Young Family Striking It Lucky

‘We weren’t planning to get into the cleaning industry,’ says Khushbu Topiwala, ‘but we are very glad we found the V.I.P. opportunity.’ Her husband, Ash, adds, ‘Yes, it is definitely working for us as a business. We’ve learned a great deal that will stand us in very good stead for the future, within just two years as V.I.P. franchisees.’

Khushbu and Ash have been in the Tauranga area since 2015. ‘It wasn’t stressful back then, though, because we didn’t have children,’ says Khushbu. Since then, the couple have produced two little ones and love the way their business can be worked around their children.

From cars to cleaning

‘I had been a technician in the automotive industry for 15 years,’ says Ash, ‘and Khushbu was an early childhood teacher up until Aria was born, two years ago. We’d always considered a business, possibly one that we could run together. Extended family have often urged us to get into something ourselves. “You can’t just rely on jobs,” my brother-in-law has always said!’

Ash would have liked to open his own garage. ‘But starting a workshop of my own would be very costly and far from straightforward,’ he says. ‘We looked into it but realised it would take far more capital than we had available to us at the time.’

It was Khushbu who noticed a V.I.P. cleaning business for sale in Tauranga. It seemed to tick all their boxes, she says. ‘It was local, there were staff, and it was a mix of residential and commercial properties. The owner wanted to retire and had been winding the business down in preparation. So, it was a great opportunity, because all we had to do was buy it and build it back up again!

‘I was concerned that getting a business loan would be tricky, because we already had a mortgage,’ says Ash. ‘I discovered one of my old clients had become a mortgage broker and when I approached him, he said, with the V.I.P. name behind me, I probably didn’t need to worry. He was right; the small loan enabled us to buy it.’

Doing their homework

Ash and Khushbu undertook much research before committing to the business. ‘There is always a risk, with any business,’ Ash says. ‘As we didn’t know much about cleaning or franchising, we had quite a bit of homework to do!

‘As time went on, we realised we’d been lucky to find a business that was franchised by V.I.P. There is a great deal of support on offer and many advantages to the system.’

The couple found that support started early. ‘Just as we bought the business, our daughter Aria was born. This made attending some of the trainings a bit difficult. For the accounting side, we had national franchisors Estelle and John Logan come to our house to teach the system. I can’t imagine many franchises in which the national franchisors would do that for a brand-new set of franchisees! It says a great deal about them, and the franchise they run.’

It’s all in the detail

The transition from comfortably employed to owning a business, via the chaos of a new family, has challenged the couple. ‘We went round all our residential properties with one of our staff, to understand exactly what needed to be done and to know we could do it all ourselves if need be.’

‘Our biggest challenge,’ Khushbu continues, ‘was not the cleaning itself, but the expectations of our clients, because they were all very different. One wanted nothing moving, another family was quite the opposite. It’s the little details that can make you welcome … or not!’

V.I.P. offers two kinds of franchise: outdoor (lawnmowing, gardening and other outside jobs) and indoor (all types of cleaning, both commercial and residential).

‘Ash and Khushbu bought a well-established cleaning business in their area,’ says Estelle Logan who, with husband John, is national franchisor for V.I.P. ‘We are currently seeking new franchisees for both services, and investment levels can be tailored to suit your needs,’ she says.

‘There is a paid training period while you are getting established and, of course, for those with young children like the Topiwalas, this business has proved to be very family-friendly.

You can choose your hours as needed. If there is one certainty, it is that you will always have work!’

Ash says, ‘My background was in the retail side of the car industry, and the same rules applied: communication is key. We have bought a business that is, as Estelle says, family-friendly, and there is great potential for growth for us, too. We think we’re lucky to have found this business, and we’d thoroughly recommend V.I.P.’  

See this advertorial on page 39 of Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 33 Issue 2

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