Franchise Opportunities NZ | Hygiene Direct
From Customer to Franchise Owner: Why Two Hygiene Direct Customers Bought the Business
If you're looking at franchise opportunities in New Zealand, one of the biggest questions is usually: does the business model actually work?
Sometimes the best answer comes from people who already know the business from the other side – its customers.
That's exactly what happened recently with our Hygiene Direct Northland franchise.
A Hygiene Direct Franchise Sold in Just Two Months
When our Northland Hygiene Direct franchise came onto the market, it didn't take long to find its new owners.
Within approximately two months, the business had been sold.
But what makes this story particularly interesting is who bought it.
The purchasers weren't people who had simply seen a franchise-for-sale advertisement and decided to investigate. They were existing Hygiene Direct customers.
They already knew our products. They had experienced our service. They understood how Hygiene Direct operates from a customer's perspective.
And they liked what they saw enough to decide they wanted to become part of the business themselves.
Why We're Looking for More Franchisees Around New Zealand
The Northland sale has reinforced something we already believed: there is considerable opportunity to continue growing the Hygiene Direct franchise network around New Zealand.
Hygiene Direct supplies commercial cleaning products, washroom supplies, cleaning chemicals and professional cleaning equipment to businesses and organisations throughout the country.
For a Hygiene Direct franchisee, an important part of the business model is that these are generally not one-off sales.
Businesses continually need toilet paper, paper towels, rubbish bags, cleaning chemicals and other consumable products.
Build a good relationship, provide excellent service and look after your customers, and those sales can become regular repeat business.
That means you're not necessarily starting from zero at the beginning of every month. As you retain existing customers and win new ones, you have the opportunity to progressively build a larger customer base and a stronger business.
If You Can Sell, Why Not Build Your Own Business?
A Hygiene Direct franchise isn't a salaried position.
You're building your own business.
For someone who knows how to sell and build customer relationships, that's an important distinction.
Instead of using your skills to continually build somebody else's customer base and business, you have the opportunity to put that effort into something of your own.
The more customers you develop and retain, the larger your business has the potential to become.
Our most successful Hygiene Direct franchisee demonstrated just how far that can be taken, consistently earning around $180,000 per year while continuing to grow his business.
He eventually sold his franchise back to Hygiene Direct Head Office and today he is our Sales Director.
That means our franchisees have access to support and mentoring from someone who has actually done the job, built a highly successful Hygiene Direct franchise and understands what it takes to grow one.
We can't do the work for a franchisee – and we wouldn't pretend that building a successful business doesn't require effort.
What we can provide is the brand, products, systems, experience, support and mentoring to help the right person build something worthwhile.
You're Building an Asset as Well as an Income
There's another important difference between earning a salary and building a successful franchise.
At the end of years working for somebody else, you may leave with your final pay cheque.
When you build your own successful business, you're potentially building an asset that can one day be sold.
The recent Northland franchise sale is a real example of that happening within the Hygiene Direct network.
The previous owner built the customer relationships and developed the business. When the time came to move on, there was a functioning business for somebody else to purchase and continue growing.
That's an important consideration for anyone comparing a franchise business in NZ with simply taking another sales or account-management job.
Who Makes a Good Hygiene Direct Franchisee?
You don't necessarily need experience in the cleaning industry.
We're much more interested in people who:
- enjoy dealing with customers;
- can build long-term business relationships;
- are comfortable prospecting for new business;
- understand the importance of good customer service;
- are self-motivated;
- are prepared to put in the effort required to grow a business; and
- want the results of that effort to build something of their own.
If you're good at sales but have always been building someone else's business, a Hygiene Direct franchise could provide the opportunity to use those skills to build your own income, customer base and business asset.
Franchise Opportunities Around New Zealand
Following the successful sale of our Northland franchise, we're looking for the right people to help us continue growing Hygiene Direct around the country.
We're not looking for everyone.
We're looking for motivated people who believe they can develop relationships, win customers and grow a business – while having the backing of an established Hygiene Direct network behind them.
If you've been researching franchise opportunities NZ, considering whether to buy a franchise in NZ, or simply wondering whether there is a better way to use your sales ability, we'd be happy to tell you more about how a Hygiene Direct franchise works.
Find out more about Hygiene Direct franchise opportunities here
Our newest Northland franchise owners started out as customers.
They experienced Hygiene Direct for themselves, saw the opportunity from the other side of the counter and decided they wanted to become part of it.
Perhaps you're ready to see what you could build too.
He waka eke noa – we're all in this together.