Jarrod came across The Good Feet Store while travelling in America with his wife Rebecca. Plagued for years by back pain that chiropractic and physiotherapy treatments failed to resolve, he stepped into The Good Feet Store and tried the orthotics. These changed his life one step at a time – within six months, his pain had disappeared. 

Unable to source the product in Australia, Jarrod spotted a business opportunity. The former franchisee with home-building chain GJ Gardner took on the master franchise rights to build and develop the 30-year-old brand in Australia and New Zealand. Jarrod and his Good Feet Store team offer an intensive service, spending time getting to know their customers and being able to help fulfil their needs.   

• Tell us about the journey that lead you to start your own business 

Yeah, for sure. It was a Friday morning and I was … I gave the Good Feet Store in America a call, and I was on the phone with the owner for about an hour. I had a really good chat with him and we talked to him about bringing Good Feet to Australia. And I remember right at the end he said, “If you’re really serious about this, I want you to jump on a flight to come and see me.”  

And I hung up the phone, I turned to my wife, Rebecca, and I said, “Look, they said if we’re serious we’ve got to go over and see them.” And within 10 minutes make and booked the flight for Sunday morning to America. 

So she was really good because she only booked me on and didn’t book herself. I arrived in LA Sunday morning, tired, I drove down, met the guys in San Diego for lunch. And from that moment on our life changed, it was fantastic. Just meeting the guys straight away, there was just a really good feeling of the company, what they were doing with the product, what they were doing moving forward with the vision, and just remembering my father and think, “This is something I really want to do.” And he said, “If you love it then go for it,” and he said, “Don’t hold back.”   

So yeah, our journey started very quickly. It wasn’t something we sat around thinking about for ages. It was right within two days I was on a flight, I was in America, I was talking to the guys and along we went. 

• Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? 

Yeah, for sure, Holly. I remember years back when I was younger and my father’s an accountant who work corporates, worked for big business so he didn’t have an entrepreneurial business himself. But I remember one day saying to him, “What’s that word entrepreneur I keep hearing? What is that thing?” And back then it was probably a pretty new word, and he said, “I don’t know either.” And I don’t know if that stuck with me or what it is, but I’ve always had a big vision for wanting to do my own deal.  

And then years there after that I remember thinking my one goal, my one big dream in life would be to grow a brand across Australia. I didn’t know how I was going to do it or didn’t know what it was going to be, but I feel like I’m on the right track right now.  

•  What is one action or task you ensure you incorporate into your diary each week 

Well, I’ve actually got a couple. One of the biggest things I’ve got is I’m a member of Entrepreneur’s Organization in the last ten years, so every week I meet up with or have a phone call with my buddy. And every week we run through our goals with each other and we’re accountable to each other. It keeps me on track, it keeps him on track, and both of us are really steps ahead.  

The other thing personally for me is I love getting up at 5:00, I exercise, have a walk with my wife, have a walk with the dog, have a swim in the ocean, get that inner feeling, and then start the day fresh. 

• What do you attribute your success to? 

Having a big vision and having a big dream is definitely something that I keep striving and working towards. Having that vision and then finding the right people to come on that journey with you. A big part of success is finding the right team. We’ve got a great team at the moment, they are just right on board with our vision, they love our products, they love our brand. So it makes coming to work easy and it helps them love what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis. Also my parents as well, they’re such hard workers that I’ve got a little bit of that in me as well. 

•  What local entrepreneur do you find inspiring? 

A good friend of mine, Jeff Hughes, and he’s got a business, an IT business, Forsyth IT. He’s been in business for over 20 years and quite a substantial business. Monthly we catch up and have a talk about business, life, everything, and he’s fantastic. He’s got such a positive energy. I walk away after every meeting with him ready to go for it, and he kicks my butt a bit too just to get me online.  

My other real big inspiration is my wife, I’m feeling emotional, is my wife, she’s fantastic. She’s not a local but she’s now almost a local. She keeps me on track, keeps me going forward and we work fantastically together.