Entrepreneur builds Healthy Habits by the book

Written on the 23rd of April 2009 by Lyla Lopez

If you build it, they will come.

While oft-quoted from the movie "Field of Dreams", for former Victorian entrepreneur Katherine Sampson the dream has became a reality. 

Katherine built her successful franchise, Healthy Habits, when the time was right: on the cusp of Australia's healthy fast food boom. People came in droves, and franchisees joined and helped her expand the niche market concept to 30 stores.

Recently, she scored another dream by selling 80 per cent of her business to the country's book store legend Dymocks which should set the business up for further growth and expansion, and a very healthy outlook indeed.

For Katherine, it's been 16 years of growing and nurturing the Healthy Habits brand, being copied by wannabes, juggling motherhood, the glass ceiling and expanding her chain. Now, with Dymocks' backing, she can breathe freely and relish in the support, financial and otherwise, she was hungry for.

"As a solo business owner for 16 years it was beginning to take its toll", she said.

"There was simply too much demand on me with little time left for anything else. Had I known how hard it would be to run the business on my own I may have done things differently but what I have learnt is invaluable".

"The Dymocks deal suited me on a few different levels and the timing was perfect. First, they understand franchising with Dymocks being one of the largest franchised book stores in Australia."

"Second, the CEO also has a strong retail and food background and it was important that whomever I partnered with understood the industry and what I was trying to achieve. Initially, while looking for an investor, I was approached by a private equity firm and they worked through some investor options with me".

"They finally came through with Dymocks and it just clicked. Their culture matched mine and they had strong relationships with their franchisees.The only downside was that they were based in Sydney, which meant moving the business there.