Cover Story
my expectations and had hit a year-on- year turnover fi gure of over £100,000 by February 2016. However, I was even more surprised to fi nd that, six months later, this had doubled to over £200,000. A truly memorable moment though was giving someone the opportunity to work; having brought up her family as a single mother, no one would give her a chance. The smile on her face when I offered her the job is something I will never forget. Kyra has now been with me for over 12 months and cleans on several sites – a real success story.
What are your plans for next year? It would be nice to have a holiday, but mainly to keep building the business and stabilising what we have. We are also going to look at other services that may benefi t our clients, such as portable appliance testing. We plan to offer more help to medical establishments regarding Care Quality Commission inspections and its relation to cleaning. It’s about making things easier for the client so they come to rely on you and you build ever-closer relations.
What would you do diff erently? I would’ve started my Dublcheck business 10 years ago! I would have also told myself not to panic in the fi rst six months about building the business. Companies take time to come to a decision; things do not always happen quickly and that can be frightening at the start.
What does being a Dublcheck franchisee entail?
For a start, do not expect to sit back and
let it happen. Like most new businesses, it can be very hard work at times; you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty and be involved in all aspects of the business at the start. I still go out and do cleaning shifts from time to time. If you are prepared to put the hard work in, listen to the advice and your business will grow. Support and advice is always there – you are not on your own because it can be lonely running a business.
“It’s about making things easier for the client so they come to rely on you and you build ever-closer relations”
Do you need previous experience? Common sense is a good place to start. If you have a business background, it is going to help, but it is not necessary, as Dublcheck will guide and train you. This is not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme – it takes hard work and determination to succeed and grow. I had no experience of this industry, so it was a big learning curve for me.
What support do franchisees receive? The training programme is very intensive, but it does not fi nish there. Every new franchisee has a mentor who is already a successful franchisee; they fully understand the problems and can offer solutions. There
are also sales and marketing courses to help build your business. Additional help is only a phone call away from the head offi ce or one of the nominated suppliers.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of buying their fi rst franchise?
Go to a franchise exhibition with an open mind and see what’s available and what you want to do. Do not rush into the fi rst thing you see; decide what you want and the level of commitment you want to make. This is a life-changing decision, so you need to pick something you will enjoy. Choose your industry and do your homework – get as much information on all the franchise opportunities and make a shortlist of ones to meet. Plus, ensure any franchise is prepared to let you speak to existing franchisees to fi nd out what it’s really like.
Do not plough all your money into buying the franchise; you need to live and pay bills until the business has suffi ciently grown and you can take some money out. Clients may not pay you before you have to pay your staff or bills, so make sure you have suffi cient capital to support your business, not just at the start, but as it grows. You can always grow your business according to your cash fl ow once you are up and running.
Look at what will help you save money and run your business, and be prepared to learn new skills. There are simple online tools that make my life so much easier when it comes to things like organisation, planning, shift patterns and working out wages for my employees and holiday forms.
Dublcheck Commercial cleaning
www.dublcheck.co.uk
Carol Stewart-Gill, founder and chair, with the Dublcheck head offi ce team
info@dublcheck.co.uk 0800 3172 36
October 2016 |
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