Excellent Money and Better Health
Wellington Franchisees Dharam Singh and Lalita Devi have built a $100,000 business up in just eight months with CrestClean.
Originally from Fiji, the couple moved to New Zealand eight years ago after Dharam’s brother bought Wellington’s popular Higher Taste Vegetarian Restaurant, and needed staff. Lalita began working there as a chef, while Dharam worked as a night-filler at a supermarket.
Years of unsociable hours began to wear them down, especially for Dharam who worked 7.00pm – 3.30am, so when their friend Rakesh, a Crest Franchisee, suggested buying their own business, they jumped at the chance. They combined their savings with Crest’s Franchisee Finance programme, and in just eight months have built up a $100,000 business.
Dharam is delighted to be earning “triple what I got paid filling shelves”, and while Lalita is also delighted with their increased income, for her the greatest benefit has been in her health. “Working at the restaurant, always tasting everything, I had bad diabetes. Since I started cleaning my diabetes has cleared right up,” she says. Dharam has also seen his health and fitness improve since joining Crest. “Cleaning is as good as going to the gym,” he says.
The couple has some very high profile customers, including three embassies (Turkish, Korean, and Netherlands), Scopa (the restaurant owned by The Great New Zealand Food Race brothers Lorenzo and Leonardo Bresolin), and the Tertiary Education Commission. Briar Edmonds, the Senior Communications Advisor from TEC, says, “Dharam and Lalita are really great – they always say hello with a friendly smile, and they do an awesome job”.
Andrew Alleway, CrestClean’s Wellington Regional Director, agrees. “One of our customers, Te Kura Māori o Porirua, recently said that Dharam and Lalita are the best team they have ever had, and I am not allowed to let them go! I love having them on-board; they are so good at their job and it’s great to always get positive feedback about their work.”
