About Us

The Franchise Ready Team

The Franchise Ready team know Franchising. We have operated at every level within the Franchise sector, including Franchisor team members, CEO, GM & Director level, we have been franchisees and franchisors.

We have worked with some of the most famous franchise brands on the planet.

Ours is a very “hands-on”, practical, no nonsense approach. No flashy suits, no fancy brochures with stock images, no cheesy sales pitch, we’re known and recognised for what we do. For further evidence of that, speak with any of the many satisfied franchisors that we’ve helped launch and support – we’ll gladly provide you with their details.

Franchise Ready is Australia’s fastest growing, results focused franchise development system.

Our Principal, Doug Downer is ‘The Franchise Guy’

Doug is an experienced Business Developer and Coach with an impressive 30+ year senior management history in developing and leading businesses within the Franchising sector.

Specialising in SME Business Development and Growth, Coaching and Facilitating, Operations, Recruitment, Training, Supply Chain, Marketing and all aspects of Franchising.

Doug has been responsible for the establishment of three start-up franchise systems including all aspects from strategy through to market entry. Doug has operated at CEO and Director level in 8 franchise systems. He also started, owns, and operates five successful SME Businesses of his own.

Doug and his team at Franchise Ready have helped launch and support over 50 Australian brands grow through franchising by creating everything they need to scale and grow through franchising.

Our Team

Carla leads the operations and systems development at Franchise Ready as well as manages a diverse range of consulting projects. Carla has experience in e-learning including online training strategy and content creation for multisite national brands, managing CRM & LMS transformation projects, marketing, new product development, territory mapping, operations, recruitment, and people management in retail, QSR, hospitality, service brands and the fitness industry.

Carla has over 10 years’ experience working in Senior Management and leadership roles across the construction, health & fitness, not-for-profit, and children’s entertainment & education industries. With a passion for strategy, business development and business process optimisation; Carla has a track record of working with small business to drive growth and expand to multisite operations.

 

Carla’s experience within the franchise industry includes managing the Australian operations of a leading global children’s STEM franchise. Carla works closely with our clients across consulting projects to provide strategic advice, recommendations, and develop tools, resources and programs which enable the business to scale and grow through a franchise model.

David has had over 30+ years of Franchising experience – working in various senior management/executive positions with over 12 well-known multi-national brandss including McDonald’s Australia, Telstra, Pizza Hut, Pirtek Fluid Systems, Gloria Jean’s Coffees, Anytime Fitness, Aramex, Cookie-man, New Zealand Natural, & Toll Group. He has also owned his own successful franchise.

 

David holds a real-estate licence and assists brands with selling their new and established businesses. With a passion for people, David has assisted many sellers and buyers in making their franchise and business opportunity a reality. He is well versed in different industries and has assisted many in creating a real growth strategy and then looking at a realistic exit strategy to successfully sell their business. David now heads up the Franchise Recruitment & Business Sales arm of Franchise Ready.

With an extensive career in hospitality, Dominic has an enviable depth and breadth of experience that he carries into every project. Having executed projects throughout the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Europe, he has a proven history of attaining exceptional results in sometimes geographically challenging environments.

Dominic works with clients to establish a profitable approach to menu development, robust supply chain that support business growth, as well as design & implementation of operations systems, IT infrastructure, venue design & efficiency and project management of new venues. Dominic specialises in ensuring his clients have strong systems that support both franchisee and franchisor profitability. Dominic has been working in the franchise sector since 2000.

Peter’s franchising career spans across 30 years – in many different industries.  From McDonalds Corporate to Amber Tile’s where he was their first franchisee. As a business owner himself, Peter owned and grew the Cookie Man franchise chain to 61 stores. He started the brand Ozzibik, a contract manufacturing company making biscuits for Arnotts, Coles, Woolworths, Qantas and many other organisations. Peter subsequently sold both businesses to public companies, has sat on numerous public and private boards, and has run Mrs Fields (a licensed US retail franchise system) for the last 10 years. 

Having coached and mentored hundreds of franchisees and team members, together with his comprehensive franchise industry knowledge – means that Peter has the skill, knowledge and experience to grow brands both in Australia and Internationally (specialising in China and India). Peter has been recognised in the Top 30 Franchise Executives in 2022.

Robbie is an international beverage specialist with a wealth of experience across Cafe’s, Restaurants, Small Bars, Nightclubs and Franchises spanning Australasia. With over 17 years’ experience in hospitality, Robbie prides himself on creating the quickest, efficient, and consistent products in cocktails and bar service. Robbie assists with bar design, menu design, procedures, training and on-site expertise including Flare and fire shows. Robbie is consistently recognised at the highest level in bar tending competitions in Australasia and has twice won the Australasian Flare bar tending championship. Robbie brings his flare and expertise to every project we work on ensuring the best possible bar operations.

Ozzie is a knowledgeable business professional with 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including 6 years as a Franchisee and 8 years as Business Development Manager for a Franchise Brand. Ozzie has mastered the craft of small business success and helping other entrepreneurs find financial freedom through franchising. With an MBA from UNSW, Ozzie specialises in assisting emerging franchisors to build a solid foundation focusing on Processes, People & Profitability. He takes pride in being able to provide valuable advice and assistance to those looking for answers when they need it most. His passion and dedication will certainly shine through from the first moment you meet and continue through the process to successful launch and recruitment of your franchise.

A certified coach and facilitator, director of Franchise Ready SA and owner of The Alternative Board Adelaide. Tim’s 35 plus years career history has included leadership roles in large corporate businesses including Specsavers and Beaumont Tiles, as well as small family businesses.

 

In 2022 Tim accepted a role as Board Director and State President for South Australia for the Franchise Council of Australia.

 

Tim brings to the table skills honed over the years with a key focus on marketing, planning, budgeting, property, development of teams and recruitment.

Tracy is the Director of Franchise Ready Western Australia.

 

She began in franchising with a 10 year Operations and Training career with McDonald’s Australia. Since then, Tracy has been a business consultant, coach and trainer across many industries, facilitating win/win/win outcomes with SMEs, franchises and corporations, in her own small business and as a license partner. With a passion for people, Tracy’s approach is collaborative, specialising in people skills, team dynamics, culture and the wellbeing of the leaders to drive growth, profit and deliver on the vision.

Mission Statement & Values

Vision

To be the best business development brand in the Franchise sector.

Mission

To help business owners create a business model that enables them to grow beyond themselves.

Core Values - GAME

Growth – We help People and Businesses Grow.

Authenticity – We are Real, there is no BS.

More – We work with people that want more and we give more than people expect, whatever that more may be.

Excellence – We strive for excellence in everything we do and for excellence in the clients that we work with.

Core Themes – THE GAME PLAN

Be GAME

Courage is a key part of business ownership; we are game in giving the feedback that people need to hear, and we help our clients to have the courage to take calculated risks.

Play a good GAME

We are here for Good. To do Good and for Good.

Team GAME

We take a team approach to the work we deliver, and our clients get access to our whole team. We become part of our client’s team.

A GAME that creates a result

We set clear goals and we are results oriented and help our clients achieve their goals.

A GAME involves Skill and Knowledge in which you follow a set of rules.

Our team is skilled and has extensive franchising industry knowledge, we believe in continuous improvement and creating best practice materials for our clients.