VIP Home Services - New Franchisees Are Welcome Home

Good franchisees need good support. That's been the philosophy behind the VIP Home Services franchise for 37 years and it's still as true as ever. That's why the company is looking not just for lawnmowing and cleaning franchisees, but for regional master franchisees too. ‘Our aim is to recruit the best people, then train them to be the best they can be,' says Estelle Logan who, with her husband John, is VIP's national franchisor.

There's another family connection, too, in Tauranga, where John's brother Richard and his wife Sheila are the local master franchisees. ‘Sheila worked in franchise development in Canada for 20 years and I had done some training for VIP prior to moving there,' says Richard. ‘We spent six years in Canada running a small franchised store along the lines of The $2 Shop. We both enjoy working with franchisees so when we learned from John that the master franchise for the Bay of Plenty was available, we felt it had enormous potential.'

Regional master franchisees are particularly important in the VIP system, where franchisees are encouraged to build real businesses that can become quite sizeable. ‘Even if people are slightly hesitant to invest in a business at present, it is very clear that the demand for home services is not going to stop. Houses still need cleaning and lawns and gardens still need attention, and we have a big population of semi-retired people here in Tauranga. It means that there is a lot of opportunity for new franchisees and, as master franchisees, we love helping people realise their potential.

‘There is much more to mowing lawns and cleaning houses than you might imagine, and VIP offers investors a very attractive package. Sure, you can set up in business on your own but you won't have any support, any systems or any buying power. We have just had a window-cleaner join us who had found he was spending more on advertising than he was earning! More and more, customers prefer the reliability and quality of a good system, rather than a one-man operator. In that respect I believe VIP stands head and shoulders above the competition.'

Work Around The Family

Jerome Snykers also returned from overseas to take up the VIP opportunity. ‘I grew up in the Waitakeres, but then I moved to Perth to work in the landscaping industry there. You get pretty tired of being in 42 degrees day after day and I wanted to come home to Titirangi and give my children the kind of outdoors life I had. I was determined not to work for someone else again, but after buying a house we had little left over to play with. VIP offered exactly the right opportunity for our circumstances.'

The couple bought a franchise in the Titirangi area two years ago and have not looked back since. ‘We were very impressed with VIP's comprehensive training, which taught us not just the best way to mow lawns but also how to grow and manage the business. We have felt 100% supported all the way. One of the things we like about VIP is that it offers other opportunities besides lawn-mowing. In the winter, the mowing side drops off, of course, but other jobs such as section maintenance more than fill the gaps - and we enjoy the change.'

Jerome and Marisa have two small children and find their business gives them plenty of flexibility to accommodate school and other essentials. ‘We work very much as a team,' says Jerome, ‘and motivate each other. It was most important we could work round our family and generally we only do five days a week. Working together helps to build a good rapport with your clients, which is vital. The other important thing is to look after your tools, because they are what earn you the money!'

And Jerome is happy both with the decision to come home and the decision to buy VIP. ‘John and Estelle are always there for us, which is great, but they also recognise that it is your own business and they leave you to run it yourself. I would highly recommend VIP to anyone, particularly as a first business. There is a great deal of support and no shortage of work. What more could you want?'

Your Choice

VIP offers guaranteed income to new franchisees with two types of franchise, Indoors, which includes cleaning of homes, offices and windows, and Outdoors, which covers lawnmowing, gardening and property maintenance. The investment required ranges from $13,000 to $17,000+gst and equipment, depending on the level of income required. As Richard Logan points out, ‘We offer excellent value. It is perfectly possible to achieve an annual income of five times your investment if that is your goal - and you're prepared to put in the work.'

It's also possible to enter VIP at the regional master level, like Richard and Sheila. ‘We have greenfields and established regions available in many parts of New Zealand for the right people,' says Estelle. ‘The choice is yours. Call me today to find out more or talk to us at the Auckland Expo.'

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 18 Issue 2

Contact details for VIP Home Services

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