Moving from one country to another and starting life all over again, in a totally new environment is a challenge – believe me.

But having 13 years of local experience in the design-and-build industry has stood me in good stead for operating a renovation franchise.

My career started with studying for a National Diploma of Interior Design at the Natal Technical College in South Africa. From thereI spent 20 years in architectural specification roles learning the industry from a technical point of view. I then moved into high end renovations prior to moving to New Zealand. My career path in New Zealand has been extremely rewarding. I have been involved in sourcing and specifications for high end homes, shopping centres, super yachts and more. I have managed to travel far and wide in all of these roles.

The interesting thing is that having a building background is not an essential to becoming a Refresh franchise owner. My advice is to ensure you engage a project manager who understands the building trade and is up to speed on the building code and local council requirements. Business skills obviously come in handy, particularly in the sales and management process.

So why did I buy a franchise business? Buying any business is a big step, but a well rounded and soundly-based franchise like Refresh will give you the support you need. As Refresh franchise owners, we’re part of a group of like-minded people working towards the same goals; growing our businesses and raising the standard of renovation work and delivering a great product.

One of the things that made Refresh Renovations stand out when I was researching business opportunities is their straight-forward and well-designed operating strategy. We know what’s expected of us and we know how to achieve it. The national marketing support the company offers is outstanding and it’s certainly profiled our services to a wider audience. Head Office also makes the effort to be available when a helping hand is needed. That said, they generally leave us to run our business as we see fit.

This really suits my business style.

After growing and establishing her original franchise, Kim felt so aligned with the Refresh Process, she decided to invest in a second franchise. This has significantly increased the amount of customers she can reach. A lot of clients ask me about the Refresh six-step process. I explain it covers everything from the initial briefing to concept, working drawings, quote, build and finished project. I find this is a great tool for projects because it allows clients to fully understand what’s involved in a renovation project – the planning and requirements needed to achieve the end design.

In the two years I’ve owned a Refresh franchise, I’ve worked on a number of bathroom and kitchen renovations through to larger projects, such as major extensions and complete remodels.

Updating tired looking and inefficient kitchen and bathroom areas is probably the largest market at present. In the current housing market, a lot of people who like the area they’re in are choosing to makeover their homes rather than look elsewhere.

I’m pleased with the way the business has grown. The volume of leads generated by national advertising is a real bonus. Being an established brand makes growth happen much more quickly of course; developing a brand and finding clients can be both time consuming and costly.

Like anything else it can be challenging at times and there is hard work involved to begin with, but the rewards are there and Refresh Renovations is a great brand to work with.