The franchise way to fast tracking your managerial career

Becoming your own boss is something that many people dream of and it is a goal that has never been more achievable. Thanks to advances in technology, more accessible finance and the growing number of support networks, the numbers of people starting their own business has grown by more than 50% since 2009 with 366,000 businesses established so far in 2016.

And housekeeping is a growth business, with the domestic cleaning market in the UK estimated to be worth £2.86 billion, with around 10% of British households being open to or employing some sort of help in the home (source: The Franchise Magazine). 

Flexible and profitable managerial opportunity

We are increasingly seeing men and women choosing to leave senior jobs to take on a Bright & Beautiful franchise because it allows them to run a business, in a managerial role, that is a proven success story from day one but also to enjoy a flexibility that may have proved impossible in a previous role. 

When you take on a franchise a lot of the hard work has been done for you, from staff training processes to establishing a digital presence which is very attractive to people who are highly skilled in running a department or managing people but who perhaps don’t have the experience in setting up a website for example.

But the right franchise will also enable you to develop any number of managerial skills and become expert in a range of areas that the franchisor will train you in, helping you to grow your business much faster. Many of our most successful franchisees have one big thing in common – fantastic people skills. Allied with the right training in areas that go hand in hand with managing a business – recruitment, new business, marketing, networking – they could build and grow their housekeeping businesses steadily and successfully over several years, often expanding to other areas.

A franchise housekeeping business also opens the doors for a lot of people who might otherwise find it difficult to take on a management role in a business due to family commitments or other pressures. It offers a real alternative to both the office bound 9 to 5 and the often unpredictable hours of a new start up, giving people a flexible and profitable managerial opportunity.

Case study

One of our most successful franchisees and shortlisted for Franchisee of the Year in the 2016 Best Business Women Awards is Sarah Reeves who runs her Bright & Beautiful business in Buckinghamshire. Having been made redundant twice during the recession and as a single mum, Sarah launched her business in 2012 and has gone on to build it into a highly successful company that now employs a team of 12 housekeepers and delivers eco-friendly cleaning, tidying, laundry and ironing for hundreds of local homes. From day one Sarah was determined to elevate her business and her role in it to be the best in the local area, developing very strong relationships within the community, securing partnerships with one of the area’s leading estate agents and the local council.

And success breeds success, with Sarah now able to train her own managers within the business. Sarah says: “My senior team leader now has her own business phone and business cards and is able to support me more in the day to day operational running of the business as it continues to grow. This is increasing our management presence as the business grows and she also carries regular spot checks in clients’ homes to ensure standards are being met and exceeded.”