August 6, 2024 • 7 mins
Rex Airlines has gone into administration and there have been suggestions, that Jim's Group should take over the company.
The beloved Jim Penman joined Rod and Gabi to respond to the rumours.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Your podcast camera wrapped less than a week ago that
you said you spotted one of the Gym's franchise Jim's things.
That was the first time that you'd gone, oh, oh,
he does that as well.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
There's a lot of Gym's franchises there are.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I think we've got used to it. But what was
the one that taught you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
At Jim's bookkeeping? Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Of course, well not it's a big operation and it's
tax time. He's the first person that I would have
taking a look at things.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
He would know how to run the books.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
But I do wonder if there are ever cases of
people who think Jim's actually showing up well.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I feel like producer Beth was maybe one of those people.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I think she was most excited about being coached with.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
The coaching Jim's life coaching.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Maybe he is the one that I don't know. We
are privileged to have the man, the founder, the CEO
of the Jim's Group, Jim Penman, the original gym mate.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
How are you, oh great, how are you very well?
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Congratulations? This is one of the most extraordinary Australia in stories.
Full stop your life and your career. However, do you
ever hear about people being disappointed that you're not the
actual one that showed up.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Well, I guess people have the idea these days that
there's quite a few of us, so yes, they don't
usually think it's me.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Did you start off the business by only employing gyms
just so it wasn't confusing?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
We have thought of it. Actually, we actually thought of
making a compulsory to have a beard too. That something
that women objected that were just really doubt all that
kind of stuff, so we decided to go in this.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
That's a really great point. It is Australia's most famous beard,
and faous people will grow a beard try and achieve
some type of anonymity. However, when people see you these days,
you are without the beard. Was that by design? Did
you shave it off so that people stopped recognizing you
and you had a second to yourself down the shops?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
The funny thing is if I had a beard and
I had my mowing clothes on, people with people wouldn't
recognize me. I had one guy actually as Jim and
then he said, I said good day, and then he said,
you know, not really Jim, is it? And I said, well,
actually this and he said, you know, you've ben look
like him.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
That's great, you are him. We hear about businesses expanding
and upscaling too quickly, and it sounds like it's, I guess,
the blessing and the curse of success with any business
model or any great idea. Can I assume that you
don't subscribe to that philosophy because to achieve as much
on such a scale in really on less than a
(02:32):
lifetime seems beyond my comprehension.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well, actually, it's like since the franchise started eighty nine,
that's like, oh what nearly forty years now, in thirty
five years, so it's not been overnight success. Look, he
just I was. The whole thing surprised me. Really. When
I first started back at any nine, somebody asked me
how many French chi they might have one day, and
I said, it goes were maybe one hundred. It's kind
(02:59):
of striking to have five and a half thousand or so.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
You have fifty two different arms of gyms, so there's
fifty two different kinds of business that gym's franchising takes on.
How do you decide what the next franchise is that
you'll do, or is it someone comes to you with
the idea wanting to go under the gym's banner.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Usually somebody comes to us and with an idea and
with some sort of background in the industry, but there's
certain things that we we like. A business that's got
good hourly rate potential. If you can't see an average
operator making at least seventy dollars an hour, we're not interested.
So that's the start, and it's going to be something
that's fairly big because our franchise system isn't it doesn't
(03:42):
have huge fees, so it has to be done in scale.
We'd like a franchise system where you can have at
least one hundred franchises without too much trouble. So major industries,
well paid ones.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, we had an idea on Friday Gym because with
Rex going into receivership, is it at the administration? Yeah?
Is there an arm that you could open of Jim's jets?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yes, yes, I know we did April fool on that
one year, but yeah, just just we do jokes every
year April the first and that was one of them
in Diym's airline. But one of the principles of success
is that you go and you don't do things you
don't understand very well. And frankly, I wouldn't go into airlines.
