All Episodes

November 29, 2023 • 8 mins

You can listen to Flex & Froomes live weekdays from 3pm - 5pm on CADA!

Popularised mowing service, Jim's Mowing has launched a beauty service, Jim's Beauty.

Jim, a Boy Boss of many enterprises has got us thinking... What if we started a company for men?

Flex & Froomes put together their business plan on today's episode...

We love chit chatting, so whatever we can't say on air, we put here, In our catchup podcast! Every weekday we bring you a replay of our show and an extended segment just for the podcast (like this one!). 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Flex and Frooms, Flex and Frooms. This is the Flex
and Frooms catch up podcast on the top. The other day,
I was scrolling away I came across a thing called
Jim's Beauty. I could not believe my eyes. Guys, we're
all across Jim's Mowing that's been around for eons. Now
there's Jim's Beauty. It's the same man, Jim in a hat,

(00:22):
and yet the branding is naturally hot pink, and now
Jim is providing beauty services.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Jim is a real person. We're not just a concept
or a mascot. Jim is a person.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
What's the tea there?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
SAME's Jim Penman and he's the franchise founder still operating
in the business, which I think is very surprising because
generally you assume, if you, I mean to this point,
before you even get too deep. How do we know
so much about Jim's Mowing? Have you used a Jim's
Mowing service before?

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Absolutely not.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
So that kind of marketing, that kind of ingrained brand
love without having used the brand. You could not pay
for that.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
I just like, look at that man's face. I think
he stayed with it because when your name is a
business you're gonna sell it to Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
All right, as you've been talking and doing some research
about this, because I didn't really know that Jim's Group
was as big as it is. So Jim's Mowing began
when Jim Penman started the business as a part time
work while he was undertaking his PhD, with a twenty
four dollars investment in nineteen eighty two. According to the
group's website, what did you buy for twenty four dollars
a mowing machine? The group now has more than five

(01:28):
thousand franchises and a turnover of five hundred million. Thought people, Yeah, okay,
so Jim's Beauty it's still oh my goodness, it's still
the classic gym's branding with the guy, but just has
beauty and pink and a little flower, so you know,
it's the chicks, not the French penny. Literally. So basically

(01:50):
they've just said that we know a lot of people,
especially women, who'd be very interested in doing it, and
thought there would be a market, and that they'll provide
quote unquote treatments for mostly women, including facial skin treatments,
lash extensions, eyeb our treatments, waxing hair, teeth, whitening and
nail treatments, and so they've got heaps of inquiries for
those treatments two hundred and sixty three unanswered leads. It

(02:13):
feels like a lot of people waiting for the services.
But so that's happened in the last week. But we
haven't got a franchisee yet. So what we're looking for
is franchisees.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Oh what I because I went and applied for something.
What like, I went to see, oh, what can I
get on this service? I wanted a message. I don't
know if they do messages though, I don't know that's
they do.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Facial franchise ese. So I don't know where this promotion
is coming from. With no franchisees. If this is April,
it would be fools. Feedback for GYM gotta launch at
a better time.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
But also call it Gimmet Beauty Place. If we're going
to go down the gendered roll, go the full whole,
why wouldn't they just make it Jim's Beauty for Men,
because men, you know it's gonna be Jim's grooming Beauty. Babe.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Welcome to the century. Let's just say what it is.
It's not unusual for men to own women's businesses. You
look like before we got into girl Boss Avenue, where
female founders were at the helm of their own businesses,
it was not unusual for your favorite beauty brand to
be owned by a man. But why aren't we seeing
it the other way around? And I'm not knocking, I'm
just saying I would like to make money off men. So,

(03:31):
like I said before, you look at a bunch of
fashion brands, beauty brands, brands specifically for women, why do
you think the tagline for women by women's sided Because
you have to start making these distinctions, you really do
women owned business, women own business. And it's interesting and
kind of hurtful that these men are able to market

(03:53):
so well and this roundabout way of like reinforcing their
needs through these channels that are made to see what
they're for asked, but they're not. This is why we
divest as rooms is putting on two layers of lipstick and.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Women are run and I got the Mecha max branding,
so the money is coming from inside the house. You
know what, I just to counter, you know, as I
like to do undermine the points of my people. I
used a like a removal of service called Gina's moving
and it's because I saw a hot pink trunk truck
in bond Diet like a moving company. Yes, and her name,

