Get down to business
Minster Cleaning Services Paul Bailey took over Minster Cleaning Services’s Surrey fra nchise in 2013
After 35 years selling advertising space Paul Bailey took his career in a new direction when he became the owner of Minster’s Surrey franchise in 2013. Under his management it’s gone from strength to strength. When Paul took over, the franchise had
revenues of £460,000. But his focus on fi nding new business has paid off. In 2017, he won a Minster award for the biggest growth among franchisees, bringing in £500,000 to £1million. Turnover has now hit £1.2million.
"The size of Minster's territories gives enterprising fra nchisees huge scope for expansion. You can flourish by securing contra cts from a small fra ction of the market"
Although advertising and commercial cleaning may appear to have little in common, the skills Paul learned during a career that started at Girl About Town magazine when he was 17 and ended at Sky have really helped. He says: “I managed a team at Sky so I came into it with people management skills, which I think is really important when you’ve got around 140 staff, as we have. My sales background has also helped when it comes to pitching and, more often than not, winning
new business.” He was specifi cally attracted to a Minster management franchise for several reasons. “I was looking for an established low-risk business at a reasonable cost. Minster stood out because they have a great reputation, were within my budget and I could see a lot of potential for growth in the Surrey branch. I also live in Surrey so it made sense location-wise.” The strengths of commercial cleaning
speak for themselves. It’s an essential business-to-business service with multi- sector appeal, which helps protect franchisees from economic peaks and troughs. And the size of Minster’s territories gives enterprising franchisees huge scope for expansion. By securing contracts from just a small fraction of the market in your area, you can really fl ourish.
But not only did Paul see it as a good business opportunity, he also saw it as a chance to rebalance his life. Long commutes to London are now a thing of the past. “My working day suits me. I start early and fi nish early, and if I choose to I can work from home. It’s totally fl exible, which is great at the moment because we’ve just got two new puppies.” Of course, there are challenges, but
overcoming them is all part of what makes the job so satisfying. One of the key factors behind his success is, he says, keeping hold of good cleaners. “That’s why we look after them. We pay them well, develop their skills by sending them on courses and make sure we communicate with them so they feel part of the team, not just cleaners with a key.” They take pride in their work and the franchise has built a strong reputation because of that. By working with Minster Cleaning
Services, the UK’s largest commercial cleaning franchise, Paul also knows he’s got the backing of an experienced and reliable company. Established in 1982, it’s been a full
member of the British Franchise Association since 1992 and has branches across the UK. Half of Minster’s franchisees have built up businesses with sales of more than £1million and the top branches achieve annual turnover in excess of £2million. In total, the group has more than 5,000 employees and yearly revenues of £40million. Training and support is also crucial
to Minster’s success. Franchisees are given ongoing support with operational management, administration, bookkeeping, marketing and IT. Not to mention professional advice in complex areas including employment law, health and safety and environmental legislation. The initial start-up cost of a new franchise is £28,225 plus vat, £5,000 of which is allocated to a marketing launch package using a highly effective strategy that’s constantly being refi ned.
28
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
