About Joel Kleber
From Foster Care to CMO of Australia’s Largest Franchise, Jim’s Group
I was named #1 in the Franchise Executives Annual Top 30 Report (2024) for my innovative approach to franchise marketing and recruitment.
Jim’s Group CEO, Jim Penman, credited me in his latest book as being “the single biggest reason for the group’s growth over the last five years.”
I am the CMO for Jim’s Group, overseeing marketing efforts for multiple regions controlled by Jim’s Group Head Office, which includes around 1,000 franchisees.
I also manage the Jim Penman personal brand, which has expanded across multiple platforms. In addition, I host three podcasts, two for Jim’s Group and Jim’s Mowing, which rank #2 and #9 in the Top 100 Franchising Podcasts Worldwide.
I currently reside in Melbourne, Australia.
How Did I Get Here?
How does a kid who grew up in foster care with a mother in and out of psychiatric hospitals go on to become the CMO of Australia’s largest franchise group?
There are two key reasons.
1. Opportunity & Trust from Jim’s Group
Back in 2012, I started at Jim’s Group in what Jim Penman jokingly calls “the mailroom.” In reality, I was in the documents team, handling legal and administrative work—a far cry from marketing. But over time, Jim gave me opportunities to prove myself in different areas.
Over the last 12 years, I have worked my way up, taking initiative at every turn. Today, I am responsible for marketing efforts for Jim’s Group Head Office-controlled regions, which includes around 1,000 franchisees.
2. Non-Traditional Approach to Franchise Marketing
Unlike most marketers, I never formally studied marketing. Instead, I focused on what actually works, rather than following traditional industry methods that often waste time and resources.
My mentorship with Jim Penman helped me refine this approach.
I learned that franchise recruitment marketing is about creating recruitment-focused content—not spending excessive time on personas and market research when all the insights you need are sitting right there with your franchisees.
The franchising industry traditionally relies on directory listing sites and basic Facebook ads, but we took the opposite approach.
We built a massive content machine, producing:
More than 3,000 videos on our YouTube channel
4,000+ pieces of short-form content per year
Multi-platform organic social media content
This not only drives franchise growth today but also positions us for the future of AI and LLMs, ensuring our content is everywhere online, ready to be indexed and surfaced by AI-driven searches.
Taking Initiative & Delivering Results
Everything changed in April 2019 when I took ownership of Jim’s Group’s brand and marketing.
Before that, we had no real social media presence, no video content, and very little online engagement. Even though it wasn’t my area at the time (I was managing the legal/documents department), it frustrated me that all the great insights Jim shared internally never reached the public.
So, I fired the social media agency running our accounts and took over myself. I went all in, creating video content, launching a podcast, and building our brand from zero online.
The results?
Before 2019: Our franchisee numbers hovered around 3,600 for a decade.
Today: We have over 5,500 franchisees in less than four years.
Our secret weapon? Relentless daily organic content.
At every new franchisee training session, I ask people how they found us.
The answer is always the same:
“I saw your videos on social media.”
“I listen to all the podcast episodes”
“Jim kept popping up on my TikTok feed.”
Most new franchisees—150 each month—say they’ve watched 30 to 40 videos before joining. This has been a major factor in why they chose Jim’s over other franchise brands.
Explosive Growth on Social Media – With Zero Paid Ads
100,000 subscribers on YouTube (55,000+ on Jim’s Mowing account alone)
100,000 followers on TikTok
All of this was achieved with zero paid advertising.
Automating Jim’s Group for Scale
Beyond marketing, I’ve transformed Jim’s Insurance Department by building an automated online system, making it more efficient and accessible.
I have also developed various online automation systems to streamline compliance and document management across the business. These tools have increased efficiency, reduced workload, and improved accuracy.
The Franchise Marketer Newsletter
I am recognised as one of Australia’s leading experts in franchise content marketing.
My approach—relentless daily organic social media, long-form podcasts, and video-driven marketing—has played a significant role in Jim’s Group’s record growth.
Each week, I send out a Franchise Marketing Newsletter, where I share:
Direct insights on franchise marketing
AI tutorials for business ownersMy thoughts on trends in franchising
My work is recognized beyond Jim’s Group, with many industry professionals following my content for practical franchise marketing insights.
If you want to stay ahead in franchise marketing, sign up here. Join the newsletter.
Lived Experience Advocacy
Beyond franchise marketing, I have a personal mission: raising awareness about mental health beyond just anxiety and depression.
Growing up, my mother had Bipolar 1 disorder, which she struggled to manage.
This led to time in psychiatric hospitals, and as a result, my siblings and I spent time in state care.
It was tough. But looking back, it shaped my resilience, something that has been invaluable in my career.
Unfortunately, discussions about mental health awareness often overlook young carers, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other complex conditions. That’s why I started The Lived Experience Podcast.
The Lived Experience Podcast
This podcast documents raw and real stories about mental illness beyond the mainstream conversations.
Growing up, I never had content like this. No resources. No community.
This podcast is my way of helping others feel less alone.
We highlight the real front-line workers in mental health: families and carers.
I believe that those supporting loved ones with serious conditions are the unsung heroes of mental health awareness. But how often do you hear them mentioned?
Hence, why I created the Lived Experience Podcast.
Connect with me
If you want to work with me or get in contact, please drop me an email to joelkleber (a) gmail.com