Top 5 Cleaning Opportunities to Start In the UK

The cleaning industry is diverse. Whilst some businesses focus on domestic cleaning, others target larger commercial cleaning opportunities. There’s also a huge market for speciality cleaning services, such as those to do with cleaning and maintaining windows, carpets and floors. Although the industry can be susceptible to economic downturns, during which cleaning services can be deemed to be an expendable luxury, there are many advantages to running a cleaning business.

Let’s take a look at some of the main ones.

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Advantages of Starting A Cleaning Business

• You can choose from a range of low-cost options. If you buy a cleaning business for sale, you can decide to play a practical role in the business or employ a team of cleaners. The good news is that whichever option you choose, the overheads are low. For a ‘one-man band’ franchise, cleaning supplies can be sourced very cheaply and no expensive equipment needs to be purchased. However, the cost of hiring employees is also minimal, because your employees won’t need any formal education or training.
• You can get set up in no time. Because you don’t necessarily need to source employees or office space, or create a retail location, the set-up process is fairly short. This means that you could be making cashflow within just a month.
• There is no need to commute. It is likely that, unless you live out in the sticks, there will be enough homes and businesses to keep you busy in your local area. This means you can kiss goodbye to the dreaded commute and save money too.
• You can determine your own working hours. If you’re your own boss, you can decide when you want to work. Of course, some clients may prefer you to carry out your cleaning duties at certain times, but you can work out how to fit your jobs together to work best for you. Also, take time off when you want to and cultivate a healthy work-life balance.
• You can boost your profits by offering additional services. As we’ve already mentioned, if you start a cleaning business, you can choose to offer general cleaning services or specialise in one area, such as window cleaning, carpet cleaning or floor cleaning. Once you’ve mastered one service, you could expand your business by offering a new one alongside it. Tell your existing clients that you are now providing blind cleaning, steam cleaning or construction clear-up services.
• Cleaning businesses are simple to market. Although the use of cleaning services is often considered a luxury, every home and business needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Many clients will already have decided that they want to use the services of a cleaning business, so all you need to do is make sure that they choose yours. In general, providing commercial cleaning services is a safer business move than providing residential cleaning services, as commercial customers are less likely to end their contract with you should the economic climate decline. The other reason why cleaning businesses are simple to market is because there are plenty of advantages for customers who choose your services too. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Advantages of Using Cleaning Businesses for Businesses

• They will appear professional for visiting clients. If an office or workplace is well-maintained and clean, clients will get a good first impression of the company.
• They can reduce expenses in the long run. By regularly cleaning furniture and soft furnishings, businesses can avoid having to pay significant amounts of money to replace items further down the line. For example, if a carpet isn’t cleaned frequently, dirt can become ingrained, staining the carpet and forcing the employer to replace it completely, at great expense to the company.
• It will help to eliminate germs. Regular cleaning will reduce the amount of bacteria on desks, on equipment, in the kitchen and in the loos. This should mean that staff are less likely to get ill and take time off work, saving the company money.
• It will boost staff morale. People like being in clean, fresh spaces, so staff should be more productive and optimistic in general.

Our top 5 Cleaning Franchise Opportunities

At Point Franchise, we scout out the best franchising opportunities on the market, so if you’ve decided that you’d like to start a cleaning business, we can point you in the right direction. Take a look below at our top 5 cleaning franchises.

Daily Poppins

Working as part of this flexible house cleaning franchise, you’ll have the opportunity to run your business from home. Your team of cleaners will come to you first thing in the morning to collect their daily cleaning plans, keys and equipment, allowing you to focus on customer enquiries and visits for the rest of the day. Daily Poppins is perfect for entrepreneurs who want to work from home to achieve the ultimate work-life balance.

There are several reasons why a house cleaning franchise is a worth investing in. There has been an increase in women in the workplace; family priorities have transferred from domestic responsibilities to leisure activities and there’s less stigma placed on getting help with cleaning the family home.

Dublcheck

Joining this commercial cleaning franchise gives you options on how you want to run your business. You can choose to take a hands-on approach or build a team to perform the cleaning and take a more managerial role yourself. The amount of money you can earn is dependent on the route you choose to take. Dublcheck guarantees a turnover of at least £14,000 a year for a hands-on business, and a turnover of £500,000 a year for those deciding to take up a managerial role.

There’s also the added bonus that no sales calls need to be made to build up a client base, as business is sourced on your behalf. Providing a stable and consistent revenue stream, this commercial cleaning franchise provides a great opportunity.

Oven Wizards

This van-based franchise has low overheads and lots of potential. Other than the initial franchise fee, the only regular cost is a monthly management fee of £240 plus VAT, so the more you work, the more you earn. And, unlike a conventional franchise agreement, no additional royalty fee is paid to the franchisor.

The oven cleaning industry is growing, so the potential to make a profit is huge. There are currently over 26 million households in the UK and, considering that each one has an oven and a hob that need cleaning, there’s definitely a market for this type of business. What’s more, oven cleaning is thought to be the most hated household chore, so Oven Wizards provides a service that’s in high demand.

Nationwide Cleaners

This is another house-cleaning franchise that was founded in 2008. It was named Best Domestic Cleaning & Ironing Franchise 2018 UK, so you can be sure you’re investing in a trusted brand. If you join the brand, you can choose to work full or part-time and from home.

Nationwide Cleaners understands that the franchise as a whole will flourish if franchisees have the time to focus on creating the best possible business. That’s why they’re ready to pick up the phone to your clients whenever you can’t. You’ll also be able to take part in an extensive training programme and will be supported in marketing and sales.

This franchise also offers an unusual perk; after your business has been up and running for several months, you’ll get the chance to join an advanced training programme on how to expand your customer base that is run by the top franchisee, who has 400 clients.

Safeclean

Safeclean offers carpet and upholstery cleaning with a range of specialised products and equipment. By joining this franchise, you’ll be gaining the expertise of a brand with more than 50 years of experience in the sector. In fact, it was one of the founding members of the British Franchise Association, corroborating its credentials as a reliable and informed brand.

As a Safeclean franchisee, you can either be a hands-on sole trader or take a managerial role and employ technicians in individual vans. The best thing about this franchise, however, is the fact that it offers a wide range of development courses to franchisees. These are provided on top of the initial induction training, which covers everything from technical skills to finance and marketing. The extra courses are all provided free of charge and are available to franchisees throughout the year, which means you can develop a strong basis of knowledge and provide the best possible experience for your customers.

Alice Tuffery, Point Franchise ©