new branch – Cream

Bringing the CREAM magic to George

CREAM will be making a splash in George soon! We’re opening a brand-new branch at Paddagat Shopping Centre, situated in the heart of this Western Cape tourist mecca.

Franchisee William Hewitt is looking forward to applying more than 15 years’ experience in the ICT industry to ensure that clients leave the car wash with big smiles.

Born and raised in George, William started working in various businesses from the age of 16 to gain exposure. When he was 20, a great opportunity saw him move to Cape Town. Here he worked his way up to management positions in the ICT industry and learned a lot about business and working with clients.

After 12 years in the Mother City, William and his wife decided that it was time to escape the rat race and buzz of the city. They wanted to move back to William’s hometown to start a business and settle down with their baby boy.

“I have always had a passion for being an entrepreneur. I was always on the lookout for what can work and give it a go. You know what they say, ‘if you don’t try, you will never know and always regret not trying.’”

William had several small eCommerce online shops that helped supplement their income and enjoyed the entrepreneur side of these ventures. He was also selling items on Takealot and was running a jumping castle business.

“It was all doing pretty good, nothing major, but it was never enough to make me go into it fulltime … until I decided to go BIG with investing in my own business when I can be my own boss fulltime.”

William’s recipe for success is following your passion. “If you have a passion for something, turn it into a business, and always know you will love what you are doing with a smile.”

William started doing research on businesses opportunities in October 2019. He first looked into a waterless car wash, then met a franchisor for a coffee. He was not convinced and didn’t want to run a business he did not believe in.

On his way back home, driving past Haasendal Mall, he noticed the CREAM Car Wash there. When he got home, he immediately went to his computer to do some research on the franchise. Not long after, he got in contact with Alan and decided to grab the opportunity.

William’s vision for the car wash is happy clients. “Coming from a support role with my ICT background, for me, it is always about keeping your clients happy. I want to make sure as soon as a client visits with their vehicle, it is taken care of from the start to finish and that the client leaves with a smile on their face. As someone that takes great pride in my own vehicle, I will treat my clients’ vehicles in the same way.

Check out the CREAM Facebook page for more information on when the branch is opening and opening specials.

Learn more about CREAM and our services here.

CREAM Southdale: Embarking on a new adventure

CREAM is coming to Southdale, Johannesburg! Our new branch at Southdale Mall is opening on Thursday and we’re looking forward to sending a flurry of shiny, freshly-cleaned cars back out into the neighbourhood. Get to know our Southdale franchisee, Tyrone Hogan.

Tyrone has been in business for many years and when he decided to scale down, started looking to try his hand at a speciality business instead of just retiring. He’d known a few people who had started car wash businesses and thought it would “make for an interesting final adventure” in his life.

Tyrone is looking forward to being busy and says that working with cars and customers greatly appeal to him.

“Nothing beats the gleam of a freshly cleaned car except the smile on a customer’s face,” Tyrone says.

His interest in owning a car wash was sparked a while back when a car hire company asked him to assist them to get a car wash plant. This got him thinking that perhaps he should set up one himself.

After several enquiries into car wash franchises didn’t bear fruit, Tyrone was contacted by Alan, from CREAM Head Office. “I was at ease and comfortable with Alan and the CREAM franchise proposal and believe we can be successful together,” he explains.

Tyrone believes that the recipe for success starts by always putting the customer first. “A professionally cleaned end-product and efficient systems, coupled with good, hands-on management should deliver the desired result,” he elaborates. “And I mustn’t forget that I need to get cars through the wash bays in numbers!” he jokes.

Will you be in the Southdale neighbourhood on Thursday? Then come and see why our CREAM brand is growing and customers keep coming back! Keep an eye on our Facebook page for opening specials and other exciting CREAM news.

Check out which other branches will be opening in the next few weeks here.

CREAM Northmead: A perfect blend of passions

This week CREAM is celebrating the opening of our brand-new branch at Northmead Mall in Benoni, Gauteng.

For franchisee Riad Vazirna, this new business is a dream come true and we chatted to him about what led to this exciting occasion:

“Customer service, technology and cars (clean ones) have always been major passions of mine. My story goes back over 15 years ago. I spent some time in the UK, working with clients face-to-face in the retail sector and realized that I had not only a knack for it, but it gave me a sense of fulfilment.

Finding my happy place

In 2007 I made my way back to South Africa after 3 years of valuable lessons learned and wondered what to do next. I had saved some money and enquired about opening a car wash, but it didn’t pan out. I then decided to use my newfound passion and joined the corporate technology world. I would eventually spend over a decade in that industry, doing two of the three things I enjoyed: speaking to people and sorting out issues.

Everything was on track as I got married, was blessed with a beautiful daughter and a promising career. Even with all of this, I still felt like this couldn’t be it and every weekend would find myself spending time washing and polishing my car. I even finished the finer details with a toothbrush and then took a picture (yes, I’m that guy). My wife often left me in my “happy place” and my daughter insisted on always helping, especially with the high-pressure hose (with a nervous dad behind her).

Following my passion

Last year (2019), my wife was retrenched and I was on the brink of the same, which forced me to take a step back, and reassess life. One question kept popping up: “Why don’t you take control of your destiny?” I had no answer to that as I was used to making someone else’s business thrive.

My wife asked me, “Why don’t you do what makes you happy?” to which I replied sarcastically, “What? Customer service, tech and cleaning cars?” That’s the moment everything started making sense.

I immediately started searching for an experienced car wash. Because of my limited experience in the industry, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Many business agents did not want to hear me out, but then I gave Alan from CREAM Head Office a call.

The CREAM experience

Alan and I spoke as if we had known each other for months. He convinced me to come and meet him at CREAM’s Southdale branch and I took my accountant (my wife) and my cheerleader (my four-year-old daughter) along.

We decided to treat my wife’s car while Alan took me through CREAM’s ideology and what sets them apart from the competitors. When our car was done, I was immediately sold. It looked like it had been polished in addition to being washed! I then went to their Heidelberg branch, unannounced, to enjoy the CREAM experience first-hand. After experiencing the same quality service, my mind was made up and I became a franchisee.

Despite a few obstacles, including the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown, CREAM Northmead Mall’s construction got underway. I have been in good hands with Alan and the team, who ensured that we were prepared for any eventuality. Alan took me through each step of the way, ensuring I have the necessary skills and understanding to make my very own CREAM branch work.

This made everything I am passionate about come true: servicing clients, incredible technology behind the CREAM products and, of course, squeaky clean cars!”

Visit the CREAM Northmead branch for your own CREAM experience and keep an eye on our Facebook page for opening specials!