Jim Penman Quotes

101 Jim Penman Quotes

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Honesty is always the best policy.
Jim Penman

If success in business meant cheating someone out of money I had already agreed to pay, it wasn’t worth it.
Jim Penman

I might not be the kindest or most considerate person in the world, but I am honest.
Jim Penman

I signed my first franchisee in June 1989 after my business had grown through subcontracting and selling mowing runs. At the time, VIP (Home Services) had 50 Victorian franchisees and 250 Australia-wide. VIP was first in the market, very well known and with far more money than I had. But by the end of our first year, we had 60 franchisees and were breathing down their necks – at least in Melbourne. Within a decade, we were double their size.
Jim Penman

We created a logo that was taken from a photo used on promotional leaflets. I looked like a gardener in my normal mowing hat and beard.
Jim Penman

I got rid of the beard in 2000 because it was turning grey and made me look old. My kids were horrified.
Jim Penman

Our primary loyalty must be to our franchisees. The reason is that if we can attract and keep good people, customers will be well looked after.
Jim Penman

The success of our franchisees… has to be more important than what we make out of them.
Jim Penman

Emotionally, personally, the success of franchisees has to be No. 1.
Jim Penman

Most people want to become franchisees because of the lifestyle. They have the potential to be well paid, be their own boss and work their own hours.
Jim Penman



We say that franchisees are our bosses, or at least our clients. We work for our franchisees, not vice-versa.
Jim Penman

We’re not so much into hierarchy.
Jim Penman

We try to maximise the income of franchisees…
Jim Penman

In the early days, I used to get every job I quoted for, every single one of them, and I was proud of that. But looking back, I think, ‘That’s crazy. I could’ve made 50 percent more revenue because I had plenty of work. I should have quoted higher until I was getting 75 percent of my quotes.
Jim Penman

[On upselling] It took me a long time to learn the value of extras.
Jim Penman

Hatred is a terrible thing. It poisoned my life at that time and for years afterwards.
Jim Penman

Business is like a religion to me – it has a meaning all of its own and it gives my life purpose. You never give up for a minute.
Jim Penman

You’ve got to persist and fight. If you fight long enough, you’ll get there.
Jim Penman

A lot of things go wrong at once. You’ve got to work out what to do and do it. No matter what you feel like, just keep doing it, keep putting one foot ahead of the other and don’t let anybody stop you. I didn’t give up and I got through.
Jim Penman

A lot of business courses stress the rational things you have to do… but it’s all meaningless without genuine passion for what you do and the people you do it with.
Jim Penman



I’m relentlessly innovative.
Jim Penman

I’m never satisfied with what I’ve done; I’m always looking forward to what comes next.
Jim Penman

I’m not a ferociously hard worker. I wish I were, but I make up for it with thinking, lots of thinking.
Jim Penman

When people want to talk about football, I want to talk about business.
Jim Penman

If I’m away from the office for more than a couple of days, I go stir-crazy.
Jim Penman

Clear thinking is often the difference – it can take you and your business to the next stage. It’s important to have reflective time to think about things. Sometimes it’s better to spend 10 minutes thinking clearly about what we should be doing rather than 100 hours of slogging our guts out.
Jim Penman

There is always fire in my belly. It doesn’t die, doesn’t slow, doesn’t stop. It’s relentless, and it drives me. I have to succeed, do better. I think that’s largely temperament.
Jim Penman

I’m not sure if you can train someone to be an entrepreneur. You either have that drive and passion or you don’t.
Jim Penman

If you work for a big company, there are always limits to how high you can go.
Jim Penman

If you run your own business, your success depends entirely on you. You create your own destiny.
Jim Penman



The wonderful thing about it [running your own business] is that anybody who starts mowing lawns or building fences with us today could have a multi-million-dollar international business one day.
Jim Penman

Once you have a successful franchise system with one service, it’s only natural to try to franchise with other services.
Jim Penman

I take it personally when people complain about our service.
Jim Penman

We can’t do everything perfectly, but we can always do it better.
Jim Penman

Customers appreciate it when you make an effort – when you go out of your way to help them.
Jim Penman

Good people do their jobs with a minimum of guidance.
Jim Penman

Most people around my office are better than me at almost everything.
Jim Penman

I am a voracious reader…
Jim Penman

I read any business biographies I can get my hands on. I like to find out how successful people go about things.
Jim Penman

There was a rumour that I didn’t actually exist, and that Jim had been dreamt up by an American marketing guru.
Jim Penman



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