When Kamlesh Gounder quit his management job at the Warehouse to go fulltime with his Crest business he felt a real sense of freedom, he says.
That decision is something he hasn’t looked back on, his franchise having more than tripled in size, with Kamlesh and his wife Purnima Naidu recently celebrating 10 successful years in business.
“At the Warehouse I was spending eight hours enclosed in building,” says Kamlesh. “With my franchise I felt free driving around and visiting customers in the evenings.”
Going fulltime with CrestClean paved the way to take on more contracts, boosting their income and bringing a real sense of satisfaction, he says. “I liked the idea of running my own business and having more freedom. It’s your own baby and you can make it work for you.”
Kamlesh says he’s proud of what he’s achieved. “I’ve always viewed it like I’m a business owner and cleaning is the service that I sell. When you see it this way you rise above the perception some people might have of you that you’re just a cleaner.”
The 39-year-old received his Certificate of Long Service at the recent team meeting of Crest’s Auckland franchisees.
As well as an occasion to socialise, the event was a chance for Crest’s business owners to hear from the company’s managing director, Grant McLauchlan.
Kamlesh says he was impressed by what he heard in Grant’s presentation. “In some companies the people at the top don’t share much information – but Grant is not like this.”
He says it was reassuring to hear how well the company is doing. “It makes us feel more involved and gives everyone confidence in the business.
“Grant gives you a sense of comfort and confidence. If you know your pilot is a good pilot, you can relax in the aeroplane. We can leave him to do his job, knowing the company is in safe hands and I can help him by doing the best job I can for my customers.”
Purnima has taken a back seat in the couple’s business to focus on her job as a principal planner at Auckland Council. But she helps Kamlesh as often as she can, working with him most evenings.
She’s found some unexpected benefits to the change of gear from her daytime work. “Cleaning is my exercise for the day. My day job is sitting at a desk in front of a computer, so it’s a totally different type of job in the evening. I’m walking about for a few hours and getting some exercise.”
Her husband had totally thrown himself into the franchise, she says. “He’s a very detailed kind of person and takes a lot of pride in his work and is really committed to his business.”
Having a CrestClean business had helped them achieve a comfortable lifestyle, she says. “It’s all because of Crest that we’ve come so far. We started off with quite a small franchise and then we expanded.”
Crest’s managers had been encouraging and helped them grow their business, she says. “They were great and made it easy for us.”
Neil Kumar, Crest’s North Harbour Regional Manager, says Kamlesh and Purnima are great franchisees.
“They are a fantastic team, have a great attitude and they always go the extra mile for their customers.”
Kamlesh and Purnima are planning a well-earned break to celebrate their 10th anniversary with CrestClean. A holiday to Malaysia or Singapore is on the cards, helped by the $2,500 bonus from Crest to mark their long service.
