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WAWiF Franchising Star – Soibhone Nascimento

This month’s Franchising Star is Siobhone Nascimento.  Franchise Partner at Poolwerx Mundaring & Kalamunda, Nascimento is has been part of the franchise industry for several years.  The WA Women in Franchise committee prides itself in celebrating success.  Continue reading to learn more about Siobhone’s experience in the Franchising industry.

Q1. How long have been involved with Poolwerx as a franchise?

A: Since May 2018 officially. However our journey started when our son was working as a technician for another Franchise Partner and first brought the idea to us around business ownership.

Q2. Poolwerx has been a formidable force within the home services industry, what do you think is behind the popularity?

  1. Swimming pools are a bit of an overwhelming mystery to many homeowners. They love the idea of a pool and the memories they make with their families around them, but have very little education on what they do, how they maintain them and what to do when things go wrong. Healthy water is number 1 and quality in service is what people are looking for. That’s where Poolwerx has always based its values around: People First Always, Do The Right Thing, Find the Better Way, Dare to Succeed.
  2. Poolwerx has been incredibly strategic in their approach to client serviceability and FP profitability in an ever changing environment. By providing diversity in revenue streams for FP’s we are able to reach a broader user group in the community, from the “DIYer in the retail space, and the “Do It For Me Occasionally” client as well as our “Regular”, “B2B” and “Commercial” Clients .
  3. Understanding the family aspect of memory making in and around the home has meant that when people stopped travelling during covid, they spent their leisure money and time on their backyards.
  4. With the building boom more pools went in the ground, boosting pool numbers across Australia.

Q3. What is the biggest challenge right now in your particular business and the sector you trade in?

A: Like all industries and business, finding staff is tough, and keeping them is equally tough. Low unemployment rates, and a limited workforce coming from overseas, as well as less movement around the country between states means we are all vying for the same few available staff. We are having to be more creative in attracting, retaining and managing staff in our businesses.

Q4. Do you see that there needs to be a separate support structure for WA Women in Franchising?

A: Yes. Yes. And Yes. I think women especially need opportunities to get together in a professional setting and share experiences with each other. Women have unique problems and have unique and creative ways to solve problems. Having access to a broad variety of female professionals who have forged a path before you with any particular issues and not only solved the problem but thrived in their business as a result, is a hugely powerful tool for our individual business arsenals.

Q5. What are some of the key issues facing women in franchising?

  1. I’m not sure I’m really qualified to speak to a broader theme of ‘issues’ outside of the ones all business people are currently facing; resource shortages (unemployment rates and lack of migrant workers) and economic shifts (interest rates rising).
  2. I do think there are issues for women in franchising with the banking sector…it’s much harder for a woman to get funding than for men, and more work needs to be done in this space.
  3. I think every franchise has its challenges and every woman has her challenges within the structure. I think we probably need to focus on how we can provide a mechanism to support each other and collectively find solutions. I am a strong believer that no problem unsolvable!

Q6. What is a key driver for customer loyalty and how are you attracting loyal customers?

  1. Clients are looking for businesses they can trust. They want to invest in their local businesses and be able to trust that when they come in store, or you come to them, that you will listen, and find great solutions for their problems. Quality of service outcome, good client relationship skills, clarity in pricing, and a full solution to their problem.
  2. We consider our business part of our local community “family”. We employ locally, we give back to the community in meaningful ways, we provide excellent quality service, and as a small family owned and run business, capitalise on living and working in the community…so people get to know us and are able to hold us accountable for the things we say and do. Word of mouth and strategic marketing both in print, local paper, and through social media campaigns has made our brand a household name for everything pool related! Quality, quality and quality is how we retain loyalty.

Q7. What are some attributes for successful women in franchising?

  1. A thick skin, learn not to take everything or anything personally.
  2. Resilience in life translates really well in business. It’s tough out there and if Covid taught us anything, it was to be resilient!
  3. Develop strong relationships with your Franchisor. The systems are there to ensure your success, make sure you actively engage and contribute to the ongoing good practices and be involved in the innovation and idea sharing.
  4. Learn to laugh…at yourself, and everything else

Q8. Define ‘success’ in five words.

  1. Freedom
  2. Empowerment
  3. Development
  4. Satisfaction
  5. Respect

Q9. Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date and why?

A: That’s easy. My husband. Alessandro has a rich cultural background (he is from Brazil) and his ability to be kind and to ‘show up’ has enabled me to pursue my dreams in business knowing I have someone who believes in me and who supports me in all I do. His practice of kindness in all he does, has helped me to understand how true success centres around being kind first. The rest is just semantics.

Q10. What’s your favourite holiday destination?

A: Any new place I am yet to discover…but Thailand is a great getaway!

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