I wouldn't go into fast food. I wouldn't like people
(04:24):
with McDonald's. We've focused on service industries and it sounds
very varied, but they're all the same idea. Somebody rings
for a service, we come out of opera service. Whether
it's bookkeeping or lawn moan or dog wash or cleaning,
or it doesn't matter. They're all the same kind of things,
same software, same systems, same contracts.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
With Jim's Beauty, specifically, is your silhouette face still the
logo or is there any arm of the business that
doesn't have your face that goes for a different look?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
No, No, we never do it. Look we tried, We tried,
Like just give an example. We were going to We're
looking at a glass some years ago and we did
a survey in South Australia people about blazing companies and
there were a couple of local ones and there was O'Brien,
which is the biggest in the country, and then there's
Gym's class we wish they preferred to use, and they
(05:18):
they preferred O'Brien to the two locals, but by far
the best response from the public, and so who they
want to use was for Gym's class and Jim's Crass
didn't even exist.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Because you were recognizable.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
I've already got the biggest brand in the country for
the division even before we start, so it gives us
huge advantage in the marketplace.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That's extraordinary.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Is extraordinary. But to people, I don't know, seeing Jim's
face when getting Jim's beauty, maybe you do need to
put a little lipstick on there.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yes, well, Jimsbudy hasn't actually gone that world. It's been
very hard to get enough local work. So it's one
of their less successful ones. There's very few that don't work,
but beauty has not not being a success of afraid
that they know this shade.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
When are you? I mean, they say people who love
what they do don't stop. But at a certain point,
I think you've probably earned a day off. When do
you decide to what your hand this on? Do you
sell it off? What do you do?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Well? Actually, no, I have my retirement seremony or plan.
It's going to be in a church and I'm going
to be the guest of honor and I'm going to
be a box on the on the dead.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
He died doing what he loves.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
And I do not. I do not enjoy holidays very much.
I find the toughest time of the year Christmas in
your year. I go with my family, which is good
and that's but to me, taking time off work is very,
very difficult. I try not to work seven days a week.
I just can't not do it. It's too much fun, it's
too indictive.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Look, I'm about to give you an idea. You're about
to say, mate, I've already thought of it. On that day,
You've got a captive audience. Everyone's in the church. I've
got to believe that on the side of the coffin,
that's the moment that you launch Jim's funeral service.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Well, my wait, that long twenty years ago. I'd like
to do junal shows. We'd love to do, and we're
doing it a lot quicker than that. Yeah, So all
I need to do is the right person with the
right back when industry come to me, let's work together
on anybody listening on to the Jim's funerals. Let's not
wait till I'm dead to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
And do you guarantee to use the service obviously when
in twenty or thirty years.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
I will guaranteed to be one of the customers a
long time in the future.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Mate, never stop and not being a plan on stopping,
but you've just proved that there's it's not going to
happen anytime soon. You're a gentleman for giving you so
much of your time. It is very valuable and we
do sincerely appreciate it. Thank you very much and we
look forward to seeing you next time you visit Camera.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Thank you, good to talk to you your podcast.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Camera wraps
Your podcast camera wrapped less than a week ago that
you said you spotted one of the Gym's franchise Jim's things.
That was the first time that you'd gone, oh, oh,
he does that as well.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
There's a lot of Gym's franchises there are.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I think we've got used to it. But what was
the one that taught you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
At Jim's bookkeeping? Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Of course, well not it's a big operation and it's
tax time. He's the first person that I would have
taking a look at things.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
He would know how to run the books.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
But I do wonder if there are ever cases of
people who think Jim's actually showing up well.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I feel like producer Beth was maybe one of those people.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I think she was most excited about being coached with.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
The coaching Jim's life coaching.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Maybe he is the one that I don't know. We
are privileged to have the man, the founder, the CEO
of the Jim's Group, Jim Penman, the original gym mate.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
How are you, oh great, how are you very well?
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Congratulations? This is one of the most extraordinary Australia in stories.
Full stop your life and your career. However, do you
ever hear about people being disappointed that you're not the
actual one that showed up.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Well, I guess people have the idea these days that
there's quite a few of us, so yes, they don't
usually think it's me.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Did you start off the business by only employing gyms
just so it wasn't confusing?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
We have thought of it. Actually, we actually thought of
making a compulsory to have a beard too. That something
that women objected that were just really doubt all that
kind of stuff, so we decided to go in this.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
That's a really great point. It is Australia's most famous beard,
and faous people will grow a beard try and achieve
some type of anonymity. However, when people see you these days,
you are without the beard. Was that by design? Did
you shave it off so that people stopped recognizing you
and you had a second to yourself down the shops?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
The funny thing is if I had a beard and
I had my mowing clothes on, people with people wouldn't
recognize me. I had one guy actually as Jim and
then he said, I said good day, and then he said,
you know, not really Jim, is it? And I said, well,
actually this and he said, you know, you've ben look
like him.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
That's great, you are him. We hear about businesses expanding
and upscaling too quickly, and it sounds like it's, I guess,
the blessing and the curse of success with any business
model or any great idea. Can I assume that you
don't subscribe to that philosophy because to achieve as much
on such a scale in really on less than a
(02:32):
lifetime seems beyond my comprehension.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well, actually, it's like since the franchise started eighty nine,
that's like, oh what nearly forty years now, in thirty
five years, so it's not been overnight success. Look, he
just I was. The whole thing surprised me. Really. When
I first started back at any nine, somebody asked me
how many French chi they might have one day, and
I said, it goes were maybe one hundred. It's kind
(02:59):
of striking to have five and a half thousand or so.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
You have fifty two different arms of gyms, so there's
fifty two different kinds of business that gym's franchising takes on.
