Celebrating two decades of success for Pinakin and Falguniben Patel
Pinakin Patel and his wife, Falguniben Patel, celebrated 20 years’ long service with CrestClean last October.
In his time with CrestClean, Pinakin has worn many hats, including Franchisee, Floor Trainer, Regional Trainer and now, Tauranga Operations Manager.
Pinakin came to New Zealand with an accounting degree under his belt. After trying out various jobs here, he quickly learned that to get ahead and achieve his goals in New Zealand, he would need to become a business owner. It was a chance conversation with another CrestClean franchisee that introduced Pinakin and Falguniben to the prospect of owning their own cleaning business.
Next thing they knew, they were South Auckland’s first CrestClean franchisees.
Looking into his future as a business owner, Pinakin mapped out what he wanted to accomplish. His clear vision and problem-solving skills led him to where he is today.
“From day one, I had a set of goals to grow the business,” he says.
“I had short term goals and long-term goals, and I would keep reassessing depending on our situation.”
Pinakin remembers his earliest experiences as a CrestClean franchisee to be positive and encouraging. Having been with CrestClean for two decades, he has watched the company expand their products and equipment and increase efficiency.
“Back then it was one mop and bucket, one vacuum and only two colour codes for the cloths.”
He says the industry has changed a lot since he joined in 2003. People are more aware about hygiene since the threat of SARs and bird flu in 2006. He says these events led to changes in chemicals and working systems to meet increased hygiene requirements.
In 2009, Pinakin was finally fed up with spending too many hours a day stuck in Auckland traffic. He and his wife, Falguniben, moved to Tauranga for a better lifestyle and they’ve never looked back.
“You can’t run a big business when you’re always stuck in traffic,” he says.
“Even in 2003, I was spending 45 minutes stuck in traffic from one job to another.”
Pinakin’s success and long service is a testament to his determination. When asked what he loves about being part of CrestClean, Pinakin said “everything”.
“I still love cleaning, I still love training and I’m enjoying my Operations Manager role.”
“I like solving problems. It motivates me to find solutions and think outside the box.”
From his vast experience, Pinakin can offer some great words of wisdom to new franchisees.
“You must have a long-term goal and a clear vision for what to achieve and when. Plan, gain experience and be patient.”
Pinakin and Falguniben know first-hand that hard work pays off.
Congratulations on your 20-year service!
