A family success

Owning a MOLLY MAID franchise has provided Derek Ward and his family with a thriving business that has a turnover of over £500,000

hen Derek Ward launched his MOLLY MAID franchise in 2002 he had no intentions of turning it into a family run business. Eight years on, however, and his wife, son and daughter are operating the business alongside him. "When I first joined MOLLY MAID I didn't realise what a great opportunity I had," reveals Derek. "I decided to bring my wife Elaine, son Dez and daughter Emma on board because when the business began to grow I needed to recruite extra help who I would be able to trust and you can't trust anyone more than family.

"Running my business with my family works really well as it means we can each concentrate on different aspects of the business. My son and I mainly do the administration side, while my wife and daughter are customer facing and bring in the business. Additionally, as I have just turned 60, I am able to start taking more of a back seat while knowing that the business is in safe hands."

Derek came across MOLLY MAID when he began looking for a business to run after retiring from 34 years of working in the oil industry. "I took retirement and I started looking for something else to do," he recalls. "When I came across the MOLLY MAID franchise it matched all the requirements I was looking for in a management franchise. Also the fact that a big part of this business is dealing with staff appealed to me because it would allow me to use my experience in people management. Furthermore, when I visited the company, the management team came across as being professional and, equally important, very trustworthy."

A year on from launching his York-based business, Derek purchased the MOLLY MAID Harrogate territory as well. To ensure that he was fully prepared for the running of his MOLLY MAID business, Derek was provided with comprehensive training by the support office. "I had one week of residential training, which was backed up by a week of in the field training," he explains. "Since my launch I have had full support from the company and they are always there if I need to call them."

During the eight years Derek and his family have been running their MOLLY MAID business, they have built it into a thriving business. "Our turnover is currently over £500,000." Derek confirms. "Although last year was tougher than normal, this year is already going better and there is a much more positive feeling about this year."

Now that Derek has reached an age where he is contemplating his future retirement, he is keen for his business to remain in the family. "In the future I plan to retire and leave my business to my children to run," he comments. "The great thing about having my son and daughter already working with me means that I won't have to sell the business which I have worked so hard to build into a success. At the moment I am enjoying being able to take a few days off once in a while knowing that my family will continue running the business efficiently."

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