Ep119 Varun Ashok, CEO, Mobile Experts. Franchise Business Leader

Varun Ashok is the founder of Mobile Experts, one of Australia’s fastest-growing mobile repair and accessory retailers.   Growing up in India, he spent his teenage years working in the family business before moving to Australia in 2007 to pursue a Masters in International Business. His early days saw him balancing studies with jobs at Pizza Hut and Vodafone, with no set plan beyond working hard and embracing new opportunities.   In 2013, Varun opened his first store in Wetherill Park, overcoming challenges with landlords and fit-outs to establish a strong customer base. His focus on providing the right product at the right price with genuine customer service set him apart and led to early profitability.   From a single store, Varun quickly scaled to 12 locations in Sydney, and over the years, expanded to more than 60 stores nationwide. Along the way, he shifted from instinctive, ‘seat-of-the-pants’ decision-making to building systems, training teams, and developing a long-term vision for growth.   Today, Mobile Experts continues to expand under his leadership, built on a foundation of innovation, people management, and customer focus with Varun shaping not only the business, but also the future of franchising in the mobile services industry.   0:00 Introduction 0:41 What Mobile Experts does 1:38 Varun’s personal background and life back in India 3:37 Varun’s family business in India 7:25 Transition after school and progression in the family business before moving to Australia 14:35 Arrival in Australia and first job experience 16:25 Early plans in Australia, studies, first jobs, and future expectations  19:07 Progression from early jobs to discovering entrepreneurial drive 27:29 Overcoming landlord challenges during kiosk fit-out 28:45 Opening the Wetherill Park kiosk and differences in trading between India and Australia 31:36 Standing out early and achieving profitability faster than expected 33:03 Expanding beyond the first store and the vision for adding more locations 40:20 Scaling from 12 stores in Sydney to 60+ nationwide through strong team management 41:55 Growing to 25 stores without a set plan and continuing expansion after partnership changes 45:27 Decision-making process on future growth and long-term planning 51:56 Wrap Up   Podcast Produced by:  www.franchisebusinesshub.com.au   Listen or Watch on; Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2nb3ec8k Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/yv43zf5k Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/nh2w7v94 YouTube: https://youtu.be/0xPB8cbCTg4