(04:30):
Gina is on the side and she's like standing with
her pants on her hips, and there's just something about
that appeal to me. So I went with it. Was
it a more expensive option? Absolutely? Was it? Was it fantastic,
It was good, it was too okay? Which better? I
was lifted down? Please? But so that worked. I think
like she really leant into like the hot pink thing.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
I want women to pink wash.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, I'm doubt that's what she did.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
But before we get to that stage, because that's really earnest,
let's go a few steps and say, how can we
leverage men's issues as women?

Speaker 1 (05:05):
Oh? How can we?

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Because for instance, I saw I don't know what's that
brand called. I see their ads when I'm driving. I
think it's Trady. Yes, I think I don't know if
they do deodorant, underwear both. It's like, okay, you're aware.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
I'll see trading all the time.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
So they clearly know their market, they know the demographic,
and it's like four men by men. I don't think
I know where to start where if I were to
make let's say, underwear four men, because the inherent thing
about servicing men is that it's meant to function as
intended like such a critical customer. I remember when I
worked in men's footwear and babies every single one. It

(05:40):
was like interacting with children in the sense and not
even shady.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Right.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
But let's say I'm working at this men's shoe store.
A man would come in, we'd interact. The first thing
I would ask is you know what are you looking for?
Had no idea?

Speaker 1 (05:54):
Y had no idea?

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Where are you going?

Speaker 1 (05:55):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (05:56):
I'm looking for a workshoe, but also have a wedding
coming up? So I guess do you want to work?
You're a wing shoe. I don't know something for both. Okay,
well let's pull out options. So I pull out a
leather shoe. No, I want to be with more canvas.
Where do you work than a canvas shoe and a
wedding shoe are going to be the same shoe, right?

Speaker 1 (06:12):
He wants a boat shoe, Baby, We're gonna get there. Sorry.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
So then we kind of decided, okay, well, let me
let's bring out two separate options. So we're servicing each
of your needs separately, and then from there we'll decide
what's right for you. Sound Does it sound good? It's
like gentle parenting. Yeah, sounds good. What size you ooh yeah, Oh,
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
I don't know. He's like, just like the average one.
M He's like, what sizes you have? I'm like, from
a six to twelve? He's like, so, what's in the
middle of a ten? I'm like, are you a ten?
Should I just check the shoe you have one? He's like,
just if you pring out couple sizes to be fine,
Why would I bring out a couple of Just give
me your shoe size, King, give me the shoe size.
I get the shoes out right. The first thing every

(06:53):
man would say without fail that comfortable. We're like comfortable.
These are like leather shoes. Like I don't know. In
my head, I'm like, what are you expecting from these shoes?
They're not meant to replace an ugboot, not meant to
replace a running shoe. Like they're made from a different material,
different kind of Like they're it's a different shoe. What

(07:15):
do you mean comfort? Does it fit well? I don't know,
Like it could be bigger, around the toe, around the side.
It just felt like you were like prying for information.
I'm like, no, wonder, it's so hard to market to men,
And I wonder a lot of marketing to men goes
through the women, because like you would have the most
confused marketing campaign ever trying to like discern what men

(07:37):
need in like a three second spiel. And this is
why gimmicks works so well for men's brands. Like I
saw one on Shark Tank and it was about this
guy making boxes that like hug your balls better nice
And it was like a it was like a play
on words about kangaroo pouches, something something something I don't know,
but I was like, only a man could have.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Thought of this, because I still don't understand reverse. Yeah,
I think the clothes thing is funny. I think a
lot of women buy their partners clothes.

Speaker 2 (08:05):
We've done it before. Have you done it? I've done before,
the whole thing.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
No, actually haven't done it, but accessory, shoes, clothes, skin care,
skin few, hairbrush. All right, we'll have a think about
what company we can start from men asap as well.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
You ty, you've been listening to The Flex and Froom's
daily podcast For more tune indicater on DAB or stream
it on iHeartRadio.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Bobby Bones Show

The Bobby Bones Show

Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.