ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS

First Class Accounts celebrates two decades.

First Class Accounts has survived and thrived for an impressive 20 years. So where to now for this national

franchise chain?

Franchisees are everything to the team at First Class Accounts. Debbie Stanton has been a franchise support team member so she knows exactly what it takes to deliver for franchisees. And as general manager she’s keen to ensure all the changes undergone by this 20-yearold business bear fruit in the best way – by giving franchisees a future.

“I tell my team franchisees are the only reason we are here, franchisees are our job. We have to give them everything we can.

“If franchisees are not successful, we’re not successful. If they are profitable and they get everything they need, recruitment is easy.

“Our role is to ensure harmony in the network.”

Stanton has seen how detrimental it can be when a business takes its focus away from the franchisees. First Class Accounts has had two previous owners in its two-decade history.

“We’ve had the owners who started the business, who sold to a company from New Zealand which then aligned the business with another product.

“When the original owners sold, there was a lot of division among franchisees;