A BETTER LIFE

Manish Singh: ‘An income I could never have dreamed of’

Cleancorp franchisee built himself a whole new lifestyle in just three years

It has taken just three years for Cleancorp franchisee Manish Singh to enjoy a work/life balance he never thought possible. ‘I’m earning well, I work only 20 hours a week, and I spend the morning until late afternoon with my wife and 2-year-old daughter,’ explains Manish.

‘Really, I can’t think of another franchise that, for a relatively low entry investment, provides such a high return as quickly as Cleancorp.’

Since its beginnings in 1998, Cleancorp has become one of New Zealand’s largest commercial cleaning franchises, with over 150 franchisees specialising in offices, early childhood education centres, schools, medical centres, industrial and manufacturing sites, and more.

‘Despite that, we’re barely scratching the surface, and have almost limitless opportunities in Auckland (and especially the North Shore) for people wanting to enjoy the same lifestyle as Manish,’ says Loraine Reinsfield, Cleancorp’s General Manager.

I had to find out more

37-year-old Manish first arrived in Auckland from India in 2013 as a hospitality student. Along the way he met his wife Alka, had baby daughter Alish, and spent a number of years as a manager for one of the world’s biggest fast food brands.

‘Working shifts in hospitality takes you away from family and friends a lot, and you eventually start looking for opportunities with a decent work/life balance,’ says Manish. ‘So when my brother told me about a friend-of-a-friend who was really enjoying being a Cleancorp franchisee, I had to find out more.

‘I met with him and was impressed enough to contact Loraine and her team. They took me step-by-step through how the franchisor and franchisees work together, and the way the support services work. Cleancorp set up all the client invoices online so franchisees just have to add any extra work or consumables and click “Send”. With a monthly income guarantee for the first two years as well, it took a lot of the worry out of my first-ever experience as my own boss. Even better, I could stay in my regular job and start part-time as I built the business up.’

They believed in me

Manish was also reassured by the recruitment and training process. ‘It wasn’t just me asking questions; Cleancorp also wanted to satisfy themselves that I had the customer relationship skills and other qualities I would need to succeed, and it was good to know they believed in me.

‘I also went through the NZQA Certificate in Cleaning Level 2 training programme, and that made me feel a lot more confident. All Cleancorp franchisees must gain this qualification then they have the knowledge to train their staff to provide a truly professional service. Standards are regularly audited by Cleancorp quality control staff to ensure clients are happy.’

Three staff already, more to come

The Auckland territory Manish purchased had previously belonged to a young franchisee who had earned enough to on-sell and go overseas. ‘Cleancorp’s Hana Tamainui introduced me to my new clients, and within a year I turned full time. With Cleancorp’s support I’ve added more sites, most recently a huge concrete company, and I now employ three staff and am looking for more.

‘Being an immigrant myself, it’s great to be able to provide employment in a well-paid and satisfying job. Having skilled and well-trained staff means I’ve been able to achieve an amazing work/life balance and an income I could never have dreamed of in my previous career. I think of it as a reward for all the long hours and hard work I put in in the early days – even during lockdown.

‘During training, we had discussed how clients still need cleaning services even in a recession, but nobody imagined a pandemic,’ says Manish. ‘In fact, because so many Cleancorp clients nationwide were classified as essential services, the impact on my business and most other franchises was pretty small – and Covid has since made clients far more aware of the need for high standards of cleaning for staff and customer health and welfare. Because our processes and procedures were already so professional, it’s actually helped increase our business!’

What do you need?

Loraine says that Cleancorp is looking for people in Auckland who are ready to change their lives for the better. What do you need to succeed?

‘As Manish said, it is hard work in the early days as you get yourself established, so you need an excellent work ethic and an eye for detail, as well as excellent customer skills. We have computer-based systems and procedures to make life as simple as possible for you and help you stay on top of work and scheduling, but you need to be able to apply and follow those processes. As you grow, you’ll also need to be able to teach and manage a team.’

The Cleancorp franchise package starts from $28,000, including your start-up kit with everything you need to start your business, plus training. ‘You’ll also enjoy a guaranteed monthly income for the first two years, enabling you to start with confidence,’ Loraine says.

‘You’ve read Manish’s experience, so why not start your own success story as a Cleancorp franchisee? Call me now – it could be the start of a better life.’

Advertiser Info

www.cleancorp.co.nz

Contact Loraine Reinsfield

P 0-9-304 0599 M 021944 636

loraine@cleancorp.co.nz