Special Feature
Cleaning industry facts and figures
• The cleaning industry contributes over £24billion to the UK economy (according to figures released by the British Cleaning Council) and employs over 700,000 people
• Cleaning companies are increasingly looking to provide sustainable, eco-friendly solutions, using ‘green’ chemicals, in response to the growth in consumer demand
• One of the key advantages of the cleaning industry is that it provides an indispensible and ubiquitous service, and as such is less subject to economic downturn than other sectors, as cleaning remains a necessity
• There are 25 different cleaning brands – specialising in everything from commercial spaces to chimneys to windows – within the membership of the British Franchise Association
Minster Cleaning Services
Marc Goddard is a joint franchisee for the Leeds and Wakefield branch of leading commercial cleaning company Minster Cleaning Services.
What did you do before franchising with Minster Cleaning Services? Prior to joining Minster, I had gained management skills over 10 years as a loss prevention manager at Asda and then in my own lawn care business, which I sold in 2008.
I joined the Leeds and Wakefield branch of Minster Cleaning Services as business development manager in 2008. I then spent time as an area manager before becoming joint franchisee in 2011. The branch was originally opened in 1994 by my stepfather, John Whyte, after he sold his share in the software company that he founded and ran successfully for 13 years. John’s experience in management was the ideal preparation for a career with Minster Cleaning Services and, since then, he has been Minster Franchisee of the Year twice while building up a large and thriving business. He is now reducing his involvement in the business with a view to full retirement within the next year or two. John and I were also named the 2017 Minster Cleaning Services Franchisees of the Year.
Why did you choose a franchise in the cleaning sector and why Minster? I had the benefit of seeing how my stepfather’s franchise had progressed over the years and had realised that as an essential commercial service that appeals to such a broad range of organisations, office cleaning was relatively resistant to the effects of a downturn in the economy. I had also seen first-hand that Minster’s solid business model and large, exclusive territories allowed franchisees to build substantial, profitable businesses.
How have you found the training and support from the franchisor? Minster is really proud of the high levels of training and support that it provides for franchisees. As well as helping with the transition from employment to self-employment for new franchisees, there is ongoing support in all the main business activities. Franchisees also benefit from the pool of knowledge available from the franchise network. For example, Minster’s expertise in providing cleaning services for the
Marc Goddard
healthcare sector has been shared among all franchisees. This has given us all a real competitive edge and led to a significant increase in business in this area. Together with the operations manager
and three other Minster franchisees, I am a member of the training and operations working group. We meet regularly to discuss various new ideas with the aim of helping franchisees to maximise their business performance.
What challenges have you faced, if any? Recruitment is probably one of the biggest challenges. We are always on the lookout for high-calibre cleaners and supervisors and, as the economy has picked up, recruiting new employees has become more
May 2018 |
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