Crewcut Franchise Group held its semi-annual national conference last November 30, 2019 at Sudima Hotel in Auckland, providing regional master franchise owners with solid business advice and a general overview of upcoming and ongoing initiatives through a casual day-long gathering.

The conference also provided plenty of time for networking and socialising opportunities for those in attendance.

Catching up with master franchisees

Crewcut Founder and CEO David Serville opened the meeting by facilitating a survey about the status of the business in each of the key regional areas, reminding master franchisees to keep their lawn prices and client lists updated all the time.

It was followed by a detailed marketing track that reiterated what needs to be done in order to keep widening the gap between the brand and its competitors. Crewcut’s overall supremacy in the digital space was also an integral part of the discussion.

Robotic lawn mowers

At midday, the regional masters were also treated to a little excursion to the Husqvarna Group showroom in Mangere to learn about the Automower, a robotic battery-driven mower that trims lawns automatically and quietly during any weather and any time of the day, from brand representative Hayden Ritchie.

Ritchie had a good chat with the Crewcut team about the installation and maintenance costs, servicing, plus safety and security concerns about the Swedish manufacturer’s latest and most technologically advanced product line.

One of the more enjoyable parts of the conference for the entire Crewcut team when they got the chance to see the robotic lawn mower in action. “That’s the future right there,” said one of the master franchisees.

What the future holds for the lawn and garden franchise

Back at the conference venue, there was talk about where the company is headed to in the next few years after earning its ISO 9001 certification. As a lawn and garden business, having this international certification standard means that Crewcut has an efficient management process in place to closely monitor the quality of services it provides to clients.

It also opens the company for continuous improvement, and may highlight shortcomings in order to get them sorted immediately rather than further down the line when it could affect the entire operations and the bottom line.

The discussion was a good exercise in gauging the level of energy and excitement for the future from newer and veteran master franchise owners alike. Hopefully, the optimism shown will also trickle down to the 200 plus Crewcut franchisees all over the country.

Meanwhile, there’s also the matter of health and safety.

Serville reminded the team to remain engaged when it comes to this aspect of the business. When asked about the extra costs of meeting H&S requirements that are usually shouldered by franchisees, the founder had this to say: “Cutting costs is for the powerless. Thinking about increased profitability is for visionaries.”

Recognising a key team member

Before the meeting came to a close, Serville took the time to recognise NZ Facilities Manager Warren Boniface, who is about to go into retirement after being part of the company for 13 years. He credited Boniface for his countless hours of work in helping individual Crewcut franchisees produce outstanding results, among many other immeasurable accomplishments and contributions.

Boniface recalls going in for an interview with Serville on a Saturday, saying he vividly remembers the CEO wearing a trench coat and thinking to himself that he might be working for a rock star. He says he had a colourful career and years of wonderful experiences at Crewcut.

He closed his speech with the practical reminder for everyone to always pay taxes so that senior citizens like him in the near future might benefit from it. “Always pay your taxes,” the visibly flustered manager joked.

Seeing the head office support team and the regional managers come together to celebrate successes and discuss goals for becoming better in the latter half of 2019 and beyond was indeed an incredible experience.

For more information on the Crewcut franchise system, contact us at 0800 800 286 or email info@crewcut.co.nz.