Rose Elphinstone-Hayes is one of our most enthusiastic and energetic clients. Here at McClean and Co, Rose and her partner Troy work with Lindsay and Thijs to harness this energy to drive their business forward. For the last two years this foursome have transitioned Rose and Troy’s flooring company from a service model to a complete end-to-end offering, from design, to product supply and installation. The results have been phenomenal.
Rose grew up in Queenstown, attending primary school there before heading further afield to boarding school for her senior years. After looping around the country she returned to the region as a young adult five years ago to start the business. Although the change in the town during that time has been immense, Rose claims the bustle is a good for business and Queenstown’s growth creates the perfect opportunity to capitalise on a thriving construction boom.
The business, Southern Lakes Flooring First, offers residential and commercial flooring solutions. This includes carpets, tiles, vinyl, cork and hard flooring. Rose and Troy work with the leading floor covering brands to supply high-quality products and after-installation sales support. The store is based in Alexandra and services the Central Otago and Southern Lakes Region, including Wanaka, Queenstown, Cromwell and Alexandra.
Rose claims to be McClean and Co’s greatest fan. She chose the firm at random two years ago by just walking up the stairs. From there she says, “They haven’t let us down once!” Rose explains that working with Lindsay and Thijs has been valuable because they each bring a different approach to the business. She says, “Thijs is a good listener, he quietly takes it all in and distills the conversations down to the heart of it. He gets to the bottom of the issues and offers a range of practical and creative solutions”.
Rose says working with Lindsay has taken their business to the next level. She says, “Lindsay has never doubted us; he has encouraged us and given us confidence to take the next steps forward. Lindsay has absolute faith in us. He gently guides us by asking, have you thought about this, have you thought about that?”
Rose enjoys working with both Thijs and Lindsay but she says the fundamental difference working with McClean and Co is having things explained in a way that is easy to understand. She says, “they communicate in a way that we can understand; the language is simple and not full of technical jargon or accounting terminology. This means we are comfortable with where things are at, and we are able to ask questions.”
We have loved watching this business grow. Helping young business people thrive is where the fun is and it’s the favourite part of our business. We asked Rose what is the best thing about being in business. She said, “It is the responsibility and the satisfaction in the ownership of the outcome for the customers.”
We see a bright future ahead for the team at Southern Lakes Flooring First.