• Jodi Cottle left behind her corporate job to regain control of her life 
• She’s now the owner of a Laser Clinics Australia franchisee

Five years ago mum Jodie Cottle quit her well-paying corporate job to regain control of her life – now she works when she wants and earns a six-figure salary. 

The 40-year-old former sales manager and mortgage adviser struggled maintaining a work-life balance shortly after becoming a mum and knew something needed to change. 

‘When I worked in corporate, I was doing the constant mum juggle,’ Ms Cottle told FEMAIL. 

‘I’d get up early, check emails before my son woke up, rush around the house and do the morning drop-off. 

‘I’d then go to work and have to sit through meetings where things were mansplained to me or where my male colleagues took credit for my ideas. I finally thought: Enough is enough!’

Taking matters into her own hands, she opted to become a Laser Clinics Australia franchisee and now rakes in more than $100,000 a year. 

She now has complete freedom over her working hours and wants to help more Aussie women find that balance.

Jodi’s advice for others wanting to start a business

Map out the values and make these an essential core of the business 

Work on building a great team 

No matter what, you need to persevere and push through the tough times 

Don’t be driven by money – consider your ‘why’ and what you’re doing it for 

‘For years I flew interstate nearly every week for my job, I was exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed,’ she said. 

Jodi, who is from New Zealand but now lives on the Gold Coast, had a strong  advantage in branching out on her own after completing a Masters in Business and also studying neuroscience at university. 

At the start of 2018, she and her family moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast and for 18 months she toyed with different business ideas. 

‘The first few months were terrifying, I knew I wanted to start a business, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do,’ Jodi said.

Rather than building a brand from scratch, she turned to franchising an already existing company – an option she believes is overlooked – and bought a laser clinic in Tweed Heads in September 2019.

With her background in business, she conducted research herself on the numbers and took a ‘calculated’ risk – which paid off.

After being handed the keys to her own franchise it took a further 18 months to build a thriving team and start making a huge profit. 

Today, Jodi’s base salary as an owner is $100,000 with quarterly bonuses based on sales. 

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing – the clinic has faced huge challenges from bushfires, floods, border closures and Covid.

‘There have been tough times, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,’ Jodi said.

‘Now I trust my staff and only work when it’s necessary.’ 

Jodi has always been great with handling money as when she was 19 she bought her first property, and by 25 she owned six. 

She worked as a mortgage adviser during this time before turning to sales and senior leadership. 

Her experience with handling property combined with her Masters in Business greatly assisted when it came to franchising. 

Jodi’s hopes her story will inspire other Australian women to escape the rat race and take back control of their own lives.

To help inspire other women to make the same leap of faith, Jodi has written a book titled ‘The Pocket MBA: A Woman’s Playbook for Succeeding in Business’.