My Home Case Study: Set for success

Thanks to Myhome, Niall Powers has built a high growth, scalable domestic cleaning business

Ten years ago Niall Powers was working on the stock market in a highly stressful environment as an accountant.

“There was a lot of responsibility, without the authority,” he says. “I was one of the younger ones in the office. I’d look around at my colleagues in their late 40s and 50s and see they were just the same. I couldn’t see an end to it all, so when the opportunity to run my own franchise came along, I jumped.”

Drive and ambition

Having become aware of franchising, Niall particularly wanted a service business - something that could expand with great potential for growth, rather than be a static enterprise, like a shop. To this end, MyHome served his purposes brilliantly, as he was able to start small, but use his drive and ambition to develop it quickly into a much larger operation.

After looking at franchising in general and investigating the MyHome business further, Niall, being the entrepreneurial businessman he is, could clearly see the scalability potential and the superior product offering, so committed and attended his initial five-day training course.

Niall says: “I already had accounting skills and an MSc in advanced marketing, so the part of the training I found most helpful was on the more practical front - things like booking appointments, quoting for business, etc. I especially liked the idea of using a step by step process for every task, which really helped.”

This paid off and now Niall runs a fleet of 13 vans with 32 employees to service his business. And whilst his employees are cleaning and upholding the company’s rigorous standards, Niall’s days are spent doing a mixture of things to keep the cogs turning.

“It’s very varied and that’s part of the appeal,” he says.

MyHome is the UK’s leading premium domestic cleaning company, which aims to provide a consistent, secure and reliable cleaning service for the upmarket and professional sector.

The company was recently fully acquired and relaunched by Franchise Brands, parent company to internationally recognised brands ChipsAway and Ovenclean, which together have a collective trading history of over 50 years and a combined worldwide network of more than 350 franchise partners in 10 countries.

Franchise Brands was founded in 2008 by Stephen Hemsley and Nigel Wray, who have achieved well documented success in franchising through their involvement with Domino’s Pizza over many years. Their talents and expertise lie in identifying growth opportunities and investing heavily in them.

The group’s operational strength is based on its central support services, enabling franchisees access to world leading partners and systems, which are normally commercially unavailable within small or developing franchisors, including substantial marketing campaigns, bespoke IT infrastructure and highly refined training and finance systems.

Having secured and maintained ChipsAway and Ovenclean’s positions as number one in their respective markets, Franchise Brands is now turning its attention to the domestic cleaning sector.

MyHome franchisees are not cleaners. They are talented individuals like Niall, who manage and build a supremely efficient domestic cleaning franchise business, whilst understanding the value of working within a proven business format.

The company’s low cost domestic cleaning franchise option, which was developed by Unilever, allows you to run a business under an established brand name, giving you immediate exposure in a huge market with rapid growth potential.

Franchisees’ cleaning teams are highly trained, full-time professionals who are reliable, fully insured and DBS checked. Franchisees are supplied with the latest equipment and use the exclusive Tricolour System, developed by Unilever, to ensure a perfect, hygienic clean each and every time.

Launch pad

Niall says: “When you have the right mental framework in place to run your own business and the determination to make it a hit, you’re set for success, especially with such a solid company like MyHome behind you. All the processes and support are in place - it’s a vital launch pad. I only have to think back to the faces of those stressed older men in my office 10 years ago to know that I made the right decision.”

Owning and running a MyHome franchise is not for everyone. If you want to buy a job, then this opportunity isn’t for you. Franchise Brands and MyHome are looking to partner with exceptional, passionate, driven individuals who are seeking to create a high growth, scalable business. It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join.