Nimna Sanjeeth loves fast and flashy cars. He’s aware that to finance that passion, he needs to work hard and make good business decisions. Nim came to Australia seven years ago from Sri Lanka on a student visa. He was a sixteen-year-old with an entrepreneurial spirit and the drive to make some seriously good money. Within 2 years he’d purchased an Urban Clean in southeast Melbourne which today is turning over 400 K per year.
Nimna’s now driving a Tesla and expanding into real estate, learning platforms and wants to dabble in his passion of music.
Speaking on the Urban Clean Podcast, Nim explains how Urban Clean’s systems have set him up for the financial freedom he’s wanted since childhood.
Here’s the next chapter of Nimna’s inspiring story, in his own words.
A system which sets you up to succeed.
“When I first started in Urban Clean, the sum I invested, I made it back in like two months. I know it’s pretty crazy. I’ve learned that you can build any business in the world if you really put your mind to it. But with Urban Clean, I think it’s that expertise and the support that you receive that makes the difference.
Damien (Boehm) has this amazing system where with every contract that is at a certain level, you only pay a little bit. So that way you don’t have to start your own business from scratch. And you are given the same invoicing systems, customer portals, employee portals. Basically, you are given the whole support team to just go out and get on with business.
I have two big contracts with Urban Clean, (Urban Clean does a few all-over-Australia contracts) and I take care of the clients based in southeast Melbourne. Other franchises are taking care of the clients in other cities. So, there’s a of base in that you can hav a share in a big contract and then you can add on other contracts, do your own sales and keep growing.
With me, I think I have close to 20 sites where I’m operating. And then in terms of employees, I think I have between 10 -20 people who do all of the cleaning.”
What they’re saying about Nimna
“Back home in Sri Lanka, they all know that I am very hardworking. I have been this way since I was small. I never give up. So, they are proud of me. When a person who works and is determined gets together with a company like Urban Clean that can help him out, I think that’s a good match. So that’s what happened with me.
My parents and everyone around me, they’re really happy as well. I motivate them and I inspire them to be determined and go and do things for themselves. Just don’t ever give up!
Last year I won the award for the Urban Clean franchisee of the year. I think they chose me because my business is doing well and I’m balancing things well. So, in terms of customers and staff and my Master Franchisers, everything and everyone is happy.”
I try my best to do my job. I make sure the customer is talking to me and if there’s anything that arises, I just fix it immediately. Whether it’s the same day or if the job is at night, I send the guy in again to fix the problem. So, in terms of customer happiness and customer satisfaction, that’s something that I really push for. I don’t think I’ve ever ever let anyone down.
Nimna’s advice to budding entrepreneurs seeking success in Australia.
When you come here on a student visa, you can work. I think right now you can work 20 hours or so a week. If you choose to get into the cleaning industry, go ahead, learn and find out what it looks like. And if you really think this is something that you like, it’s not that you’d like to do the cleaning, but the managing of the business, then it’s possible.
Make sure that you are doing the right thing. Save your money and work hard. Don’t spend it on smoking and drugs and things like that. Get experience and if you find an industry that you like, invest in the proper places. If you like gas stations or petrol stations, invest in 7 -Eleven. Just be sure to do the research and invest your money when you’re young in the right place. That’s what I did with Urban Clean.
What’s next
“The first thing is I am planning on growing this business, so that’s step one. Secondly, I’m looking into real estate investments. And then I also have a passion for the entertainment industry – I like to produce music – so I’m putting my time into things like that, too.
I’m also planning on starting an educational platform. That’s not up yet, but I’m thinking about having courses on businesses and how to go about business and all the little tasks.
But for now, Urban Clean is the bread and the butter so I want that to keep growing. I’m very focused on taking it step by step, one at a time.”
