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franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
hen Richard Lu considered transitioning from his role with St John
Medical Alarms, to franchise owner with the Westpac Supreme
Franchise System of the Year 2024 Driving Miss Daisy, he sought the
advice of Philip Morrison at Franchise Accountants. That led him down a
path to success he could hardly have envisaged.
“Being the first time I’d dealt with franchises, I wanted an accountant
and advisor who knew everything there was to know about franchising in
New Zealand. I saw that Philip and his team were six times winners of the
Service Provider of the Year award and had helped several other Driving
Miss Daisy franchises, too, so I knew he was the man for the job!
“I felt Driving Miss Daisy was a great franchise opportunity, and the
franchise area available was one I am very familiar with,” he explains.
Richard has lived in Auckland for almost 30 years, studying at Auckland
Grammar School and the University of Auckland, where he gained a
degree in biomedical science. This led him to work with St John Medical
Alarms. “There, I had the opportunity to interact with many elderly
clients and understand the services Driving Miss Daisy provide,” he says.
Beyond all you’d expect
As well as being ‘incredibly helpful’ during the due diligence process,
Richard says Philip, his colleague Hayden Cargo and the whole Franchise
Accountants team, went far beyond his expectations of what a franchise-
experienced accounting business could add to his pre-purchase decision
making. He shares, “Beyond all you’d expect from an accountant, Philip
and his team’s franchise expertise meant they could also answer very
specific questions about Driving Miss Daisy’s franchise model. They gave
me the best advice based on years of knowledge!”
Richard subsequently took the leap to buy the Driving Miss Daisy
Remuera and Ellerslie franchises and now has nine vehicles, 11 drivers
and runs more than 1000 trips per month. His franchises support people
of all ages to enjoy a fuller, freer life.
“Driving Miss Daisy is a wonderful service, not only supporting the
elderly and injured but also assisting those who don’t drive. We offer our
clients independence, safety, personal care, and cost-effective transport.
We can even help with children, guiding them to and from school or
extracurricular activities.”
Richard credits the sector-specific advice he received from Philip and
team in giving him the confidence to proceed and flourish in franchising.
He says, “The kinds of questions Philip and his team were able to answer
included queries I had around such things as why are Driving Miss Daisy
franchises for sale rather regularly?
“I was reassured by the responses I received around the numbers of
franchise owners being semi-retired people, or retirees, who want
something to do, but who perhaps then find that the franchise area is
quite small for all the paperwork involved, for example. This was a great
point from Philip, which I really took on board. I discovered you ideally
need to have a decent sized business, if you can, hence the reason I
have taken on the two franchise areas of Remuera and Ellerslie.
“The financial analysis Philip provides goes back over three years – it’s
extremely comprehensive – and Philip and his team have been great at
giving us all sorts of business advice too, such as GST filing, training on
Xero and so much more.
Leave no stone unturned
Richard now employs a full-time admin person to handle said
paperwork. “And I’ll probably need another part-time admin support
person soon, too,” he says. Such is business. He has also been an early
adopter of AI technology to optimise his operations (see cover feature on
page 6 for more).
“I’m very glad to have taken the leap into franchising, with Philip’s
guidance. I love what I do. The team takes pride in providing a service
that is second to none and making sure that we’re family when family
can’t be there for our clients.”
That Richard loves what he does certainly shows in terms of success. And
that, in large part, stemmed from the support received when Richard was
contemplating taking those first steps on his franchising journey.
He encourages others
looking for a business
opportunity to take the very
best of advice too.
“It’s great to have the
backing of an accounting
company that leaves no
stone unturned and one
that is so familiar with all
the intricacies of franchising
here in New Zealand.”
Franchise Accountants
www.franchiseaccountants.co.nz
Contact
Philip Morrison / Hayden Cargo
0800 555 80 20 / 021 22 99 657
pmorrison@franchiseaccountants.co.nz
hcargo@franchiseaccountants.co.nz
Advertiser Info
A DRIVING
FORCE FOR
SUCCESS
Running a Franchise
Franchise Accountants is the
award-winning name behind
several successful franchisees in
the 2024 Supreme Franchise System
of the Year.
Driving business forward:
Richard Lu and Philip Morrison