From one Tauranga store to three businesses across Tauranga, Rotorua and Tokoroa, Malcolm and Amber’s story is one of learning, people, systems and steady growth.

When Malcolm and Amber bought their Flooring Design business in Tauranga around seven years ago, they weren’t flooring industry veterans. In fact, their backgrounds included farming, running an IT business and working as an office manager at Toi Ohomai.

They had found the opportunity and saw the potential in the business and the Flooring Design model. What they didn’t fully appreciate was just how much there would be to learn.

“The first year was extremely challenging to be fair,” they recall.  Entering the flooring industry was, in Amber’s words, like “learning a different language.”

Products, suppliers, installation, quoting, margins, customer expectations and the day-to-day mechanics of a flooring business all had to be understood, and understood quickly.

It’s a reality Amber believes prospective franchisees should know about. Buying into an established franchise system provides support, systems and a network around you, but it doesn’t remove the need to put in the work.

Today, their journey has taken them well beyond that first Tauranga store. Malcolm and Amber now own three Flooring Design businesses across Tauranga, Rotorua and Tokoroa – growth that has been built progressively on the lessons, systems and relationships developed along the way.

Learn first. Change later.

One of Malcolm’s strongest pieces of advice for someone buying an existing franchise is surprisingly simple: don’t arrive on day one determined to change everything.

Looking back, he believes there is enormous value in first understanding why the business operates the way it does.

Existing employees, installers and suppliers can hold years of knowledge. Building relationships with them and learning from their experience can save a new owner from making unnecessary mistakes.

That is particularly true of installers.

Malcolm’s advice is to “treat your installers like gold”. Spend time on site, understand what they do and build strong relationships with them. The same applies to suppliers and experienced people elsewhere in the Flooring Design network.

“You don’t need to reinvent the wheel” is a principle that has increasingly shaped the way Malcolm and Amber operate.

Support that has evolved

Their experience of the Flooring Design franchise system has also changed over the years.

Amber describes the relationship between franchisees and head office as one that has developed as both sides have come to better understand the contribution the other can make.

Centralised administrative support have reduced the workload within the business, while regular franchise owner meetings provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from other stores.

Marketing is another area where both Amber and Malcolm believe the network has made significant progress, and a significant driver of the brands success, with greater resources and expertise now being applied at head office level.

That doesn’t mean there is nothing left to improve. Like any established business network, systems need to continue developing as technology, customer expectations and the market change. Malcolm sees opportunities for continued improvement in operational and workflow systems, alongside the marketing progress already being made.

For a franchisee, the important thing is being able to contribute constructive feedback –  and having a network prepared to listen.

Building a business around people

Perhaps Malcolm and Amber’s proudest achievement isn’t simply financial growth. It’s the team they have built.

Amber remembers a time when some employees lacked the confidence to serve customers. Today, the team can confidently manage the store and take responsibility for much of the day-to-day operation.

Creating that environment has meant investing in people, encouraging work-life balance and giving staff the opportunity to grow.

The results have included winning Flooring Design’s top franchisee award three times, as well as recognition for with the Flooring Design network as “Boss of the Year”.

Their local reputation has also been deliberately built over time. Networking through local business networking organisations such as BNI has played an important role, although Malcolm cautions that networking is not a quick fix. It requires regular participation and a long-term commitment before meaningful results start appearing.

That same patience is increasingly important in a competitive flooring market. Price competition can be tough, and there will nearly always be someone prepared to sell cheaper.

Amber and Malcolm’s view is that the answer is not necessarily to chase every competitor down on price, but to compete through customer experience, relationships and quality of service.

From one store to three

The progression from one Tauranga business to ownership of three Flooring Design stores has also changed the way Malcolm and Amber need to think about their role as business owners.

They now operate across Tauranga, Rotorua and Tokoroa, and their experience with the first store has provided the foundation for that expansion.

They understand the industry. They have established processes. Most importantly, they have learned the value of developing people who can take responsibility and operate confidently without the owners needing to be involved in every decision.

Their advice and one of the biggest lessons for anyone considering multi-store ownership: get the first business working properly before adding another one.

Expansion creates new opportunities, but it also creates additional complexity. An owner simply cannot be everywhere at once. Strong systems, clear processes and empowered people become increasingly important as the business grows across multiple locations.

That shift allows an owner to move away from being involved in every transaction and instead concentrate more on leadership, efficiency and growth across the wider group.

Their journey from a single store to three also demonstrates one of the potential advantages of being part of an established franchise network. Rather than building each new operation completely from scratch, there is an existing brand, supplier network, operating knowledge and community of other franchisees to draw on.

Advice for someone starting today

For someone considering a Flooring Design franchise today, Malcolm and Amber’s journey provides both encouragement and a useful reality check.

The opportunity can be rewarding – but success isn’t automatic. Expect a steep learning curve. Spend time understanding the business before changing it. Build relationships with your staff, installers and suppliers. Visit other Flooring Design stores and learn from experienced franchisees.

And perhaps most importantly, use the network around you.

Seven years on, three stores and multiple awards later, Malcolm and Amber have plenty to be proud of. But their experience suggests that successful franchise ownership isn’t about having all the answers when you start.

It’s about being prepared to learn them, and then building the people and systems that allow you to keep growing.