Market Focus
John Bate
John Bate, franchisee for Minster Cleaning Services, Nottinghamshire, bought the branch as a going concern in 2011, the franchise having been originally opened in 1994
Minster Cleaning Services
What did you do before franchising? Before joining Minster, I worked with my wife as a co-director in a health and beauty spa business.
Why did you choose franchising and why Minster? I realised that franchising was the best way forward for me for all the usual reasons including the relatively high success rates of franchised businesses, a tried-and- tested business model, and comprehensive support systems. Minster was recommended to me by a friend who has been a very successful franchisee for many years. I trusted his frank and honest opinion and have certainly not been disappointed. By buying an established branch, I had customers and cash flow from day one and, as a management franchise with large, exclusive territories, Minster offered the opportunity to build a substantial and valuable business.
Why the cleaning sector? Commercial cleaning is a massive, multi- billion pound market and, as an essential business service, there will always be a demand which will be largely unaffected by technology or fluctuations in the country’s economy.
What are your plans for the future? I am very optimistic about the future. We
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BusinessFranchise.com | May 2017
still have many ancillary services to offer our existing customers and to promote to potential new customers; we try to provide a one-stop shop for anything cleaning related. We’ve also been very successful within the healthcare sector and intend to continue developing this area of the business. Minster’s knowledge of implementing cleaning regimes and practices which meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements is convincing practice managers that we are the ideal partner to help the fight against healthcare associated infections.
How has your previous experience assisted in running your franchise? The customer services management experience that I gained from the health and beauty spa business has been very valuable as Minster is also very customer- focussed; the main challenges of the business arise from the management and supervision of 100 plus cleaning operatives so people-management skills are essential.
What has the training and support been like? Training and support has been key to Minster Cleaning Services’ success. With 35 years in the business, they have put in place training programmes and systems which take care of most of the day-to-day business activities leaving
franchisees free to develop and grow their businesses.
How was business in the beginning? And today?
The company has grown over the years and there is still a huge amount of potential in the Nottinghamshire area. Levels of enquiries this year so far are very encouraging and we are already seeing these converted into additional business for the branch.
Describe a typical day…
One of the things that I enjoy most about running the franchise is that there is no such thing as a typical day. When you are managing large numbers of people there are always new things cropping up. We also make regular daily visits to our existing customers and potential new customers who require a quotation for our services.
Would you recommend a cleaning franchise to others?
When I took over the business in 2011, the country was recovering from one of the worst recessions in living memory but we have still managed to achieve excellent levels of growth. I would therefore recommend a cleaning franchise and, provided you have people management skills, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Minster Cleaning Services.
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