Congratulations to Avinesh Rao for winning Clean Planet’s Franchise of the Month Award for May 2022. Avinesh is one of Clean Planet’s longest-serving franchisees, having owned a Commercial Cleaning Franchise in Hawke’s Bay for ten years. Originally from Fiji, this Commercial franchisee owner runs his business with his wife Sanjeshni’s support. Avinesh was awarded Franchisee of the month for his excellent service to his clients and his organising skills. Over the past years, there has not been a single complaint about his work, which is an impressive record. Master Regional Franchise Roy Boone says, “he has helped train new franchisees. I regularly hear from other franchisees telling me that they have asked for his advice, and I know that he has been very generous with his time in helping them. He is a natural leader”.  Before becoming a franchise owner with Clean Planet, Avinesh worked as a chef for a long time. He wanted a lifestyle change after marriage and more family time. At that time, his Fiji friends recommended a cleaning business for a better work-life balance. Clean Planet’s Franchise business provides more opportunities to choose when you want to work and allows for weekends off states Avinesh. The decision to join Clean Planet, as opposed to any other franchise cleaning company at that time, was centred around the environment. With a background as a chef, clean work practices that focus on sustainability were very important for Avinesh. Starting small with a part-time business, Avinesh grew to a full-time quite quickly, within a few years. Avinesh made a conscious decision not to rush growth, focussing on results and achieving high standards in the first two years before taking on more work. He believes that doing the job right and focusing on perfection first would lead to happy customers. He only took on as much work as possible to manage well while working efficiently. He chose to stop growing when he reached a full-time workload. Having time at home with his son Aiden is a priority for Avinesh. Avinesh further states, “the main help and support received from Clean Planet were around purchasing the business to get started and support with finance arrangements and flexibility of payments. MRF Roy Boonen has been the main person to help and support throughout the growth of the business”. When asked about his achievements with Clean Planet, Avinesh says – “Building up a successful business by working smartly and efficiently, and following procedures every time is my main achievement”. Avinesh’s customers include schools and several offices. Nicola Moore, Clean Planet Hawkes Bay’s Field Manager, says Avinesh has built up a really good connection with his clients. “Clients know Avinesh by his name” – states Nicola. The feedback from his clients has been very positive.“He has a great relationship with one school where he stopped cleaning and moved to another site. The client was unhappy when he left and wanted him back. When he returned to their site they were delighted” – says Nicola. When asked about the insight that he wants to share with fellow franchisees and other aspiring people out there to join Clean Planet, he states “One of the major benefits of owning a Clean Planet Commercial Cleaning franchise is the flexible hours of work. Which allows more time to spend with family and kids”. For Avinesh, joining Clean Planet was a complete change of profession. He has shown that it is possible to make a career out of cleaning and be successful at it. He enjoys a less stressful life now that he is his own boss. But for others thinking of joining Clean Planet, it might be to earn an extra income on the side of their main work. Clean Planet provides opportunities for that too. He ends his conversation by saying – “Cleaning is easy, but it’s important to take it seriously. Work professionally and manage your time well, and you’ll be successful”. We once again wholeheartedly congratulate Avinesh for winning the Franchise of the Month Award for May 2022.