Time To Shine

Nirav Shastri (conferring with regional manager Dan Totty): ‘The business has well exceeded my expectations’

Unlock your true potential with Paramount Services – there’ll never be a better time

When Dan Totty took on the role of Wellington regional manager for Paramount Services five years ago, he brought with him a wealth of knowledge on people, account and project management – much of it relating to the cleaning and maintenance industry. Now he works with a local support team of four, as well as Paramount’s national support team, to assist and guide the region’s 25 franchisees.

Dan is adamant that this is a great time to be considering a Paramount franchise.

‘As the old saying goes, as a franchisee you’re in business for yourself but not by yourself,’ he says. ‘This is even more true in today’s dynamic Covid environment where you need support and guidance from a stable, established industry leader.

‘A Paramount franchise is a great opportunity in 2022 because New Zealand’s cleaning industry is short of good people to perform essential cleaning services. We have a range of national and local contracts with excellent growth opportunities in several regions.’

Dan says Paramount’s local franchisees have performed exceptionally well over the past two years. ‘We were well-placed because our clients include a lot of essential services, such as banks, and as they learned to rely upon our professionalism so the relationships we have with them became stronger.

‘Of course, some clients did have to close their doors completely, but that same professionalism meant we also picked up some national contracts to replace them.’

What do you need?

Paramount franchisees come from all walks of life, and all parts of the world, explains Dan. ‘What you need to succeed is a strong work ethic, determination and dedication towards achieving goals. It’s also important that you can learn how to deal and interact with people, employees and clients, as well as follow systems and accept guidance from the support team.’

Anything else? ‘Oh, physical fitness is a must, and proficiency in English helps, too.’

Dan says he gets satisfaction seeing Paramount’s franchisees working hard and achieving their personal or financial goals, whether that’s a better education for their kids or a better home for their family.

‘Right now, we have many opportunities for franchisees to grow their businesses,’ he says. ‘A husband-and-wife team, for example, can make good money with the work that’s available at the moment, but it needn’t just be about couples – we have franchisees who started on their own and built up a sizeable business employing a team.’

Your determination, our support

When Nirav Shastri started looking for a business to secure his future, opportunity came knocking when he spotted a Paramount-branded vehicle in the street with the message, ‘Franchises available’. He was curious to find out more and requested an information pack.

Nirav Shastri: ‘I'm working on doubling our turnover in the next 12 months

‘After a couple of meetings, I was soon impressed by the whole transparent process. I learned a lot about the business – nothing is hidden,’ says Nirav, who is a qualified telecommunications technician.

After checking out some of Paramount’s client sites and talking to his accountant, family and close friends, Nirav made the decision to invest in a franchise in the Wairarapa region. Finance was no problem, as Paramount has such a good reputation with the banks, and the comprehensive training ensured he was ready from the start. He launched in June 2021 and already has five staff on his team. ‘The business has well exceeded my expectations,’ Nirav smiles.

As regional manager for the area, Dan Totty has had Nirav under his wing from day one and believes he will succeed in his business goals because he is a great communicator who is eager to learn. His determination to achieve has seen him quickly acquire a long list of qualifications to help grow his business beyond commercial cleaning, including an EWP (Elevated Work Platform) licence and his electrical testing and tagging certification.

‘This allows him to diversify into facility management, and broaden his potential income,’ says Dan. ‘Nirav has also been earmarked as a workplace assessor to assist with training others. As a result, he and his team can be earning money all hours of the day.’

Looking back, Nirav is thankful for Dan’s support through the whole process of establishing and growing his Paramount business. ‘Dan works hard to help me reach and fulfil my goals, and is always there to call on. I plan to build one of the biggest and best Paramount franchises in the Lower North Island, and I know I can rely on him to be there for me as I work on doubling our turnover in the next 12 months.’

Nirav Shastri: ‘The business has well exceeded my expectations’

Questions please

Thanks to Paramount’s 43 years of experience and award-winning franchise system, getting started in your own business generally takes just 8 to 12 weeks from initial enquiry to ‘feet on the ground’.

‘We have a professional and systematic approach to recruiting and training, starting with finding out who you really are, why you want to become a Paramount franchisee and what you want to achieve,’ says Dan. ‘We also require you to complete the FANZ Franchisee Pre-entry Online Education Programme, to get a good understanding of how franchising works. The more you know before you start, the better.

‘Ask the franchisor as many questions as you can,’ he advises. ‘Some of the best franchisees I’ve recruited have asked hundreds of questions. I’ll often spend half a day at a coffee shop somewhere for our first meet.

‘Continue to ask questions throughout the entire franchise journey,’ he adds. ‘We meet with all our franchisees regularly to offer assistance, so listen to people with experience and continue working on your personal development. That way, you can grow the business you want with the support and experience of one of the country’s best franchisors behind you.’

The time is right

As for the future, as the country cautiously opens up and some sense of normality returns, Dan believes Paramount is well-positioned as the commercial cleaning industry’s environmental leader, as well as the service provider with the most reliable and dependable operators.

‘Our sustainability programmes, adoption of new technologies, and excellent people management set us apart from the competition.

‘With support from our franchisees, we’re well on the way to meeting our target of a fully-electric vehicle fleet by 2025, and we even offer new franchisees a $5,000 discount on the franchise fee if they purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle.

‘Right now, there are a number of excellent opportunities for those with the desire to grow. Although various industries out there are doing it tough at the moment, Paramount is well placed with our systems, our people and our leadership team all helping to make our franchisees’ businesses grow.

‘It’s the perfect time to take advantage of gaps in the market, so contact us now to find out more about owning your own business with Paramount.’

Advertiser Info

Paramount Services

www.paraserve.com

Contact Dan Totty

P 0-9-376 7850 M 021 925 504

dtotty@paraserve.com

Congratulations to Paramount franchisees Gary and Kirsten Camoin, Westpac Supreme Franchisees 2021