Special Feature
What kind of training and support have you received from the franchisor? Minster’s comprehensive support package takes care of all the main day-to-day business activities. This covers operational management, administration, bookkeeping, IT, marketing and the complex fields of employment law, health and safety and environmental legislation.
Minster Cleaning
Services Rob Wilson
Rob Wilson is one of Minster’s longest serving franchisees having started his Essex franchise in 1992. Now, nearly 24 years later, annual turnover at Rob’s Essex branch is around £1.6million from an excellent portfolio of clients.
How have you found running your franchise so far?
When I started in 1992, the UK was in the middle of a recession so the first couple of years were the hardest. Starting your own business is not for anyone who is afraid of hard work and, despite what you may read in some adverts, there is no magical get- rich-quick formula. But, the support I had from the team at Minster was superb and whatever problems you may encounter, help is always available, either from head office or from another franchisee.
What attracted you to franchising? I'd been running my own frozen food and video rental businesses for 20 years but declining markets in the retail sector and the prospect of even greater dominance by the multiples persuaded me to look for an alternative. I set out to find a business proposition, which offered ample opportunities to satisfy my personal ambitions in a more stable marketplace. I identified franchising as the best option because of its relatively high success rate.
What transferable skills did you have? I had extensive people-management experience and organisational skills from many years running my own retail business.
Why did you choose this sector? Why Minster?
I thought that a management franchise would make best use of my management skills and, as an essential business service, there will always be a large market for office cleaning. I spent over twelve months planning my career change, visiting exhibitions and franchise companies before deciding that Minster Cleaning Services was the right one for me. Minster had a proven business model
where systems were in place and all the groundwork had already been completed and large territories offered virtually unlimited potential. After meeting Minster’s founder and now chairman, Alan Haigh, I decided to take on the vacant territory in Essex.
What are the benefits and challenges of running a management franchise? Provided that you have a sufficiently large territory, a management franchise can give you the opportunity to build up a substantial business which, with the right management team in place, is a valuable, saleable asset. Most of the challenges come from managing people so it is important that you have the right skills to cope with this.
How has life changed since you set up your business? After the recession of the early 1990s, the UK had a sustained period of growth ending in 2008. In 1999, the minimum wage was introduced and this has been raised every year since and has now been replaced by the National Living Wage for over 25s. Primary medical and dental services now have to be Care Quality Commission registered and their premises must now meet a number of required standards. By delivering a cleaning strategy that covers all key elements and functional areas, we are now helping over 40 NHS practices in our area to combat healthcare acquired infections whilst fully complying with CQC requirements.
What qualities do you feel are important in order to achieve success as a franchisee? You must be resilient and be able to withstand the normal ups and downs of running your own business. You should be trustworthy and aim to provide a high quality service that is reliable, consistent, flexible and great value for money. In a busy management franchise like Minster you need excellent people-management skills in order to be able to deal with your staff effectively, to understand the requirements of a diverse range of clients and to maintain good relationships across the board.
What are your plans for the business? I am optimistic about the future and see no reasons why the business shouldn't continue to keep on growing using Minster’s tried-and-tested formula. With well over 300 contracts and an experienced and long-serving management team, I could probably take things easier but I have no thoughts of immediate retirement as I still enjoy the challenge of running a growing business.
Would you recommend a management opportunity like Minster to others seeking to run a franchise? Definitely, providing you have the appropriate people-management skills and are prepared to work hard to achieve your goals.
June 2016 |
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