Auckland Central franchisees Aakash Swamy and Aneesha Sharma have just reached a major milestone – three years in business. As the early years of running a business are often the toughest, this is a proud achievement for the couple.
Alongside running their franchise, Aakash also works full-time as a team leader at the Comfort Group, the company behind Sleepyhead bedding, where he’s spent the past 11 years looking after the raw materials at their factory. He starts his day bright and early at 6am and finishes by 2pm, just in time to pick the kids up from school. After some family time, he and Aneesha head out together in the evenings to look after their CrestClean sites.
Now, after three years of balancing a full-time job and running a business, Aakash is starting to see the rewards of all his hard work.
“I can see the returns coming back to me. I get to choose what time I go in and I can interact with customers to get feedback for my work. And I enjoy cleaning – so it’s good!” he says.
What makes it work so well is how the couple has shaped their business around their family life, keeping weekends free to recharge and spend time together.
“This way it’s not a stress or burden to us,” says Aakash.
They’ve also found that running a business together has brought balance to their household, especially after Aneesha returned to the workforce following seven years at home with their children. While it was originally intended as a way for Aneesha to earn an income, the franchise has become something that the whole family takes a lot of pride in.
Aakash and Aneesha developed a strong work ethic as children. Aakash remembers watching his parents work hard, and now he and Aneesha are passing on those same values to their own children.
“When I was younger, I always saw my parents work, so that’s the mindset I got. And now my kids are looking at me, watching me do two jobs and learning,” he says.
Looking ahead, Aakash and Aneesha hope to grow their business into something their children can one day be part of too. With dreams of buying their first home and eventually helping their kids into homes of their own, the extra income from their CrestClean franchise is bringing them closer to those goals every day.
“Work now, relax later – that’s my motto.”
