FROM THE AFRICAN BUSH TO THE KITCHEN GARDEN OF ENGLAND

Making a change of career is often stressful. Changing from employee to franchisee is a challenge. Add moving not only country but Continent into the mix and most people would have given up before they started. Not so the Venter family who have just left what sounds like a wonderful lifestyle in Zambia, where they have run businesses including a farm, landscape garden business and retail garden nursery for most of their lives, and moved to England to start a Jani-King franchise in Kent.

Living the African dream – wide open vistas, wonderful climate, beautiful wildlife and friendly people – isn’t as idyllic as it may seem. “Africa is a wonderful Continent, and Zambia is a beautiful country,” says Madie. “But financially, economically, the future just isn’t there any more. The situation in Zimbabwe has destabilised the surrounding area, and we could no longer be sure that our children would have the life and the future we hoped for. The time was right to move on.”

Once the decision was made to leave Zambia, Johan and Madie started research straight away to work out how they would make a living in England. “Although we have always run our own businesses, we knew that there would be a lot of rules and regulations in a new country that we were not familiar with; we also didn’t really know the market. So we were looking for an operation which we could fast track; where we would have at least some support. That’s why we chose franchising.”

The final choice was between contract cleaning and elderly care. “Finally we veered away from domestic care; we just felt that we would not be able to maintain the right degree of impersonal approach, and we knew we would always be worrying about staff,” explains Madie. “Jani-King impressed us with their credentials and level of support; the company has been established for a number of years and has a strong brand, and that was also important to us. Guaranteeing those first contracts in the first 18 months also gives you a small comfort zone and at the worst you are going to make a certain amount of money.”

Madie believes their management experience running the farm in Zambia where they had a lot of lower-paid staff will stand them in good stead. “You’ve got to know how to manage people on a low wage; being part of a team, getting their regular work on jobs that suit them will be important.”

The family are very practical about their aims for their franchise; “We are always in business to make money. It’s a means to an end, a way to have a better life. We had a good life in Zambia but no future. So here we are building for the future. We don’t know yet how far or how big we can build the business, but we know how to work hard, and we hope it will be something that we can either hand on to our children or sell on.”

Having finished their training at the end of January, they already have their first small contract. They found the training informative but fast. They are full of praise for the support they have received to date from Jani-King. “Taff Davies has been a star, I don’t think we would have been as prepared as we are if it weren’t for him,” explains Madie. “He’s always on the end of the phone, ready to help us.”

Their first contract is a small pub in Maidstone, and they are already doing a series of demos from which they hope to sign more business. “The sky’s the limit for us,” says Madie. “There is a lot of opportunity out there, but you have to get off your butt and work. You have to get out there. We’ve always done that. This first job will help us get going, get the experience, and then we hope that between the work provided by Jani-King and the work we will get for ourselves, that we will steadily build up a good turnover. It’s about building a reputation for keeping customers happy and keeping your shoulder to the wheel!”

From tropical landscaping in Africa to working in the ‘garden of England’ in Kent, the Venter family is looking forward to a prosperous and successful future running J M Commercial Services Ltd.