Clean break - Franchisee retires after 24 years

Purchasing a CrestClean franchise came after two decades working in retail for Grant Holland. He dreamed of self-employment and the freedom it offered. While reading the morning paper, he saw an opportunity with CrestClean. 
 
'I really wanted to be self-employed, and I saw that the business was for sale. At the time, there were only four CrestClean franchisees in Christchurch,' he says. 
 
That was 24 years ago. He hit the ground running, and his business grew quickly. As a well-known face in the Christchurch retail scene, Grant earned contracts at Hallenstein Brothers and Hannahs shoes. He found one contract often led to another, he says. 'If you do a good job, you’ll gain a lot of work through word of mouth.'
 
Before long, Grant employed staff to help him grow his customer base. At his peak, Grant managed a team of seven part-time staff. One employee remained by his side for a remarkable 15 years — a testament to Grant's leadership — and he fondly remembers a reliable team member who was always willing to lend a hand, even at short notice. 
 
'She would say that if you ever need me, just give me half an hour and I’ll be there. She was just so good,' he recalls. 

Grant's reputation for exceptional customer service quickly spread, leading to contracts with three schools in the Christchurch area. He explains, 'We started off with Riccarton Primary School, which we had for quite a long time. They were quite happy with us so from there we gained Mount Pleasant School and Merrin Primary School.'

Always happy to go over and above, Grant stepped in as caretaker at Riccarton Primary School when the regular caretaker was absent. Little did he know, the caretaker would not return and Grant would fulfil this role for over four years.

Better work stories

During his long career, Grant has had many memorable moments, which still make him chuckle. 
 
One evening, he arrived at Mount Pleasant School to find the alarms going off. After searching the grounds and realising there was nobody else there, Grant contacted the security company to let them know all was well. When he entered one of the classrooms to find their pet fish on the ground and a window open, he realised who the culprit was. 
 
'A cat had got in. It had got a fish out of the tank and as running around the school setting off the alarms,' he laughs. 'The fish was still alive, so I picked it up and put it back in the water.' 
 
He recalls another amusing experience while working at a kindergarten in South Brighton. Every night as he turned out the light, an eerie rendition of ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ would play.  
 
'It was like the place was haunted,' he says.  
 
After being frightened night after night, Grant decided to investigate what was singing to him in the dark. 'I found it was a jigsaw puzzle with a light sensor on a missing puzzle piece, so every time I put out the light, it would activate it and start playing.'

Starting a new chapter 

Retirement brings an exciting new chapter for Grant. He's looking forward to reading good books, taking his dog for long walks on the beach, and dedicating more time to his artistic pursuits. 
 
Speaking from his vast experience, Grant has valuable advice to offer new franchise owners. 'Try not to take on too much to start with while you get a feel for it. Find out how much you can do and when you can do it. It takes time to get used to it,' he says. 
 
Grant's long-standing career at CrestClean reflects his dedication to delivering exceptional customer service, like other franchisees featured in our article on The Long Game - franchises as long-term investments. Franchise New Zealand joins CrestClean in wishing Grant all the best in his retirement.

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