Long hours and hard work are the norm in the food industry, which is why Chrissy Ranish and Victor Snook decided to leave the restaurant world. ‘My daughter was growing up without me,’ says Chrissy. Twelve months on, the husband and wife team have created a new business in a completely different industry – home and office cleaning. Even more impressively, they have built their client base so fast they now employ up to six additional staff. It only goes to prove what VIP Home Services have always said about their franchises – that you have the opportunity to grow the business as much as you like.

‘We originally looked at franchises simply because I was fed up with nights in the restaurant,’ says Chrissy. ‘VIP appealed from the start because they were absolutely straight up and down with us about the operation. They were quite clear about what we could expect to achieve if we worked at it.’

The Wellington couple rapidly realised that the potential was even greater than they expected. ‘One of the houses on our initial client base belonged to the owner of several commercial properties,’ Chrissy recalls. ‘Obviously he was impressed with the service we gave, because he asked us to take on the contract for those buildings too. VIP is flexible enough to allow that, so of course we took it on – despite the fact that it meant Victor getting up at 3am.’

Having grasped the nettle, the couple then moved fast to recruit staff and train them in the VIP systems. ‘From there our business has just grown,’ says Chrissy, ‘and it is a measure of the pride we take in our jobs that much of it has come from word-of-mouth. Maintaining standards is important. We have a very detailed set of run-sheets, day sheets and check sheets which enable me to keep a close eye on what has or has not been completed at every job. If it has not, I’ll know the reason why and it will be completed by the end of the day.

‘VIP has given us a great opportunity,’ says Chrissy. ‘I am far from part-time, but I now work civilised hours and am home by around 5pm for my daughter. At our current rate of growth, I could retire by 50!’

The couple’s success has delighted Estelle Logan who, with her husband John, is national franchisee for VIP in NZ. VIP offers two franchises: lawnmowing with gardening (outdoors) and home and office cleaning (indoors). The investment required ranges between $11,000 and $19,000 +gst and equipment, depending on the level of income you require. ‘Over the last 35 years we have perfected the VIP system to allow our franchisees to become masters of their own destinies,’ she says. ‘Last year, VIP Home Services was named Best Franchise System – Home Services in the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards. Chrissy and Victor have taken full advantage of that system and used our reputation and their contacts to build a thriving, quality business.’

Loving The Outdoor Life

Mike Vickers is another who has benefited. ‘I spent some years driving a delivery van, but I’ve always loved being outdoors, tramping in the bush and so on. It seemed sensible to change my life by finding an outdoor job. I looked at a couple of options on my own but quickly realised a franchise was going to be much easier than starting from scratch. A relative who used to own a VIP lawnmowing business spoke very highly of it so I went ahead.’  

Three years ago, Mike and his wife Jeanette used the flexibility of the VIP system to buy in at a relatively low level, intending to build their business to support their young family. ‘VIP will guarantee your income for a limited period, so we were able to get started without spending too much capital. I had done some landscape work before and bits of gardening, but the extensive training VIP provided showed me techniques that really improved my productivity. With that backing and the VIP name, it was quite easy to grow and achieve our objectives.’

Mike is obviously meticulous about his work and dedicated to his South Auckland customers. ‘Jeanette does all the day-to-day paperwork while I manage the physical side. I was very keen to keep our business to a size I could easily cope with as I like to maintain standards. VIP offers a very flexible franchise – primarily I do lawns, but I have a few gardens and there are always one-off jobs to add interest as well. That also reduces seasonal differences, though last winter I could mow any lawn at any time. It has certainly met my expectations in terms of both work and income, and now I am enjoying the outdoor life too.’

Estelle Logan says that, whatever your background, your motivation or your goal, a VIP Home Services franchise can help you get what you want out of life. ‘Mike loves the freedom and the outdoors, Chrissy and Victor are working to achieve financial independence. Join VIP and the rest is up to you.’

Contact details for VIP Home Services

This advertorial was originally published in Franchise New Zealand magazine 

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