Investment required £9,950 – £190,950 + VAT
Larry Bainbridge had always wanted to be his own boss, so when he was made redundant from his role of Finance Director at a construction firm, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to fulfil his enduring ambition.
“I’ve always had the urge to be my own boss, so when I was made redundant I thought, if I don’t do it now I never will,” recalls Larry. “As I have a young family to provide for, I wanted a low risk business opportunity that would provide me with a reliable flow of cash, which is why I decided to look into franchising.”
Larry thoroughly researched the franchise industry by attending exhibitions and scouring the internet, but it wasn’t long until he came across a commercial cleaning franchise that sparked his interest.
“Having previously worked as an Accountant for a cleaning company, I was very interested in the guaranteed turnover* that Dublcheck offered its franchise owners,” he explains.
Dublcheck obtains the business for you, so you know exactly what turnover you get. You can start with a minimum turnover of £14,000 per annum if you want to run your business hands-on and start small, while retaining the security of your current position, or you can purchase up to £500,000 per annum if you want to run a management business.
Before launching his franchise, Larry attended a one-week comprehensive training course at the Dublcheck head office, which covered all aspects of the business from operation systems and customer service to practical cleaning demonstrations and products.
“I found the prospect of launching my own business incredibly daunting,” admits Larry, “and even the first 12 months were pretty scary but the Dublcheck team reassured me that, as long as I followed the franchise model, I would be fine – and they were absolutely right, it works!
“The ongoing support from the Dublcheck team has been brilliant,” continues Larry. “Help is only ever a phone call away and in my first year of trading I was assigned a mentor – an existing Dublcheck franchise owner – to show me the ropes and give me advice. I have never felt on my own with Dublcheck.”
Once his business was established within the local area, Larry was eager to challenge himself further by expanding his customer reach.
“When a neighbouring Dublcheck franchise came up for sale it was the perfect opportunity for me to grow my business,” says Larry. “The franchise had been established for about five years so it already had a loyal repeat customer base and a team of experienced staff.
“Due to the professional and efficient work of the Dublcheck team, the hand over of the business was seamless.”
Since joining Dublcheck at the beginning of 2010, Larry has steadily built his Dublcheck franchise into a success and has enjoyed the benefits of being his own boss.
“It’s amazing to think how much my business has developed in the last two years,” says Larry. “When I started my Dublcheck franchise my wife, Carol and I carried out the cleaning jobs ourselves for the first few months. Today, I have 30 cleaners working with me, a dedicated telesales employee and am turning over £250,000 per annum!”
With the goal of achieving 20 per cent year-on-year growth, which he successfully achieved last year, Larry is confident that his Dublcheck franchise will continue to give him the reliable cash flow and security he had hoped for.
Founder of Dublcheck, Carol Stewart-Gill says: “Cleaning is the UK’s largest single industry with the commercial cleaning sector worth over £3 billion. Think of all the offices and shops you pass on every car trip, and then consider that each needs regular cleaning. It’s not a gimmicky franchise and it’s proven to be fairly recession-proof, the build up of dirt just never stops.”
Written by Tiffany Brooking