Business founded in 1990 sold its first franchise 21 years later
A commercial and residential cleaning company that sold its first franchise in 2011 is celebrating 30 years in business.
Thomas Cleaning opened its doors in 1990 and in August was purchased by multi-franchisor Taylor Made Franchising.
New owner Darren Taylor says: “30 years is no mean feat for any business and we’re delighted to be part of its celebrations.
“Although we’ve only recently purchased the company, we’re keenly aware of its history and we look forward to leading it into its next glorious 30 years.
“As with all our franchise operations, we try to make life as profitable as possible for our franchisees, innovating and shaping as we go.
“It’s still early days, but we’re looking forward to welcoming new franchisees to Thomas Cleaning very soon, helping them to build profitable, sustainable businesses built on the strong foundations of a long established brand.”
Zsolt Barabas was Thomas Cleaning’s first franchisee. Today he’s the largest franchisee in the group, owning multiple territories and employing 13 staff.
Zsolt says: “My wife and I are Hungarian. When we arrived in the UK in 2010, we got jobs as cleaners at Thomas Cleaning. We were good at our job and very soon the owner, Richard Thomas, had us training new staff.
“After a year, we thought we wanted to leave, but Richard persuaded us not to go, offering instead to franchise the business and sell us the first franchise.
“We had saved hard in that first year of work and every penny we earnt went back to buy the franchise. It was risky, but we felt it was a risk worth taking and luckily for us it was.”
Of the couple’s decision to buy a franchise rather than set up their own cleaning business, Zsolt explains: “As Eastern Europeans who had only just arrived in the country, we knew it would be hard for us to start our own cleaning business.
“If a potential client researched our company, they would know we had only been open a few months, which would understandably make people nervous if they were letting us into their homes.
“Buying into a franchise solved that problem - we could get on with the job of being the great cleaners that we were, as we were now part of a company with a 20-year history.”
Zsolt sees a positive future for the business: “Things are looking really good with Darren as the new owner.
“I’m no oracle, but if COVID calms down by next spring I see a very bright future for Thomas Cleaning and I’m really glad to be part of its future, as well as its past.”
As well as Thomas Cleaning, Taylor Made Franchising also owns StumpBusters, Wilkins Chimney Sweep, PVC Vendo and Traas Pest Control.