A career change from accountant to cleaner has more than paid off for Rajju Prasad.
Fifteen years after the switch, he and his wife Manorama own four properties, with plans to build another five.
The South Auckland CrestClean franchisees, who were recently presented with a 15-Year Long Service Award, moved to New Zealand from Fiji in 2004 following a civilian coup.
Upon their arrival in New Zealand, Rajju, who was an accountant in Fiji for 22 years, worked as a credit control officer, while Manorama worked in retail.
But they soon became unhappy in their jobs and a year later decided to explore other options.
“It was getting more stressful day by day and I was thinking, what is the best thing I can do with less stress?” says Rajju.
“I looked into all the franchises, like courier and taxi driving, then I came across the cleaning franchise that CrestClean was offering and it looked very nice to me because of the conditions, the profitability and the training.”
They bought a CrestClean franchise and initially combined cleaning with their other jobs, progressing to fulltime cleaning in 2006.
“It’s a totally different kind of work, but it’s all about having the right mindset,” says Rajju.
“At the end of the day if you’re really into it there’s money to be made and there’s heaps of things you can do with it.”
The couple bought their first house in New Zealand with funds they brought with them from Fiji, working their way up the property ladder through the success of their CrestClean business.
With Rajju’s accounting skills and business acumen applied to the franchise, the couple now own a beautiful 5-bedroom home in Hillpark and three rental properties, with a five-dwelling property development planned.
They have also been able to support their two children to achieve successful careers — their daughter is a medical laboratory scientist, while their son is an architect.
“We are very proud of them,” says Rajju.
“We came to New Zealand looking for better opportunities for our family and we have achieved that. It’s been an amazing journey. We’re so happy, so fortunate, to be where we are.”
Rajju says a CrestClean franchise is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to get ahead financially.
“If you work on a salary basis you’re stuck at that level, but with CrestClean the sky’s the limit!”
Auckland South Regional Manager Viky Narayan says Rajju and Manorama have worked hard to achieve their goals and are reaping the rewards.
“They have maintained the same clients since they started 15 years ago, continuing to provide the same high-quality service as when they first started out,” says Viky.
“They are an inspiration to other franchisees in terms of what can be achieved, and I would like to congratulate them on 15 successful years with CrestClean.”
