Indo-Fijian immigrants to New Zealand often struggle to find suitable work and are increasingly turning to franchises as a reliable way to earn a living.
Satya and Morrine Nand look back on their decision to start a franchise business and offer advice for others.
When Morrine Nand left Lautoka in Fiji in 2007 to move to her husband’s home in Auckland, she was grateful for the part time job he got her at Pak N Save, where he worked.
But eight years and two children later, she wanted to do something more with her life.
“I wanted to branch out and build my own business, with something I could build up to a good income but still fit in around my children,” she said.
Career change
The hard-working couple did their homework over six months.
They considered a courier business, but thought there were limited opportunities for growth. Once they settled on the idea of a cleaning business for Morrine, they looked at seven or eight companies before settling on Green Acres as the best fit for them.
“Some franchises are set up and therefore it is as if you are just working for the company, with no say over your hours of work or how you grow the business,” Satya said.
“We chose Green Acres because it offered time flexibility, the franchise fees were reasonable and the business model allowed Morrine to offer both commercial and home cleaning services.”
Good training
Morrine also liked the training and support on offer, saying Green Acres taught her how to interact confidently with customers, quote for jobs and control business growth.
The Nands felt respected and welcomed into the Green Acres family.
Morrine said that the company built a relationship with them rather than an employer-style interaction.
“They care about us personally – not just the money side, but how we re coping with the children and things like that.”
Morrine started her commercial and home cleaning business in February this year, after completing the Green Acres training.
“I work across West Auckland and have built the business up to more than 22 hours a week, based on leads generated by Green Acres. I work hard and give good service and hence my customers stay with me and refer me to others. I have 100% good feedback,” she said.
Morrine’s only hiccough so far came when a customer did not want to pay and tried to negotiate a discount after the job. Morrine was able to forward the customer to Green Acres to sort out.
Flexibility pays
Morrine has plans to build the business up to 25-30 hours a week, which she says will give her a financial return more than double her previous job, while still allowing her to enjoy and care for her two young children.
“Now I have more flexibility, more money, good hours and I can grow in life. I can definitely recommend this type of business to anyone else thinking of taking up a franchise. This is the best thing I ever did – go for it.”
| Franchise Business Checklist
Do good research to choose the right path Discuss with your partner How much money will you make? Check what the fees are Does the franchise attract good quality customers? Which is best – commercial or home? Ask about training It is not just a matter of the money, it is a matter of how well you can cope See if you can start with a small amount and build it up
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About Green Acres
Established in 1991, Green Acres is one of New Zealand’s largest and most successful franchise brands with more than 800 franchisees in cities and towns. All franchisees are fully-trained by specialists to deliver home care services including car valet, pool valet, carpet care, pest control, commercial and home cleaning, ironing and lawn and garden care.
The above material was sent by Botica, Butler, Roudon based in Auckland.
Photo:
Satya and Morrine Nand
