Having had enough of working in the “stressful and uninspiring” world of accounting, Molly Maid franchisee, Sarah Kershaw, took the plunge and became a business owner in 2019.
Since then, through her hard work and support of Molly Maid, she has firmly established her business and been part of the post pandemic boom in home cleaning services. She says: “Since I started, Molly Maid has been ahead of the curve when analysing market conditions and trends, and ensuring we had the tools we need.”
“Home cleaning demand has soared post Covid, as the pandemic has brought the importance of hygiene and cleanliness to the forefront of minds. Molly Maid has helped me to take advantage of this trend by creating the HomeSafe cleaning system (and marketing it well) which provided customers with the reassurance required.
“Support Office has also provided welcome guidance on marketing methods, areas to target and emphasised the importance of investing in a good marketing mix (ie both online and offline marketing activity) to drive more customer enquiries.”
There’s a great deal of autonomy in running the business but a steep learning curve to overcome as well, she adds: “Having the judgement and experience to price cleans right, to ensure that we provide good value for money, yet remain profitable, has been hugely important. Especially because I didn’t have any cleaning experience. It has been a definite learning curve.” But already the business is expanding to a fourth cleaning route and Kershaw has another in her sights after that.
“I want to fill this route by the middle of next year and establish a fifth route before the end of 2023. I am also keen to expand by purchasing new postcode areas in the next year or so.”
The key, if you want to grow the business, is to look after your staff, she says: “I strive to be as fair as I can be at all times, and ensure staff feel valued and respected. I love the team spirit we have. We all work hard and pitch in to help when colleagues are struggling or off sick. This means we never have to cancel cleans, and many of our customers say that this reliability is one of the reasons they are prepared to pay a premium for a Molly Maid clean.”
Ronnie Dungan
