Kindness is the essential attribute that lies at the heart of all Driving Miss Daisy franchisees, reveals Stan Zets, co-owner and director of the Australian business.
“Our franchisees have hearts of gold; our clients are generally vulnerable, and suffer a good deal of loneliness. They are often in a situation where they don’t have access to friends or family.
“So at Driving Miss Daisy we have a dual role. We provide more than transport; we offer companionship and friendship. Our Daisies can take them shopping, take clients to weddings or birthday parties, and stay with them as companions,” Stan says.
In their roles as Daisies, franchisees provide their clients with a whole raft of additional benefits on top of the simple transport service they have booked. Driving Miss Daisy franchisees enable independence, encourage self-esteem, deliver fun, peace of mind, safety and security, love, care and compassion.
“These are all part of a Daisy DNA,” he says.
It’s easy to see the impact that the service provides – feedback floods in, with clients full of gratitude.
“Driving Miss Daisy is a delightful business,” Stan says. “We now invite online reviews and it’s interesting to see what comes through. One lady in South Australia, wrote a poem. A gentleman in Queensland, who is an amputee, shares that he now has a new life because he can get out and about.
“We regularly get clients phoning up head office to say thank you for the service one of our franchisees has provided.”
Driving Miss Daisy has proved so popular that bookings can be filled six months in advance.
Franchisees cater for ad hoc bookings, or for repeat services such as a weekly hairdressing appointment, a school pick-up, or a monthly oncology appointment.
Stan reveals that two thirds of clients use the Daisy service multiple times in a month.
Like family, when family can’t be there
“A lot of people go to day care centres. It can be a long day, and quite disenchanting, to sit on the bus that’s provided while it picks up every attendee and at the end of the day, drops them home. It could take an hour each way.
“But our Daisies provide their own vehicle, so it is more comfortable and companionable for our clients, and of course it saves time,” Stan points out.
The aim is for Daisies to be like family when family can’t be there, he says.
In fact, the Daisy commitment means there’s more rigour and consistency than a family may be able to provide.
“That’s how it started out,” says Stan. “Our founder Melanie was helping her elderly aunt Trish to appointments, but because she was fitting the support into her busy daily life, it meant she couldn’t always be on time.
“So when Trish said she would pay Melanie for her support if she would be there when she was needed, it was better for both of them,” he adds.
Driving Miss Daisy knows what matters to each demographic. Elderly clients need to feel empowered, that they have control and independence.
For people with disability, the prime motivation for using the service is need – the ability to get out and about, to go to the beach or on an outing.
Caring is at the heart of the Driving Miss Daisy business
Whether franchisees are catering more for aged clients, or those with disabilities, a caring attitude is at the heart of business success.
“We are very careful in recruiting franchisees,” says Stan. “In our logo the daisy has a yellow heart – a heart of gold is a prerequisite. We’re not looking for qualifications, we’re looking for kindness.”
It is common for franchisees to come with big hearts but lacking commercial skills. And that’s no deterrent to the Driving Miss Daisy Australia founders.
Both Stan and his co-director Alan Branch have years of experience in business, and in mentoring.
“We provide assistance in how to run a business, how to employ, train, manage, and educate a team. And we ask franchisees how we can help – we want to do regular business health checks so we know franchisees are on track,” he says.
It is very responsible work – timeliness is crucial, and rostering a crucial part of the role. As franchisees expand, they become employers as well.
Income, lifestyle and independence
“This is not a one person job,” says Stan. “You are building a business, owning a fleet, training and maintaining staff – effectively cloning yourself. And we demand high standards,” he says.
Driving Miss Daisy appeals to nurses and support workers looking for security of income, lifestyle and independence.
“They have often come from a stressful environment, working with more vulnerable people. Most franchise owners have a pretty good understanding of need; they often have children or family who have disabilities,” Stan reveals.
“We see all the shades in the spectrum in our recruitment process. Franchisees come from different backgrounds and all share one thing – a desire to help,” he says.