Grant Holland embraces retirement after 24 years of franchise ownership with CrestClean
Christchurch franchisee, Grant Holland, is retiring after 24 years in business. His long career in the cleaning industry has equipped him with a wealth of experience and countless memorable moments.
Purchasing a CrestClean franchise came after two decades working in retail. Grant dreamed of self-employment and the freedom it offered. While reading the morning paper, he saw an opportunity with CrestClean.
“I really wanted to be self-employed, and I saw that the business was for sale. At the time there were only four franchisees in Christchurch,” he says.
He hit the ground running, and his business grew quickly. As a well-known face in the retail scene, Grant earned contracts at Hallensteins and Hannahs shoes. He says that through the power of word-of-mouth, one contract often led to another.
“If you do a good job, you’ll gain a lot of work through word of mouth,” he says.
Before long, Grant employed staff to help him with his growing customer base. One employee remained by his side for a remarkable 15 years, a testament to Grant’s leadership. At his peak, he managed a team of seven part-time staff and fondly remembers a reliable team member who was always willing to lend a hand, even on short notice.
“She would say that if you ever need me, just give me half an hour and I’ll be there. She was just so good,” he recalls.
Grant’s reputation for exceptional customer service quickly spread, leading to contracts with three schools in the Christchurch area.
“We started off with Riccarton Primary School, which we had for quite a long time. They were quite happy with us so from there we gained Mount Pleasant School and Merrin Primary School,” he explains.
Always happy to go over and above, Grant stepped in as caretaker at Riccarton Primary School when the regular caretaker was absent. Little did he know, the caretaker would not return and Grant would fulfil this role for over four years.
During his long career, Grant has had many memorable moments, two of which still make him chuckle.
One evening, he arrived at Mount Pleasant School to find the alarms going off. After searching the grounds and realising there was nobody else there, Grant contacted the security company to let them know all was well. When he entered one of the classrooms to find their pet fish on the ground and a window open, he realised who the culprit was.
“A cat had got in. It had got the fish out of the tank and was running around the school setting off the alarms,” he laughs. “The fish was still alive, so I picked it up and put it back in the tank.”
He recalls another amusing experience while working at a kindergarten in South Brighton. Every night as he turned out the light, an eerie rendition of ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ would play.
“It was like the place was haunted,” he says.
After being frightened night after night, Grant decided to investigate what was singing to him in the dark.
“I found it was a jigsaw puzzle with a light sensor on a missing puzzle piece, so every time I put out the light, it would activate it and start playing.”
Retirement brings an exciting new chapter for Grant. He’s looking forward to reading good books, taking his dog for long walks on the beach, and dedicating more time to his artistic pursuits.
Speaking from experience, Grant has valuable advice to offer new franchise owners.
“Try not to take on too much to start with while you get a feel for it. Find out how much you can do and when you can do it. It takes time to get used to it,” he says.
Grant’s long-standing career at CrestClean reflects his dedication to delivering exceptional customer service. We wish him all the best in his retirement and hope he stays in touch!
