Ten years ago, Farina Shah began her journey as a CrestClean franchise owner in Balclutha. Although she started with a modest turnover, her ambitious goals led her to become the successful business owner she is today.
Through hard work and strong customer relationships, Farina’s business has grown nearly tenfold in the last decade. With almost all her customers staying with her since day one, Farina credits her long-term success to going above and beyond in her service.
“Almost all my customers have been with me a long time,” says Farina.
“I always go the extra mile for our customers and that’s why some of them have been with us for eight to ten years.”
Farina and her husband Farsheed moved to the South Island in 2012 after Farsheed suffered a back injury. Finding a job that could adapt to Farsheed’s needs was difficult for Farina, so she decided to step away from the usual 9-5 and purchase a CrestClean franchise.
Running her own business allowed Farina to support Farsheed’s recovery while enabling him to gradually return to work at his own pace.
“It gave me time to help him. If I had been working for someone else, I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” she says.
Although Farina initially continued working at Silver Fern Farms after purchasing the franchise, the income from CrestClean allowed her to leave that job after just half a season and focus solely on running her business.
Her big break came in her second year of owning the franchise.
“I saw a cleaning vacancy for the Council in the paper, so I went for an interview, and they were impressed by how CrestClean runs,” says Farina.
“From there we started getting more contracts through the Council.”
Through her strong reputation and valuable contacts, Farina began cleaning the old Balclutha War Memorial Hall, which later became the location of the new Clutha District War Memorial & Community Centre – a multipurpose space for community, visitors, businesses and events.
“When they built the new Community Centre, they approached me for cleaning services,” says Farina.
With the help of Farsheed, Farina has been cleaning several Council-owned properties for over eight years. Above all, she takes pride in the lasting relationships she and Farsheed have developed with customers.
“The staff are all lovely, especially at the i-Site. The girls there are so chatty, and they’ve been very supportive,” she says.
“They’re all really nice customers. They really like our work, and they appreciate us.”
After ten years, Farina’s cleaning business has expanded beyond Balclutha, and she regularly travels to Dunedin to provide carpet cleaning services. The increase in income has allowed Farina and Farsheed to offer their three children valuable opportunities that were beyond their reach before becoming franchise owners.
Today, their two eldest children work alongside them.
Congratulations, Farina. Your perseverance and commitment to your customers has led to a remarkable decade in business.
