It’s been three years since North Harbour franchise owners Kritesh Rao and Sangeeta Varma put on their CrestClean uniforms for the first time — and their daughter Krisha has been part of the journey from day one.
When her parents first started the business, Krisha would wave them off to work each day. She was so keen to be like her mum and dad that she would put on one of Kritesh’s CrestClean shirts. Seeing how much she loved it, Sangeeta carefully altered one of the shirts to make it the perfect size for her. Krisha wears it proudly.
In many ways, Kritesh and Sangeeta’s three-year Long Service Award belongs to Krisha just as much as it does to them.
The couple say becoming business owners has made a huge difference to their family life. These days they spend much more time together and no longer lose precious daylight hours sitting in traffic.
Before starting their franchise, Kritesh worked as a mechanic in West Auckland. His commute was an hour each way, meaning he had to leave home at 6am to avoid traffic and often wouldn’t return until around 7pm. At the same time, Sangeeta was working night shifts at Dad’s Pies.
Now they both work full-time in their CrestClean franchise. With a mix of day and evening jobs, they’re able to structure their schedule so that one of them is always there for Krisha.
Like many new business owners, there was a lot to learn in the early days, not just in learning cleaning techniques, but learning customer service skills too.
“Before, I didn’t have to talk to customers as my trade was totally different. Now, I’m greeting customers and talking to them all the time,” laughs Kritesh.
While it took a little getting used to, Kritesh now says it’s one of the most enjoyable parts of his day and he has built strong relationships with all his customers.
“My customers really like talking to me. They even share their personal lives with me,” he says.
Kritesh is also grateful for the support he’s received along the way from North Harbour Regional Manager Neil Kumar.
“He’s guided me and helped me a lot,” says Kritesh.
Neil says it’s been a pleasure having Kritesh as part of the region and credits his success to his great attitude and work ethic.
“Rao has a very positive attitude and is always eager to learn which makes him unique. He’s a very hard-working person with a can-do attitude.”
The couple are now getting close to another big milestone — buying their first home. After already growing their business significantly, they can’t wait to see what the future holds.
And Krisha is already looking forward to the day she’s old enough to officially join her mum and dad!
