SPECIAL FEATURE MY WINDOW CLEANER
ALAN JARVIS Previously a retail manager, Alan Jarvis runs his My Window Cleaner franchise with his partner, Charlotte, in Canterbury
What prompted you to make the change from retail to franchising? I’d always wanted to have my own business and, ultimately, I always fancied something that offered a full range of services, working outdoors and working for myself. The time was right for me to try something different, without putting myself at major risk. I’ve got three young kids, so it was important to find the right opportunity for me and my family.
What attracted you to this franchise opportunity? This isn’t about someone showing you how to clean windows – it’s about having the systems, guidance and support to grow a substantial business for yourself. Anyone can start up as a window cleaner, but with My Window Cleaner I have a proven model
that allows me to expand into a really strong multi-van business. I’m ambitious and that really appealed to me.
What are the benefits of operating a van-based franchise? What qualities do franchisees need? Reputation, trust, integrity in your work: these are key skills and I’ve always used them. When you’re turning up at someone’s house they need to know that you’re clean, presentable and respectful. You’re on someone’s property and possibly around their family; I take that responsibility very seriously.
What was training and support like? I spent plenty of time working with the company’s best window cleaner.
I also spent several days with the directors, Karen, Dave and Ian, training locally, covering everything we need. And if there’s anything I come across that I’m not sure about, I’ve got phone calls, Skype and webinars, so I can quickly get hold of people should that eventuality occur. I felt really prepared.
What are your plans for the future of the business? I’m looking forward to building and developing the business, recruiting someone as the first member of our team, and then hopefully a second and a third person over time. In the future, my time will be spent on training, winning new business and perhaps even taking on another territory. The potential is huge.
“I used to live in Manchester before moving to Prestatyn. Having faced redundancy twice in a relatively short time and being fed up with a 140-mile round trip to work each day, I decided to change this and work for myself. This was back in 2014. “I investigated the franchise sector and Ovenu in particular, as I heard great things about the oven cleaning franchise from a relative of a close friend over in Macclesfield.
"I’m especially pleased with the research and development that HQ get up to and roll out to us franchisees"
OVENU
PHIL DAVIDSON Phil lives in Prestatyn with his wife and two children
“The idea of becoming a ‘white-van man’ appealed to me, as I enjoy driving and my passion for customer care was a key factor of me being awarded the Ovenu franchise territory in Denbighshire. “Having undertaken the very extensive
‘classroom, workshop and onsite’ induction training course at the Ovenu distribution centre in Berkshire, I started trading and was busy from day one – not inundated but plenty to put my newly learned skills into practice at a pace that suited me. “The head office team put together a unique launch marketing campaign for me
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based on my own circumstances and this worked a treat. Over the next four years I’ve been able to build nicely on that very solid foundation that we built in the early days – the time has flown by and I’ve enjoyed each step of the journey. “I’m especially pleased with the research and development that HQ get up to and roll out to us franchisees. It’s non-stop and that’s important to me and my colleagues, as we like to keep our number-one status in the industry! “I’ve had some fantastic support along
the way, not just from Ovenu HQ but also my fellow franchisees in the network, who I enjoy chatting to and meeting up with whenever possible. “It was a huge leap of faith for me to join the ranks of the self-employed but I’m glad I did. My family are also pleased, as we now spend a lot more time together than before and they tell me I’m a nicer person to have around – that means the world to me!”
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