowing down. So I just had to find that another way of, putting my business out there. So, you know, spoke to my coach, Sonya, who’s she still catches up to me today. By the way, I’m nearly two weeks in, and she’s still, kept saying to me every now and then, usually every month, she’ll give me a chance to for just see how I’m doing, which is, pretty cool, you know?

And it’s up this time in my business, you know, like, you just think that, Abby’s been with us for nearly two years now. No need to get in contact with him, but, you know, like, without me even reaching out, she would just reach out to me, just randomly and just, tell him, going, how’s the how’s the business?

How’s the family? Which is good, you know. Yeah. This one, you know, it’s it’s not just about business. It’s about family, too.

Justin Yeah, yeah. So, like.

Apisai Always ask that question as well, which is good. So, I reached out to Sonia and I just said, like, Sonia, I’m really struggling. Yeah. To bring in the work at the moment, you know, doing the, pamphlet jobs that, and, knocking drops, dropping it, real estate, you know, there’s just some other stuff like that.

And she said, you know, just look, I need some, Facebook, tiles. I’m pretty sure it’s called.

Justin Yes.

Apisai But it changed my marketing. Strategy. So instead of just because I was just posting mowing and stuff, like she said, like, you know, obviously the lawns are dying now we’re going to change it up and more focus on your garden side of things, hedges and stuff like that. And then that’s when, she, put the idea about, you know, she’s in a new neighbors with hedges in that, neighbor across the road out there and, put this bloke up and see where this takes me.

So when knock these door and, just offered my services, obviously, and, for reduced spots. But my, just in return, if you could give me a five star review, I was pleased you’re impressed with my work. And, take some photos for, my Facebook and stuff like that. So there were no. Yeah, I didn’t finish, well, under what I’d normally charge now, but, you know, I did get a five star review out of it, and I got so much work come through.

You know, before and after videos we did. So I’ve got obviously got my daughters. They’re pretty high tech in that sort of things.

Justin Yeah.

Apisai I think it’s called CapCut. They did a CapCut, recording. And it turned out really nice. Yeah. Put it on to community pages. And then as soon as, you know, my phone was going hot out for it. Don’t edges.

Justin So you do a lot of hedges in your first winter?

Apisai Yeah, I got through a lot of hedges in the first winter. Yeah. And, you did a lot of gardening work. Got a lot of pruning and stuff like that, but, I think just going through that process sort of got me ready for the next winter. So. Yeah, when it got busy, a lot of my regular clients, so I couldn’t get the hedges done or some gardening work.

And, I just explained to them a lot of them understood. I just didn’t look myself busy time obviously. Growing season with bit flat chat with the lawns and stuff like that. Well, we will get it done. It’s just, just bad timing right now, but, we’ll get close to autumn and stuff, and then we start organizing edges and stuff.

Yeah. So I’m back to, quite a bit of work, which was good. So, pretty much the first half of winter, I was pretty busy with just my regular clients. Yeah, the garden work and stuff like that. So obviously I knew that was going to die off soon, so I kept up my marketing. Yeah. On social media.

Just keep on that extra work and that. So, yeah, it was pretty good.

Justin Yeah. Going back. Yeah. That banking, all of that banking job. So winter, I think we often talk about that. It’s such a key. And so I want that because that’s one of the things we try and take away in. You’ve obviously got through that. You run a great business. So we, you know, made you one of our national trainers.

So part of in other episodes we talked about the training and what happens in the training. So the first is in the classroom. Second part is if they lawn and garden in New South Wales, they’ll be coming and working with you in your business and you’ll be, over four days. What do you do over those four days?

Which so if someone’s listening, thinking, Ronnie, I said, I’m going to be really happy doing some training. What happens?

Apisai So we’ll just go through the, whole process with, lawn and gardens. A lot of the times you refer back to the steps, just to help the guys get through, we just saw the one percenters with the loan and got a lot of guys, a lot of the guys, always assume, even myself. I have to admit, I was one of them.

I thought, you know, yeah, I know all this, lawn and garden stuff. I went there and then a couple years back when I did my training, you know, had the same situation where it’s like, oh, no, when you’re doing your vertical edge, you’ve got to hold on like this. And.

Justin No, no.

Apisai No, I’ve been told that actually just totally. It’s just little things mean and it just comes in handy. I even had a question like, so when you’re blowing and you got the, you know, some lawns are like, from here, here’s your driveway. How do you get the, like, clippings on? And then so just little things I just did when you blowing you get close to you blow it shoots it all up onto the grass.

