One year ago, Christchurch's Elaine Chan knew something had to change.
She had previously worked long hours in hospitality but, with a new baby and a husband working as a chef, that was no longer an option: "I was wondering what to do, trying to be a mum, trying to work as well, I wanted to have more control in my life.
"I often didn't see my husband for a couple of days because we used to work opposite hours from each other."
Chan wanted to own her own business because she believed it would give her the flexibility and financial independence she was looking for. The couple decided to put in an offer for a cafe – but the deal fell through and Chan had to go back to the drawing board.
Nearly a year later, Chan is well and truly entrenched in building her own business and hasn't looked back. She eventually decided to buy a Green Acres Home and Commercial Cleaning franchise, and says it's given her everything she wanted.
"The best thing about being your own boss is that your hard work is appreciated and you get to spend more time with your family," she says, "and it provides an income we control and can grow."
The couple did their homework before buying, and she says Green Acres provided what they needed. It offers the advantage of having established marketing and branding, training in Xero accounting software, and a dedicated business advisor to guide them through every phase of their business journey.
"For someone like me, who hasn't actually owned my own business, that was so reassuring. I had also never worked in the cleaning business so there was a lot to learn on the business side of things as well as how to manage our customers.
"Our business advisor showed us how to work with customers so we could provide excellent customer service. It was good to know I had someone to rely on; the support we received has been fantastic."
She also says job satisfaction has greatly improved as she doesn't have to rely on others to get things done properly.
"I've had previous bosses where they don't really care about the business; it's really frustrating. But when it's your own business, of course you are going to pay attention to the details and make sure things are done right."
Green Acres franchises also have much greater flexibility than many other franchises, Chan says: "Unlike other franchises who have a lot of restrictions, you can expand the business to where your strengths are, and make it as big or small that you want.
"As long as you are committed, you are trained up, and you have got the right equipment, Green Acres won't stop you building your business into a particular specialty area."
Chan has been in the business less than a year and her husband Gary is her one and only staff member – and her major focus is about building relationships with her customers.
"I think because I've worked in hospitality, I know that customers are the most important thing. Some new business owners have about 20 goals but, realistically, you won't reach all of them. I stuck to one goal initially: Don't lose any clients - make sure they stay with me. Look after them well."
That attitude has seen Chan win Rookie of the Year for the Green Acres 2022 Franchise Awards, a win she says was hugely satisfying and which came about because she has been totally focused on looking after clients.
"Businesses don't just happen. You have to build them up. Attitude is really important for anyone. Caring for your customers is absolutely important."
Chan is in good company with her award win. Other winners from Green Acres include back-to-back Franchisee of the Year for 2021 and 2022, Ben Coates, and runner-up Wallis Hudson. Coates also won the Westpac New Zealand Small Business Franchisee of the Year in 2021.
Coates chose Green Acres so he could balance life and family time, working smarter and not harder. It's given him the freedom to help out in his local community, build a family home, spend time helping other franchisees succeed – and build a profitable business by being as efficient as possible while condensing his work to 3 days per week.
Hudson's business is growing fast and is on track to qualify for Green Acres' Big Business model, with a well-executed business plan, a great team of people, and clear goals to provide a high-quality service relationship with customers.
"Ben is hugely experienced and one day I want to be where he is," Chan says. In the meantime, she's happy with where she is - looking after her customers, building her business and spending time with family.
Green Acres General Manager Jason Hill says Chan's choice of Green Acres has been the right one: "She is now secure in her future plans and is continuing to make her business as successful as can be."
For more information: https://www.greenacres.co.nz/franchise/