As a woman who aspired to be a stay-at-home mum with two children under three, Katherine Sampson now leads Australia’s first national sandwich bar brand, Healthy Habits, which is one of the fastest growing franchise operations in the country.In January 2008, BRW recognised Healthy Habits as the 4th fastest growing franchise group in Australia. In April 2008, it was again recognised by BRW as the 5th fast starter company in Australia.
The road to success for Katherine and Healthy Habits started nearly fifteen years ago when Katherine, a sole parent with two small children, needed flexible working hours and a job that would give her financial independence. Her past positions as a paralegal were not going to facilitate this, and when a relative decided to sell their sandwich bar, Katherine seized the opportunity - at twenty-seven, she bought her first business and her life ambitions changed forever.
Initially, she was challenged by her lack of general business skills, although common sense, passion and a drive to succeed were certainly in abundance. Katherine sought to leverage the expertise and goodwill of other entrepreneurs, attending every seminar in town and cold calling people of interest.
The other major challenge Katherine faced was the attitude from the banks, finding the majority unwilling to lend money to “a single white female with two kids”. To this day, Katherine still names financial institutions as the biggest obstacle in building her business. Despite such challenges, by thirty-five Katherine owned four sandwich bars around Melbourne. Her competitive advantage lay in her dedication to using only the highest quality ingredients and offering fresh, nutritious choices, rather than a set menu.
Katherine then saw an opportunity to capitalise on the growing health trend in the form of the humble, but highly consumed sandwich. She wanted to create a strong, modern brand that promoted healthy lifestyle habits, sold fresh, wholesome ingredients, delivered exceptional service and appealed to everybody. Again, Katherine enlisted the help of experts, ranging from strategists to brand development, and before too long, the concept of Healthy Habits was born; what started out as a single business has grown to twenty-eight stores in VIC, QLD, NSW and the ACT.
In 2007, Katherine won the My Business Magazine overall Excellence Award and was a finalist in the Veuve Clicquot International Women’s Awards. She has also been a finalist for the Telstra Business Women’s Awards in 2002, 2005 and 2006. Katherine is also a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2008.
She continues to work hard, motivate and inspire her team and continues to expand her business across the country. She also has plans to expand into the US and New Zealand … a healthy future for Katherine is definitely on the horizon!
Katherine’s tips for success
· Treat staff as assets not liabilities
· Have mentors and take on business coaches
· Employ people that are smarter than you, learn from the people around you
· Don’t be afraid to take risks
· Make time for family & friends
· Network, network, network – to realise potential opportunities
· Have fun while working
· Pay for good advice
· Be passionate
Katherine’s most valuable lessons in business:
· Money doesn’t grow on trees! Banks won’t take risks and money is hard to find when you’re growing and others see you as high risk.
· Before starting your own business, save enough money to last you the first year; or source private investors if possible.
· There will always be “copy cats” you need to lead the competition to stay No.1.
· Always negotiate price before letting work commence.
· Keep friendship and business separate when negotiating deals and ALWAYS put it down on paper.
Katherine’s awards and nominations:
· The Golden Plate Award
· AMP retailer of the Year
· Independent Retailer of the Year
· Corporate Citizen of the Year
· Hellenic Chambers of Commerce
· Finalist – 2002 Telstra Business Women’s Awards in the category of Business Owner
· Finalist – 2005 Telstra Business Women’s Awards in the category of Business Owner
· Finalist – 2006 Telstra Business Women’s Awards in the category of Business Owner
Healthy Habits was also named in the 2007 BRW Magazine as the 4th Fastest Growing Franchise in Australia.
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