Brian  Scratcher Hocking typifies the success story of the 2011 winner of the topfranchise awards, Smartline Personal Mortgage Advisers. Holding a Year 11 certificate, Brian also embodies the largest group of the most profitable franchisees - those with no University education.

Research house 10 THOUSAND FEET has surveyed over 1,000 franchisees across Australia and new results have revealed a lack of tertiary education has not been a barrier to running a highly profitable franchise, and the largest core of highly profitable franchisees (26%) only hold a Year 12 certificate.

Harking from Melbourne's Western suburbs, Brian left school after Year 11 and has embraced the Smartline franchise system with enthusiasm.

 A university education is good and something to aspire to, however, on its own it doesn' t provide you with life skills, which are equally - if not more - valuable. I can see that I might have been able to pick up some study skills earlier in life if I'd undertaken more formalised training - I think a mixture of formal and life training is helpful.

 Having a crack at something and making mistakes is a constructive process made all the more easier when you' re surrounded by supportive colleagues and mentors, Brian said.

According to Smartline Executive Director Joe Sirianni, Scratcher exemplifies why placing trust in a tried and true franchise system and adding common sense with genuine people skills equals a highly profitable combination.

 Notwithstanding the value of professional development and life-long learning, Scratcher' s success lies is his motivation, commitment to relationships and local connections, and willingness to believe in strong franchise processes, Sirianni said.

topfranchise second placed franchise Mister Minit  franchisee Darren Andonovski echoes these sentiments. Having been awarded several Franchisee of the Year accolades, Darren has built a multi-site franchise operation on the back of a Year 12 certificate. Even in a tough retail market, Darren has continued to achieve double digit sales growth in 2011.

10 THOUSAND FEET' s Head of Intelligence Ian Krawitz said that franchisees have a choice about their profitability.
 There are always things you can do to make your franchise more profitable. Choosing the right franchise to suit your circumstance and personal passion is important, as well as researching the level of satisfaction existing franchisees have with the system. Education level is a predictor of performance, but there are so many other things you can do to set yourself apart, Krawitz said.

Mister Minit, Mortgage Choice, Kwik Kopy and Mr Rental make up the rest of top 5 in the 2011 topfranchise awards with Kwik Kopy a strong performer moving from 6th to 4th from the last survey period. Rounding off the top 10 are Snap-on Tools (6th) and Anytime Fitness (7th) who moved up the ranks, with Snooze (9th) making a return to the top 10. Gutter-Vac (8th) is a new entrant to the awards with Signwave coming in 10th.

topfranchise.com.auis a free resource. 10 THOUSAND FEET started the annual franchise channel review in 2008. Potential franchisees can review the best performers in key categories at www.topfranchise.com.au

For further information or to arrange interviews with Ian Krawitz or spokespeople from the new top 10 please contact: 10THOUSAND FEET Tel: 02 8080 7544 Email: info@10thousandfeet.com

Fact Sheet

About Topfranchise

topfranchise.com.au is a free consumer service powered by research house 10 THOUSAND FEET. Topfranchise.com.au is an award for Franchisors. Topfranchise.com.au is supported by subscription fees paid by franchisors for surveying their franchisees. It allows users to benchmark franchisors against average industry performance across seven categories and provides links to franchisor websites, news articles, video profiles & testimonials. Ratings in each category are updated bi-annually, based on the results of 10 THOUSAND FEET s ongoing Franchisee Satisfaction Surveys.

About Topfranchise Survey / Award Criteria

The key criteria taken into account by topfranchise.com.au include:

• Renewal: intention of franchisees to renew their agreement beyond the current term
• Recommendation: willingness to recommend a franchise to friends and colleagues
• Financial: The salary and return on investment franchisees feel they can receive
• Lifestyle: whether franchisees are satisfied with the lifestyle their franchise affords them
• Passion: how passionate franchisees are about the brand, product or service they offer
• Support: examining levels of support offered by the franchisor
• Opportunities: whether franchisees feel there are opportunities to expand their business within the system

About 10 THOUSAND FEET

10 THOUSAND FEET is a strategic marketing intelligence company working closely with clients in retail, franchise and distribution channels, assisting them to increase their customer base and retain their best customers through strategic work, market research, planning, consulting and tracking. http://10thousandfeet.com/ T: 02 8080 7544 E: info@10thousandfeet.com