And then, you know, the other things like that, I didn’t even realize. So when, we go through the process and we’re filling out the, checklist and it was like, oh, blowing. And we didn’t even go through anything about the blown number.

Justin You told me. We up?

Apisai Oh, yeah. And looks like see that little, little things like it just pass you. But it’s it’s it’s so, it’s good for you to learn all these things and, and the biggest one to a lot of the guys, question myself is the quoting sort of things to me. Okay. So when we do, like, specific yards, I’ll ask them, like what we’ll do, quite for this job.

Then they’ll give a price and then I’ll let them know what I quote for this. So over that four days, you sort of get an idea of what I’m quoting on my particular, yards. So it gives you a, a good idea when, when it’s your time to quote.

Justin Excellent.

Apisai Thank you. So, so yeah. But it’s a lot of, a lot to learn when you got there. Especially when you come out with mean, do the lawn and gardens always trying to, tell the guys to take their time, make sure, perfect the job sort of thing. We got to try and do the metal service.

It’s very important. You know, you want to deliver a job where, the client will come outside and just like, wow. And I couldn’t do it, but I was doing it myself. Man, that looks fantastic. Yeah. So, yeah, it’s always, always fun. That’s very important for myself to deliver, complete a job with the clients, just look at it and just, like, give it the wow factor.

Justin Yeah, yeah. That’s great. Well, one last question for you. Now, a lot of people that watch these sort of episodes are thinking of going into business. You know, it might be James. It might be something totally different. You’ve been in your own business now for two years. Do you have any pearls of wisdom, things that you’ve learned maybe the hard way that you think would be worth passing on to someone?

So any any sort of lessons that you’ve learned in your two years?

Apisai Yeah, I think, odd side of things. The, the to speak of the good things. The first thing that come to my head is the starting your own business. I said earlier where I was working in warehousing, you know, to me, in my own business. Now, I’ve. And this is the biggest part of me starting my business because I can sort of, so dictate when I, when I work.

So, so now I sort of, like, work around my family, whereas before was I have several incomes, but first.

Justin So you.

Apisai Yeah, that’s been a big plus for me. You know, I try my best to not work weekends, but obviously when it gets busy like this, you know, send me understands as well. I do like at least half a day on a Saturday. Yeah. Bring in the extra money and just keep up with my work flow as well.

But, majority I’m. I don’t work weekends. Yeah. So tends to be home when families at home. I want to be there too. So even if we’re not anything men, we just kick back.

Justin With the kids.

Apisai And chill. Yeah. Best time?

Justin Yeah, absolutely. And. And you mentioned you’re heading off to Fiji again. Your boss. I bet you didn’t that. Don’t ask your boss. Oh, well, he wanted to ask your wife whether he could go, but, well.

Apisai Your boss doesn’t go down, and then you put up there, too, because, obviously things like this. I had to get a pre-approval in management as well, because it’s very tough to get, time off in management. One, one being there’s only, a few of us, like, for example, there was three of us and, shift manager.

So you had to work together. I had to get someone to cover my shift or something like that. So it’s really tricky to get off the specific time that you needed off. Whereas the all you can sort of just, plan my workload, get my workload done by this time, notify clients that are due for service next week because usually now two, I wouldn’t be the all time for me to take a break, but obviously I can’t tell my mate to, changes, birthday party.

So, so, yeah. Yeah, I’m off by now. Just notify the clients a little bit closely. I don’t have any dramas with clients. If I can’t come through, I’d like to give them a heads up. The. Yeah, I feel like a lot of them. Just like. Oh, yeah, like 80, 80 bucks in my pocket next week. Beauty. Yeah.

Justin Yeah yeah, yeah. Because you didn’t do the job. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Apisai Yeah. A lot of positives. So I’m starting the business. Yeah. To be honest, it’s very hard to think of any.

Justin Any tough stuff, any points. Yeah. Well, thanks, Abby, for today and for taking some time out. I know it’s a scorcher down there in Sydney at the moment, so it’s not, Yeah. Thanks for your time. And. Really. Yeah. Have a great time in Fiji. Wait. Head over there for the key mate’s birthday.

Apisai Oh, well. I’m excited. I think the body already realizes I’m gone. Waste. It’s time to get in, in Japan. But,

Justin Yeah, I’ve already had chilling start to relax a bit. Awesome, awesome. Well, have a great day and I will just stop this.