Well Polished: Become a brand pioneer

Entering the franchising sector with "a lot to prove", Well Polished founder Sandra Venables is promising unparalleled support to franchisees who will pioneer the brand. Joshua Scherzer interviews

'Cleaning agencies aren't actually anything new as such,' admits Sandra Venables. 'But I was determined to beat the competition by raising my customer's expectations with regard to quality of service. I spent a lot of time talking to friends about the elements they would really value in a cleaning service and based my business model on this. They must have given me some good advice because my phone started ringing before I'd even finished delivering my first batch of marketing leaflets!'

Sandra launched Well Polished in 2004 with the intention of running the operation on a part-time basis from home. 'I was stunned by the rate of take up for the Well Polished service in my area. I'd envisaged that being my own boss would give me a more relaxed working life and that it would be some time before I would need to consider taking on extra office staff and working full time, not a matter of months.

'However, as the business grew, so did my ambition and I began to plan for the national expansion of Well Polished through franchising. I've spent the last couple of years refining the details of the operation, testing the business systems and putting together a great team.

Tony Urwin at FDS Northern has worked with us to develop the franchise system and I'm fully confident that Well Polished offers a superb investment opportunity and that we have the infrastructure to fully support and nurture our franchise owners.'

So what are the realities of running a Well Polished franchise?

'Sales and marketing ability and great people management skills are required,' explains Sandra. 'Franchise owners are not expected to do any cleaning themselves. Running Well Polished basically involves two disciplines, building and looking after your customer base and assembling and managing a team of cleaners. Customers pay you a monthly agency commission in advance. For this they expect you to introduce a suitable regular weekly cleaner and send a replacement if their usual cleaner is unavailable. They will also expect you to be available if they have any questions or problems and to provide suitable insurance cover. As the customer pays their cleaner direct, you're not tied down with the burden of a complicated payroll system. This leaves you free to build and develop the business rather than wasting hours on administration.'

The Well Polished team are only too aware that there are several other cleaning companies looking for franchisee investors, some of which are very well established. 'There are many reasons why people should consider joining our network,' Sandra explains.

'Well Polished is new in the world of franchising and we have a lot to prove. Our first intake of franchise owners will be pioneers for our brand so we have everything in place to provide unparalleled support to them. We've even developed a bespoke management software system to simplify the admin side of the business.

'Well Polished offers franchise owners an opportunity to operate in their own exclusive territory and now is the only time when you will almost be guaranteed the exact location you want. So wherever you are in the UK, we look forward to hearing from you!'

The business opportunity that gives sparkling results

Domestic cleaning is the franchise opportunity that's absolutely perfect for today's marketplace. Out at work, juggling busy lives, more and more people now choose to hand over their routine cleaning to a trusted outside supplier.

That's where you, as a Well Polished Franchised business, will be welcomed. With the support of effective local marketing and promotions, the team of cleaners you'll manage as franchise owner will quickly be seen as the professionals in your area - bringing sparkling business results.