How to Build a Billion-Dollar Business

CHAPTER 2VILLAGE LIFE

I've always loved the movies. My dream job (after failing to secure a job at McDonald's) was to work in a video store and maybe one day produce and direct movies, like Quentin Tarantino. My dad's family had a history with Village cinemas so when I finished school and was looking for a job, he lined up an interview with John Anderson, the CEO of Village Roadshow. The interview with John went well until at the end when he asked, ‘What cinema would you like to start at?’

I said, ‘Forest Hill.’

He said, ‘That's a Hoyts.’

My first lesson learnt. Do your research.

In 1994, I started as an Entertainment Service Provider (or ESP) at Village Doncaster. As cutesy as it seems, the acronym had resonance. It totally represented what we were trained to do, which was to predict what the customer wanted before they even knew themselves — to think ahead and be of service so that we could deliver on the extraordinary, rather than just do what everyone else was doing.

I did a bit of everything. I was the guy who sold the ice creams at the candy bar, tore the tickets at the door, and swept the popcorn off the floor. I was the guy who stood at the back of the cinema watching the first five minutes of the film to make sure that the sound was up, the lights went down, and the film was in focus. I counted the money at the end of the night, locked up and set the alarm. I was that guy.

One of my early jobs was to compare our ticket prices with those of other local cinemas to ensure ...