Advertising feature
When Neil McCosker joined Red Rooster at the tender age of 14, he never dreamed that decades later he’d be running stores in Beaudesert, Stanthorpe and Warwick.
As one of Queensland’s most successful franchise owners, he is a prime example of just how far you can come with one company through hard work and determination. Neil shares his journey.
Neil, tell us about your career path to date?
Well I started working at Red Rooster when I was just 14 years old as a young kitchen hand in the Goondiwindi store and worked my way up. I then worked for five years on the Sunshine Coast before moving back to Goondiwindi and buying the store in 1997 followed by a Warwick store in 2007. I currently own six stores.
Your career with Red Rooster has come far from your days as a humble kitchen hand! Would you recommend a part-time job to teenagers today?
Yes definitely. It’s a great experience to be independent earning your own money from a young age. It’s also a great career path if you choose to stay with the company. Sure, I had to invest a lot of time into it early on and missed out on family occasions…. but look at where it’s taken me. I’m now making up for that lost time.
So, what is your work/life balance now?
It can be busy as I’m happily married with five kids, so I’ve got my hands full! My wife and I have to work as a team together managing the kids and our five franchise stores. Being able to work when and where I want whilst making a decent income to support my family is what success is all about to me.
What’s been your most satisfying moment to date?
Making $100,000 in a year for the first time was an amazing feeling. Also growing the team was very rewarding. Every franchise owner needs to find the right team to surround themselves with – that’s one of the fundamental keys to doing well.
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For people interested in buying into a franchise, what are your tips for success?
Firstly, every quarter you need to sit down and make a plan with your managers as a team and review that plan. Next you need to promote your business locally, continually improve the speed and quality of your service and look after your team. Lastly, you just need to put in a lot of hard work.
The franchise industry went through a challenging time in 2018. Has some of the negative sentiment impacted your business?
Look - times are a little tougher. I think the ramifications from the drought don’t help. But I don’t think it can really be pinpointed down to one thing. Friends and family have asked me whether we’re 'doing okay' but there’s not much to tell. We’re doing fine this year and whatever is happening out there is not affecting us.
How do you envisage the future of the brand over the next five years?
I think it will continue to grow as I feel the new CEO Nick Keenan is on the right path. He’s sticking to us putting out great quality core products. I think that’s important as we should keep focusing on what we do best.
