What does it take to turn a side hustle into a household name? For Jim Penman, it started with mowing lawns for twenty-four dollars a week — and grew into Jim’s Group, one of the largest and most recognisable franchise networks in Australia and beyond.
In this conversation, Jim shares the story of how he built a brand that now stretches across more than 50 industries, why customer service has always been his non-negotiable, and the mindset that helped him grow from a single operator into a leader of thousands.
But this isn’t just a business story. It’s a conversation about vision, persistence, and the courage to build something bigger than yourself. Jim opens up about:
- The leap from working solo to creating a scalable system.
- Why he believes strong values beat flashy marketing every time.
- The lessons he learned about resilience, delegation, and trust.
- How personal discipline and faith shape the way he leads.
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a leader steering a growing organisation, or simply someone fascinated by how ordinary people achieve extraordinary things, Jim’s story offers a rare window into the grit behind the growth.
👉 If you enjoy this episode, you might also love my other podcast Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, where I explore the stories of people who attempt the extraordinary and say yes to the impossible. Find it on Apple, Spotify, or at sampenny.com/brave.
