Keith enjoys running his lawn mowing franchise in the gorgeous Katikati area, just on the outskirts of Tauranga. His ride-on work provides him with plenty of income so he can enjoy his orchard.

Here is the full interview with Keith below

Hi Keith, let's introduce yourself!

Well the introduction to Keith Payne. Crewcut's ride on lawn mowing franchise for the Katikati area. 

What is your favourite part about your day as a lawn mowing business owner?

I just love getting on my big john deer. It is just such a fun thing, it's sort of not like going and having fun every day. 
 

What is the best part about buying a Crewcut franchise?

The best thing about me buying a Crewcut franchise would be control over my day. It's not a full time role, the business is maybe 2 days a week. But it doesn't necessarily all happen in within 2 days. It gives me time to do the other things in life like helping my wife run her business and looking after the orchard.

What have you learnt since buying a Crewcut franchise?

Since buying the Crewcut franchise, the things I've learnt would be, I guess from a practical perspective is being very organised with my diary. If you don't turn up on time, the clients will phone you, and say 'Keith are you coming to mow my lawns today?' And so you need to be organised and communicate with your clients on a regular basis - that's really important. Keep them up to date and in the loop. 

What are some of the positives in the franchise system? 

The positives with the franchise system, I suggest, would be number 1 the feeling that you have somebody behind you - the backup. I love the franchise meetings - they're fantastic. It's great to get along and have a chat to other franchise owners and we can have a moan about the weather and talk about problems we have. Those would be the biggest pluses

What did you like about the look of the Crewcut franchise?

I like the shall we say - the shop front. I like the look of it, the corporate look. There's an organised, professional look about it. So that helped. It was a franchise that became available, and I was very happy with what I saw. 

What do you like most about your new role as a lawn mowing business owner with Crewcut?

The Crewcut franchise is a very good move from a stress level point of view. It's very good physically, from a health perspective, and I quite like it. At my age, I don't want to be sitting at a desk. I love being out doing things. I love being out in the fresh air. And the fact that it's 2 or 3 days a week, and 3 days would probably be ideal - I see that as the perfect role for ending my working career. 

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