Going into business for yourself is a big step and choosing the right partner is essential. Russell O'Connell, Chief Executive of myhome points out that having a partner with experience and expertise can make all the difference.

Business is booming in the Home Services industry and residential cleaning is one of the fastest growing market sectors, with 2.7 million households spending around £11 billion every year on domestic help. The UK market for home services is large and growing.

Myhome International plc is the UK's leading multi-service, multi-branded franchise operator, specialising in the provision of premium residential services.

Myhome International currently provides nine key residential services: domestic cleaning, lawn care and gardening, window cleaning, kitchen/bathroom resurfacing, specialist oven cleaning, mobile car valeting, ironing, laundry and dry cleaning, carpet and upholstery cleaning and plumbing.

These are via the group's Myhome Residential Cleaning, Myhome Complete Lawn Care, Myhome Window Cleaning, Myhome Carpet & Fabric Cleaning, Surface Doctor, Ovenclean, Autosheen, Ferrum, and PlumbXpress brands respectively.

Myhome Residential Cleaning the company's flagship business, is the leading and faster growing residential cleaning franchise and business is booming! The success story is set to continue into 2008 and the company is currently seeking potential candidates for exclusive franchised territories throughout the UK.

According to Russell O'Connell, Executive Chairman, Myhome International plc, residential cleaning is one of the UK's fastest growing market sectors, with 2.7 million households spending around £11 billion every year on domestic help. Myhome is widely recognised as a proven leader within the marketplace and has a client base that stretches to 1000s of satisfied repeat customers.

Says O'Connell: "In today's hectic environment, free time is at a premium like never before and the services we offer are no longer a luxury, but a necessity. A combination of longer working hours and the rise in double income households means that many people simply don't have the time or inclination to deal with their domestic chores.

This is fuelling the demand for cash-rich, time-poor individuals to outsource their household chores and employing domestic staff has now become a lifestyle essential.

Demand for these services has quadrupled over the past 11 years and, as figures are predicted to double over the next three years, the future looks very bright for potential Myhome franchisees."

Franchisees Gurmukh and Rajinder Randhawa launched their MyHome franchise in Oxford, March 2005. Here they tell how they have built a company with enormous potential that is continuing to grow rapidly.

As an entrepreneur, what made you decide to follow the path of becoming a franchisee?
We knew that going into business for yourself is a big step and we'd heard some pretty alarming figures that around 60 per cent of independent startups fail in the first five years - we didn't want to be part of any future statistics! We felt that going into business with an established and respected partner, that has already developed a successful business format, was the way forward. We felt confident knowing that Myhome has been through the difficult learning curve - so we didn't have to!

What benefits immediately attracted you to a partnership with Myhome?
The very first thing that attracted us to Myhome was the enthusiasm and excitement of the team when we met them at a franchising exhibition. The fact that they had a templated system which was originally developed by Unilever was encouraging, as we felt this was a name our clients would know and trust. In addition, we had done a great deal of research before buying a franchise and quickly discovered that Myhome were streets ahead of the competition, in one of the fastest growing markets in the UK.

What did you do prior to joining Myhome and how did your previous qualifications and experience prove useful to your Myhome business?
I was a sales manager and would describe myself as a 'people person'. My wife Rajinder was previously a personal assistant and also worked in human resources, so she takes care of all the administration and payroll. She is the one who looks after the cheque book!

How has your Myhome franchise performed thus far and has it exceeded your expectations?
Our business has gone from strength-to-strength and it would be fair to say that it has exceeded our expectations and the targets set by Myhome.

What is the key to the success of your business and how has being a franchisee changed you?
The key to our success has been good old-fashioned hard work. We know we have to put the hours in, but we don't mind doing that little bit extra as we know our actions will reflect directly on the success of our business. Running our business in partnership with an established, respected company has also given us a winning edge.

How has Myhome's extensive support ensured the success of your franchise?
The incredible support and back-up they have provided every step of the way has been one of the crucial factors in ensuring the success of our business. It makes being self-employed much less daunting, as you feel you are part of a team and you know they want you to succeed as much as you do.

In what way has Myhome changed your life in a positive way?
Being a franchisee has given us so much more control over our day-to-day lives. We feel we are in charge of our own destiny and that while we are running our own business, with Myhome's support we are actually never on our own which is win-win situation. Starting a Myhome franchise gave us the challenge we were after at the outset which was to find a new and exciting business opportunity and to build a thriving, successful business.

What are your long-term goals, and where do you see your Myhome franchise in five years time?
Our goal is to continue developing a highly successful business that provides us with a good income and a high standard of living. In five years time we hope to have a management team running the business for us.

What traits would you consider key to becoming a successful Myhome franchisee?
As I mentioned previously, Myhome has been through the learning curve, so they know what works and what doesn't. So, I would say you need to be willing to take the advice of the experts and work within the tried-and-tested systems that they have put in place to help you succeed.

Also, be prepared to work hard and enjoy working and communicating with people. Be patient and don't be shy, get yourself out there! People like to see that you are a local business working within the community.

Myhome takes great care in choosing the right franchise partners and looks for enthusiastic, ambitious people who are capable of managing a business, rather than actually providing the service themselves. Myhome franchisees are highly talented, motivated, business-minded individuals with proven track records in their previous careers and they have a real drive to achieve.

Successful franchisees will come from a variety of background, where they have developed good relationship building skills as well as having an understanding of business and a strong desire to establish and develop their own operation. They will be comfortable working with an employed team of operators and happy to respond to the leads generated and discuss quotations with prospective new clients.

Anyone with this background should seriously consider joining the fast growing, successful team of Myhome franchisees and should visit them at their head office in Esher, Surrey for an informal but pertinent initial meeting. O'Connell and his franchise development and support team will be available throughout the exhibition to talk to individuals who are looking to start and run their own highly successful business backed by a trusted and respected PLC.