Becoming a Jim’s Antennas & Security Franchisee – Michael Rendina’s Experience

Michael joined Jim’s Antennas in 2016 as a result of falling out of love with his work in the hospitality industry. He’d always wanted to run his own business, though he thought it would be in Automotive Parts or hospitality, not Antennas.

One day in 2012, when he had the day off, Michael wondered what he’d do if he wasn’t working as a chef. ‘I gravitated towards electrical work. I have three uncles who are electricians and I’ve always been quite technically savvy. I started to wonder what it would be like to do another apprenticeship.’ While doing some research Michael came across the Jim’s Antennas website, which piqued his interest. He went as far as getting an information pack, but was concerned about the funds it would take to buy a franchise and his lack of experience in the field, so he let it slide. 

By 2016, Michael was now certain that he no longer wanted to work within the hospitality industry, and buying a Jim’s Antenna franchise was the one idea that kept popping into his thoughts. 

Once Michael made the commitment, everything happened quickly. ‘I did the paperwork around November 2016, and quit my job at the beginning of December. There were four weeks of training on the road, which I started on 12 December.’ The person Michael trained with is now a good friend. ‘Troy and I hit it off from day one. He did a job with me this morning in fact, and we talk daily. He’s become one of my best mates.’

After the four weeks of training, Michael had to get everything in place to go out on his own. ‘I was concerned because everything was happening around Christmas and New Year. I was trying to organise a vehicle, and wondering how it was all going to go. It was hair raising, but also exciting. It was happening!’

His first day of trade was in mid January 2017. ‘I got a lead and I was super nervous when I answered the phone. I was terrible. If I know something I’m confident and can usually talk my way through it, but if I don’t know something I get nervous.’ 

The lead was a man with a reception issue, and he must have been convinced because he booked Michael in to come over straight away. ‘I remember being very nervous when I knocked on his front door. I had a look and found the problem, and after climbing on the roof to fix it, he asked, “How much do I owe you?”. I told him our charge was $150, feeling very nervous, but he said, “Sweet, no worries.” I was standing there telling this guy to give me $150 for a half hours’ work, and I’m used to being paid $30 or $35 an hour. He was happy, paid me promptly, and I was amazed. It was awesome. I was pretty happy with myself.’

Michael’s early days in business were a bit slow, with two to three jobs a day. ‘I did all the things they teach you about in training: drop off cards when you do a job, get your word-of-mouth referral going, and just get yourself out there as much as you can.’ Thanks to his efforts, work slowly picked up. ‘I had a really strategic focus about how I wanted to run my business. I knew what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to grow it.’

In the industry, there are many extra skills you can learn so you can do a broader scope of jobs for customers. Michael was keen to constantly learn new skills, but he made sure he mastered each skill before moving on to the next. ‘I thought the more notches I have on my belt the better, but I didn’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none.’ Once he mastered something, he’d look at what he could learn next. ‘I started out focussing on TV antennas, wall mounting TVs, running a better cable for TV outlets, stuff like that. I worked out how to do that really well, and then moved on to the internet stuff. Once I’d worked on that, I moved on to Security. I learned alarms and cameras, and then I started getting into some commercial work.’

Michael now runs a dual franchise of Antennas and Security. ‘Troy taught me Antennas when I was training, and I now teach him Security stuff. It’s quite ironic.’

One of the best pieces of advice Michael received was from his good mate Troy. ‘I remember Troy telling me, when I went on the road with him, “As long as you realise you are buying a business, you’re not buying a job, you’ll do well.” That stuck in my head, and I think it’s the difference between success and failure, especially in a franchise. If you go in with the approach that you have a business, and it’s your business, and you make that model work for you, you’ll do well. If you go into it with the approach that you’ve bought a job, and you wait for the work to come to you without using the advantages of the franchise, I don’t think you’ll succeed.’

There’s another saying that came out of his early training that he adheres to. ‘It’s something that Jim said about every customer being a fan. It stuck with me and I try to approach my business that way too. When I work on someone’s house, I work on it like it’s my own, because I want them to sing my praises from the rooftops when I leave. There are a lot of shonky traders out there, especially in the TV Antenna and Security Industry. If I can leave someone’s house, having arrived on time, done a fantastic job and solved the problem, the rest will sell itself at the end of the day.’Michael prides himself on his work and his presentation. ‘I did the same thing as a chef. I was always highly organised, motivated and well presented, and I’m still the same. In the back of my ute everything has its spot, and it’s meticulously clean. I’m probably one of the most OCD tradies out there.’ Honesty is equally as important to Michael. ‘I’m nothing but honest with my clients. I won’t try to sell people things they don’t need. I don’t like taking money from people for nothing. At the end of the day, if I’ve provided you with a service, I’ll charge you for what you need and not for what I want to sell.’