Jani-King Franchisee David McNeil

Through taking the Jani-King franchise route, David and his wife Sonia were able to start their own business and reach an impressive first year turnover of £500,000. In fact, things have gone pretty well for the couple and the business has grown in line with their hopes and expectations: turnover is now £600,000 on an annualised basis with a good profit margin, they have over 100 employees (with three of these forming the management team, the rest being cleaning staff) and they have 54 clients, often national brand names - with the five biggest (Next, H&M, Superdrug, Odeon and Tenpin Bowling) accounting for 70 per cent of turnover. Jani-King's national sales force has been instrumental in acquiring national account brand names on David's behalf.

"Jani-King are very honest about what to expect in each stage of the business as it develops and I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel," he reflects. "You need a cross-section of skills to be successful. For example, you need good people skills to get staff to do an excellent job for clients whilst managing them at a distance. Because most of the work is done early in the morning, I can't personally be with more than two clients in any one day, so it's impossible to oversee everything. Fortunately, my years in the corporate world taught me how to manage people."

Although David wanted lifestyle changes to come as a result of being his own boss, he has found these have only happened in part. He has been able to spend more time working from home and therefore sees more of his young family. However, David admits, "the downside is that you are never not at work - it's 24/7. You have to respond if no one else is able to do so. However, this is part of the start-up effort in any business and at least I have the freedom to set my own agenda which I wouldn't have in a corporate environment...and I don't miss the politics either!"

David McNeil's Jani-King franchise hasn't yet grown to the size of his former employer Unilever, but he's certainly aiming high! "I don't see why I should put a limit on my growth expectations for the business," he states. He is aiming to double his turnover every year, building on the £500,000 level reached in his first year, and build a larger management team when the size of the business makes this viable. "Then I will be able to delegate more and spend time on the golf course!" he laughs.