North Harbour franchisee celebrates 10-year commitment to CrestClean
North Harbour Franchisee, Jim McManus, recently marked a significant milestone, celebrating his 10-Year Long Service with CrestClean.
Jim’s professional journey has been diverse, with 15 years dedicated to logistics and freight forwarding for Mainfreight and Dangerous Goods Management. However, personal circumstances led him to become a CrestClean franchisee.
In a bid to escape the rat race of Auckland, Jim moved to Hawera to take up a job at Fonterra. Sadly, Jim’s Dad passed away only four months into his role, which brought Jim back to Auckland to support his elderly Mum. This challenging period steered Jim towards a new career path that better aligned with his personal priorities.
“I had already decided it would be commercial cleaning because I’d done a little bit for extra earnings before I did my OE,” says Jim.
“It’s recession-proof. In good times and bad, you still need your schools, hospitals and businesses cleaned.”
Knowing that not all commercial cleaning companies are created equal, Jim set out to explore his options.
“It was just a matter of sifting through and deciding which was the best offering,” he says.
Jim was impressed by CrestClean from the get-go. On his first enquiry, Jim was unexpectedly invited along to a BBQ with other franchisees in his region.
“The big green flag for CrestClean was when I first rang and was invited to a team BBQ that Saturday to meet and have a chat with other franchisees,” recalls Jim.
“Notwithstanding that CrestClean had the best model anyway, by quite a long way.”
“Most franchise models are only offering a five-year franchise and you get charged the fee again. Well, I’ve just reached 10 years and I didn’t get charged the fee. Instead, I got awarded for 10 years’ service.”
Jim has worn many hats in his time with CrestClean, including Whangārei Regional Manager, Hard Floor Care Trainer, Module 1 Trainer and Induction Trainer. But what he loves most is having the freedom to decide his workload and schedule. With the support of CrestClean Managing Director, Grant McLauchlan, Jim was able to seamlessly step back into life as a franchise owner.
“With great help and understanding from Grant, what could have been very difficult went very smoothly,” says Jim.
“That pretty much sums up the whole attitude that CrestClean has towards the franchise teams.”
As the sole cleaner in his franchise, Jim carefully balances his workload to ensure he delivers the best service to each of his customers. His role as Module 1 and Induction Trainer has made Jim a valuable mentor to new franchisees. When offering advice, Jim reminds franchisees of their potential as business owners.
“I tell them that when you come on board, just remember that you’re not just a cleaner; you’re the owner of your own business.”