How do you decide what the next franchise is that
you'll do, or is it someone comes to you with
the idea wanting to go under the gym's banner.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Usually somebody comes to us and with an idea and
with some sort of background in the industry, but there's
certain things that we we like. A business that's got
good hourly rate potential. If you can't see an average
operator making at least seventy dollars an hour, we're not interested.
So that's the start, and it's going to be something
that's fairly big because our franchise system isn't it doesn't
(03:42):
have huge fees, so it has to be done in scale.
We'd like a franchise system where you can have at
least one hundred franchises without too much trouble. So major industries,
well paid ones.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, we had an idea on Friday Gym because with
Rex going into receivership, is it at the administration? Yeah?
Is there an arm that you could open of Jim's jets?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yes, yes, I know we did April fool on that
one year, but yeah, just just we do jokes every
year April the first and that was one of them
in Diym's airline. But one of the principles of success
is that you go and you don't do things you
don't understand very well. And frankly, I wouldn't go into airlines.
I wouldn't go into fast food. I wouldn't like people
(04:24):
with McDonald's. We've focused on service industries and it sounds
very varied, but they're all the same idea. Somebody rings
for a service, we come out of opera service. Whether
it's bookkeeping or lawn moan or dog wash or cleaning,
or it doesn't matter. They're all the same kind of things,
same software, same systems, same contracts.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
With Jim's Beauty, specifically, is your silhouette face still the
logo or is there any arm of the business that
doesn't have your face that goes for a different look?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
No, No, we never do it. Look we tried, We tried,
Like just give an example. We were going to We're
looking at a glass some years ago and we did
a survey in South Australia people about blazing companies and
there were a couple of local ones and there was O'Brien,
which is the biggest in the country, and then there's
Gym's class we wish they preferred to use, and they
(05:18):
they preferred O'Brien to the two locals, but by far
the best response from the public, and so who they
want to use was for Gym's class and Jim's Crass
didn't even exist.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Because you were recognizable.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
I've already got the biggest brand in the country for
the division even before we start, so it gives us
huge advantage in the marketplace.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That's extraordinary.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Is extraordinary. But to people, I don't know, seeing Jim's
face when getting Jim's beauty, maybe you do need to
put a little lipstick on there.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yes, well, Jimsbudy hasn't actually gone that world. It's been
very hard to get enough local work. So it's one
of their less successful ones. There's very few that don't work,
but beauty has not not being a success of afraid
that they know this shade.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
When are you? I mean, they say people who love
what they do don't stop. But at a certain point,
I think you've probably earned a day off. When do
you decide to what your hand this on? Do you
sell it off? What do you do?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Well? Actually, no, I have my retirement seremony or plan.
It's going to be in a church and I'm going
to be the guest of honor and I'm going to
be a box on the on the dead.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
He died doing what he loves.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
And I do not. I do not enjoy holidays very much.
I find the toughest time of the year Christmas in
your year. I go with my family, which is good
and that's but to me, taking time off work is very,
very difficult. I try not to work seven days a week.
I just can't not do it. It's too much fun, it's
too indictive.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Look, I'm about to give you an idea. You're about
to say, mate, I've already thought of it. On that day,
You've got a captive audience. Everyone's in the church. I've
got to believe that on the side of the coffin,
that's the moment that you launch Jim's funeral service.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Well, my wait, that long twenty years ago. I'd like
to do junal shows. We'd love to do, and we're
doing it a lot quicker than that. Yeah, So all
I need to do is the right person with the
right back when industry come to me, let's work together
on anybody listening on to the Jim's funerals. Let's not
wait till I'm dead to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
And do you guarantee to use the service obviously when
in twenty or thirty years.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
I will guaranteed to be one of the customers a
long time in the future.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Mate, never stop and not being a plan on stopping,
but you've just proved that there's it's not going to
happen anytime soon. You're a gentleman for giving you so
much of your time. It is very valuable and we
do sincerely appreciate it. Thank you very much and we
look forward to seeing you next time you visit Camera.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Thank you, good to talk to you your podcast.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Camera wraps
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