BUSINESS owner Neil Rissman has uncovered a secret to success in small business and is passing on his wealth of knowledge to staff at JAX Tyres.
He purchased the Mackay workshop four months ago and is already training up current manager Ashley (Ash) Fisher on how to run a business.
Mr Rissman oversees 10 employees at JAX Tyres but is excited to expand the team and will be offering mechanical apprenticeship opportunities at the beginning of 2019. The JAX team currently consists of office staff, mechanics and tyre technicians.
As a teenager, Mr Rissman was already in management roles overseeing a team of 40 McDonald’s staff. By his mid-20s, he was managing an astounding 60 Domino’s stores across the country.
Despite having a business degree, Mr Rissman emphasises the importance of practical experience.
“I was in management roles at 18 years old overseeing huge teams,” he said. “That experience really opened my eyes up to the world of business. I was able to talk to and learn from experienced franchisees.
“You can read a textbook all you want, but it’s not the same as practical knowledge.”
Mr Rissman is ingraining the importance of practical experience in his current employees. “With our workshop guys we are looking at upskilling them so they have mechanical knowledge,” Mr Rissman said.
“With Ash, I’ll start doing some more business training with him so he has that knowledge for the future.
It’s about bringing him along for the ride and helping him to understand the process of growing a business.”
Mr Fisher said having Mr Rissman guiding him was invaluable. “It’s really helpful because Neil has explained why we do certain things in depth,” he said.
“He’s taught me to look at the numbers and understand where we need to be as a company.
“I am interested in owning my own business one day so this experience is really going to give me the skills I will need.”
Mr Rissman encourages his staff to aim high and never doubt their ability to achieve their goals.
“I think a lot of people think it’s difficult to own a business, so they choose to work for someone else,” he said.
“The average person can own a business if they just break things down and make smart decisions. It’s a matter of jumping in and backing yourself.”
Source: https://www.pressreader.com/australia/daily-mercury/20181115/281711205678815
