My home

Residential cleaning has become one of the UK's fastest-growing market sectors, with 2.7million households spending around £11billion every year on domestic help. Russell O'Connell, chief executive at residential cleaning franchise Myhome, believes this growth has been driven by the dramatic increase in two-salary households.

‘The good news for Myhome franchisees is that the market is predicted to double over the next three years,' he says, ‘as more and more cash-rich, time-poor individuals outsource their domestic chores to professional organisations such as Myhome.

Katie Vinnicombe, a successful Myhome franchisee, has been providing residents in Surrey with cleaning services, with her highly-trained professional team, since she launched her Myhome franchise last year.

Vinnicombe had always dreamed of someday running her own business but, like many others with the same idea, felt that turning that dream into reality would be too daunting to handle on her own. She says: ‘After completing a business administration degree, I spent some time working in sales and marketing for large corporations before taking a year off to travel the world. When I returned, I was looking for a new direction and a fresh business challenge.

‘I read about Myhome and realised this was my opportunity to fulfil my dream of running my own business. By working in partnership with an established and respected company such as Myhome, I knew I would reap the benefits of the business support system offered to the company's franchisees. Now I'm running my own business, but I'm never on my own.'

Vinnicombe already knew a little about the residential cleaning market before joining Myhome. ‘My family has a background within the cleaning industry,' she says. ‘So I was aware that demand for efficient, trustworthy cleaning staff was extremely high. With more than ten years' experience, Myhome is a proven leader within the residential cleaning sector so I felt confident of success in joining the company as a franchisee.'

Myhome is an associate member of the British Franchise Association. Russell O'Connell believes Myhome's training programme, which begins with a comprehensive five-day residential training course is one of the most thorough in the franchise business. Franchisees are shown how to operate a premium residential cleaning business using Myhome's unique Tri-Colour cleaning system. This proprietary system is an organised, colour-coded plan that lets cleaning staff know exactly what to do in each room of the house on every visit - thereby organising and streamlining their work and saving them time.

Franchisees will also benefit from using a proprietary software programme called Myhome ServiseCeoTM. This helps track and manage virtually every aspect of the business. It can be used to manage and schedule appointments, handle billing and payroll, take control of all necessary accounting procedures and keep constant track of cleaning teams to ensure maximum productivity. This is all designed to give franchisees maximum control over their time and profitability.

Vinnicombe believes that a Myhome business gives franchisees both the independence that comes with self-employment and the security of operating under the umbrella of an established brand.

‘Becoming a franchisee has really changed my life,' says Vinnicombe. ‘As a franchisee, you must be prepared to work hard and enjoy communicating with people. Potential customers like to see that you are a local business working within the community, so get out there and make contact as much as possible. I try to remember that every job could potentially lead to a reference,' she says.

‘I have so much more control over my life and I'm delighted to say that I already have a turnover of more than £100,000. My business has grown steadily and there is even more potential for growth.'

Myhome is currently looking for talented franchisee like Vinnicombe to manage residential cleaning businesses across the country, so now is the time to get involved.

Address: Myhome Services, 119 Richmond Road, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, KT2 5BX
Tel: 0845 069 33 69
Fax: 0208 404 6484
Website: click here to visit Myhome