A driving force for success

When Richard Lu considered transitioning from his role with St John Medical Alarms, to franchise owner with the 2024 Westpac Supreme Franchise System of the Year, Driving Miss Daisy, he sought the advice of Philip Morrison at Franchise Accountants. That led him down a path to success he could hardly have envisaged.

“Being the first time I’d dealt with franchises, I wanted an accountant and advisor who knew everything there was to know about franchising in New Zealand. I saw that Philip and his team were six times winners of the Service Provider of the Year award and had helped several other Driving Miss Daisy franchises, too, so I knew he was the man for the job!

“I felt Driving Miss Daisy was a great franchise opportunity, and the franchise area available was one I am very familiar with,” he explains.

Richard has lived in Auckland for almost 30 years, studying at Auckland Grammar School and the University of Auckland, where he gained a degree in biomedical science. This led him to work with St John Medical Alarms. “There, I had the opportunity to interact with many elderly clients and understand the services Driving Miss Daisy provide,” he says.

Beyond all you’d expect

As well as being ‘incredibly helpful’ during the due diligence process, Richard says Philip, his colleague Hayden Cargo and the whole Franchise Accountants team, went far beyond his expectations of what a franchise-experienced accounting business could add to his pre-purchase decision making. He shares, “Beyond all you’d expect from an accountant, Philip and his team’s franchise expertise meant they could also answer very specific questions about Driving Miss Daisy’s franchise model. They gave me the best advice based on years of knowledge!”

Richard subsequently took the leap to buy the Driving Miss Daisy Remuera and Ellerslie franchises and now has nine vehicles, 11 drivers and runs more than 1000 trips per month. His franchises support people of all ages to enjoy a fuller, freer life.

“Driving Miss Daisy is a wonderful service, not only supporting the elderly and injured but also assisting those who don’t drive. We offer our clients independence, safety, personal care, and cost-effective transport. We can even help with children, guiding them to and from school or extracurricular activities.”

Richard credits the sector-specific advice he received from Philip and team in giving him the confidence to proceed and flourish in franchising. He says, “The kinds of questions Philip and his team were able to answer included queries I had around such things as why are Driving Miss Daisy franchises for sale rather regularly?

“I was reassured by the responses I received around the numbers of franchise owners being semi-retired people, or retirees, who want something to do, but who perhaps then find that the franchise area is quite small for all the paperwork involved, for example. This was a great point from Philip, which I really took on board. I discovered you ideally need to have a decent sized business, if you can, hence the reason I have taken on the two franchise areas of Remuera and Ellerslie.

“The financial analysis Philip provides goes back over three years – it’s extremely comprehensive – and Philip and his team have been great at giving us all sorts of business advice too, such as GST filing, training on Xero and so much more.

Leave no stone unturned

Richard now employs a full-time admin person to handle said paperwork. “And I’ll probably need another part-time admin support person soon, too,” he says. Such is business. He has also been an early adopter of AI technology to optimise his operations (see Future Thinking article).

“I’m very glad to have taken the leap into franchising, with Philip’s guidance. I love what I do. The team takes pride in providing a service that is second to none and making sure that we’re family when family can’t be there for our clients.”

That Richard loves what he does certainly shows in terms of success. And that, in large part, stemmed from the support received when Richard was contemplating taking those first steps on his franchising journey.

He encourages others looking for a business opportunity to take the very best of advice too.

“It’s great to have the backing of an accounting company that leaves no stone unturned and one that is so familiar with all the intricacies of franchising here in New Zealand.”   

See this advertorial on page 19 of Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 34 Issue 1

Contact details for Franchise Accountants

For more information and advice on buying a franchise get your FREE copy of Franchise New Zealand magazine.

This advice is of a general nature only and expert advice should be sought to get the right advice for your specific situation.