NEW YEAR NEW CAREER

“I’m not sure what expectations I initially had about taking on a V.I.P. franchise,” muses Grant Benns. “It is exactly as sold to me – the harder I work the more I earn – so it has probably exceeded my hopes!”

Grant, a former warehouse manager and furniture polisher, was made redundant as he approached his 60th year. “A couple of things happened which set me on the franchise path instead of wasting time looking for a job. I started mowing a few neighbours’ lawns and was preparing to go out on my own full time. I also knew Ian Watson, the Area Manager who did all the V.I.P. training in the Christchurch area and used to do the lawns where I worked. We had become friends and, as I picked his brains about running a business, I realised this was a really good opportunity. Ian was retiring so I ended up buying his franchise.”

“The funny thing was that some of my friends had said ‘don’t get a franchise,’” Grant continues. “Well, as Ian said to me, he’d spent 20 years with V.I.P., had a great business and knew from experience it was a great franchise system. He took me step by step through the purchase agreement, explained everything about why he had chosen V.I.P. Home Services, and told me the business would look after me if I worked hard. Four years on, it has, it does and Ian was right!”

Instant earnings

“The whole thing just felt right,” Grant admits. “Call it a gut instinct if you like, but I could clearly see the biggest advantage of a franchise was that I would be earning from day one.”

All franchises require a fee up front, but Grant and his wife Sharon found themselves temporarily embarrassed for funds. The rental property they were selling to finance their business required unexpected renovations.

“Estelle and John Logan, V.I.P. New Zealand’s national franchisors, were so helpful,” Grant explains. “I kept them up to date with developments, and they were entirely accommodating. Having got so far down the line, we made the hiccup in timing work to mutual benefit. Sharon does the administration and invoicing for me, but she was unfamiliar with Xero – the accounting package used by V.I.P. With John’s help she had the time to learn how to use it before we got going and now, I just hand her my list for the day, and she invoices on the spot.”

Grant considers himself very lucky with his purchase, “I had four weeks of on-the-job training with the person I was buying the business from. Normally V.I.P. franchisees have two weeks training with a local trainer and expert, then two weeks learning their new business with their vendor. In my case it was the same bloke, and I’d already been picking his brains for months in advance!”

Friendship

“I think some people get a bit scared when they start in business,” Grant continues. “Actually, I was just excited. I’d had four weeks training and on my first day out on my own it was like being a kid all over again. Woo hoo – it was really exciting! Ian and I are still good friends, and we meet for a pie and a coffee regularly.”

Grant has found the handiest part of his business is his colleagues’ knowledge. “We V.I.P. franchisees get to know each other well through the monthly meetings, and you quickly realise there is more than one person who has run into the same problems and now has the expertise. I’ve asked about all sorts of things from grass colour to pruning.

“The work is seasonal but there are usually a good number of winter jobs customers need done, and there is always maintenance required too. A bit of planning and a break and you’re sweet! As for customers – well you do need to be personable to run a business like this – I’m the only person some of my customers see all week. But 20 minutes talking to them is time well invested.”  

Time for a new career

Estelle points out that the job market is still tough in New Zealand right now, but with the economy strengthening and both consumer and business confidence much higher than it has been for a long time, now is a great time to consider a career change that puts you in control of your own future.

V.I.P. offers two kinds of franchise: outdoor, lawns and gardening, and indoor, domestic and commercial cleaning. “There are no limits to where a V.I.P. franchise can take you, or for how long,” says Estelle. “We have a very flexible system that allows people at any age or stage of their careers to start big or small, part-time or full-time and grow as suits their requirements.

“We were delighted that Ian Watson found such a good replacement for his well-managed business in Christchurch. Grant and Sharon have seized the opportunity and run with it, and we are very glad Grant has continued building such a successful business after his redundancy.

“V.I.P. has been the entry point for many such first time business owners and we will always be there to support our franchisees in whatever way they need. Call me – we have new and established franchise opportunities available today.”  

See this advertorial on page 37 of Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 35 Issue 01

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