Read about Angie’s experiences as Cleanhome’s Windsor franchisee.

What did you do before starting your business?

I was a financial advisor, managed a major home renovation project and later on I worked in the travel industry.

Why did you decide to start a domestic cleaning business?
I was looking for a good business opportunity to start and then I met Karen. I worked in her Cleanhome (Thames Valley) business as an office manager and saw what could be achieved with a Cleanhome franchise. After that there was no looking back.

Why did you choose Cleanhome?
I knew it worked as a business model from working with Karen. I also knew I would get excellent training and mentoring from her. Add to that a fantastic system which fully supports everything I need for the business, including tracking of the finances, and really there was no other choice for me.

Was starting up difficult? How did Cleanhome help you get started?
The initial training programme and the unbelievably comprehensive start-up package meant I was up and running with my first mailshot and building the business within an incredibly short period of time.

What do you like about your business?
Portability. Because of the way we have set up my business and the amazing internet-based Genesis operational system, I can run it from anywhere. This gives me incredible flexibility to build my business around my life – and not the other way around!

What does a typical day involve?
There is no such thing as a typical day – another thing I love about running my own business! However, I can be on appointments signing up clients; meeting and assessing potential cleaners; or I can be doing some of the administration, allocating clients to cleaners, sorting out any problems and making sure that all the business fees from the clients have come in when they should – or all of the above, which I guess would be a typical day!!

Have you had any problems, and how did head office help you with them?
There have been times when I wasn’t quite sure what was the best way to handle a situation. A call and have a discussion with Karen and I have always come away with a good way of dealing with it. The beauty of having a franchisor who has built her own Cleanhome business is that she has usually already dealt with all the situations that might come up!

Would you recommend a Cleanhome franchise to a friend/colleague… and why?
I would have no hesitation in recommending a Cleanhome franchise to anyone I know. So long as you’re prepared to work hard and give the business your commitment then you can build a fantastic business without having any previous experience because all the guidance is there for you from Cleanhome.