Business ownership brings personal success as 10-year milestone reached
Grace Choi receives her Certificate of Long Service from Grant McLauchlan, CrestClean’s Managing Director.
She’s incredibly proud of her CrestClean business and the lifestyle it’s enabled her family to enjoy.
After 10 years with CrestClean, Grace Choi was delighted when she received a Certificate of Long Service from Grant McLauchlan, CrestClean’s Managing Director.
The award is now proudly displayed at Grace and her husband Michael Kim’s Christchurch home. “Everyone who comes to visit us can see what we have achieved through CrestClean,” says Grace.
The couple came to New Zealand from Korea nearly 11 years ago and initially bought a small retail shop in the city. Within a year Grace decided to buy a cleaning franchise and since then the couple have never looked back.
Initially working part-time with CrestClean, they later sold their shop and turned their CrestClean business into their main income stream. It’s meant the family being able to afford a home of their own and has helped to put their three children through university.
Yasa Panagoda, CrestClean’s Christchurch North Regional Manager, says through hard work and commitment, Grace has earned a reputation as an expert in office cleaning.
“She knows how to make sure everything looks perfect when the customer arrives in the morning. Grace and Michael have an eye for detail. They really go out of their way to look after their customer.”
Yasa says customers have often commented on the fact that Grace is always immaculately presented and takes a very professional approach to work.
“She’s thoroughly reliable and dependable and having someone of Grace’s experience who knows the job inside out is invaluable.”
Grace says she’s been so grateful that through CrestClean she’s been able to own a business. It’s enabled her to feel more confident and helped to overcome the fact that English is not her mother tongue.
“It was very difficult when we arrived in New Zealand as we both were not very confident at speaking English but CrestClean gave us an opportunity to join and start something for ourselves,” she says. Grace and Michael are planning a holiday to celebrate their 10 years with CrestClean. The $2,500 bonus they received to mark the milestone will go towards a planned getaway to New Caledonia.
