From Auckland to Ashburton – South Canterbury franchise owners purchase two homes in five years
South Canterbury franchise owners, Sandeep Kumar and Richa Sharma, have shown incredible drive since moving from Auckland to the South Island in 2017. Through their hard work, they have built a successful business and now own two homes in Ashburton.
Life in Auckland was far from their current reality. Sandeep previously worked as a car parking officer at Auckland Airport, where he maintained a steady flow of traffic at the main pick up and drop off points. Getting to and from work involved long and frustrating waits in traffic.
“I would wake at four or five in the morning. Sometimes my travel time would be more than my working hours,” says Sandeep.
“It could be quite stressful sometimes.”
When Sandeep learned that he couldn’t purchase a house in Auckland for less than one million, he knew it would be impossible to break into the City’s overheated property market. It was clear they needed to explore opportunities elsewhere.
The couple found the perfect chance to escape the rat race when they discovered CrestClean’s Move to the Regions incentive. They received a $3000 grant to relocate to Methven, which set them up for success.
Their two years in Methven were spent building their business and saving diligently before moving to Ashburton in 2019.
“My wife and I worked very hard for those two years. We hardly saw each other during that time,” says Sandeep.
“I was working two jobs, and my wife was working two jobs. But we managed to get our first step on the property ladder.”
Sandeep had discovered Ashburton while travelling around New Zealand in 2011. As a skilled photographer, Sandeep was impressed by the region’s stunning landscape. He knew then that it would be a great place to raise a family and enjoy a slower-paced lifestyle.
Sandeep, Richa and their four-year-old son, Ryan, are proud to call Ashburton home.
“Ashburton is the best place. It’s very quiet here and only takes two minutes to get to our cleaning sites. If my wife makes a cup of coffee for me, I can be at home by the time it’s ready,” he laughs.
“I can’t imagine things like that being possible in Auckland.”
With their exceptional work ethic, it wasn’t long before Sandeep and Richa purchased a second home and converted their previous home into a rental property. Their new home is newly built and provides a high standard of living for the young family. Sandeep says their Ashburton home is more than twice the size of what they’d be able to afford if they had stayed in Auckland.
“In Auckland, 200 square metres is very big, and you’d be really lucky to get a garage.”
Sandeep says that purchasing a CrestClean franchise was the best decision he’s made. His advice to new franchise owners is to plan ahead, prioritise customers and keep learning.
“Make a plan and follow the plan. You will have to do some hard work but after the first year, it gets much easier,” he says.
“Make sure you have a good relationship with your customers. That’s the most important thing.”
South Canterbury Regional Master Franchisee, Rob Glenie, says Sandeep and Richa are an invaluable franchise team in the region.
“This team arrived in Methven with a burning desire to succeed. Since then, they have been always given their best. Sandeep would be one of the best applicators of polish that I have seen.” says Rob.
“Sandeep and Richa are proof that with effort, you can make your dreams come true.”
