Minster Cleaning was established in 1982 by Alan Haigh, who is still the company Chairman. It has been a full member of the British Franchise Association (BFA) since 1992 and was a 2021 BFA HSBC Franchisor of the Year bronze award winner. With so much experience of franchising and the commercial cleaning market, Minster Cleaning gives prospective franchisees a rock-solid business model with considerable opportunities for profit and growth.
In 1992, Minster Cleaning expanded its successful business model into a management franchise and now has over 40 branches across the UK with a joint turnover of £55million. Top branches are each achieving sales of more than £3million per year and many are turning over in excess of £1million.
The experienced network support team is based in Birmingham, with departments covering all key business functions. Team members have a thorough understanding of the business needs of Minster Cleaning franchisees. As well as proactively supporting branches, they are always available to help with any enquiries and are in regular contact with franchisees and branch staff.
Training and support have always been crucial to the success of Minster Cleaning franchisees. All initial training takes place in person at Minster Cleaning’s Network Support Centre in Birmingham. New franchisees spend a week with the Managing Director and Heads of Department in marketing, operations, IT/internal systems and finance.
Managing Director, Dan Williams, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the team at the Network Support Centre and helping franchisees build their businesses. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in preparing franchisees for their career with Minster Cleaning.
The marketing team is made up of Head of Marketing, Paul Stairmand and Marketing Manager Nikki Riddle. They provide continued support to the franchise network in winning new business, customer retention / development and recruitment marketing. Their initial training covers all of the above plus the Minster Cleaning brand and values and how your branch will need to conform to these.
Operational support is provided by Ian Hadley, Head of Operations with 35 years’ experience in the cleaning industry. Ian has an in-depth understanding of the operational issues that can arise in a large network such as Minster Cleaning. Ian’s initial training covers the quoting process and how to calculate a quote in terms of timing and specification of work required. It also covers the operational side of cleaning including starting a new contract, all health and safety issues, risk assessments, method statements, site files, equipment and materials, and also compliance with the various laws and policies that govern Minster Cleaning.
Ian also arranges external courses and training. Recent courses include hard floor cleaning, carpet cleaning, and management training.
The IT department provides IT services at a group-wide level, meaning each franchisee has access to the same regularly updated software and hardware. Minster Cleaning is also rolling out Templa CMS, a digital tool that acts as a hub for payroll, holidays, invoicing and every aspect of customer relationship management (CRM). It is transforming day-to-day life for franchisees, reducing duplication of work and the burden of manual tasks such as data entry, and connecting every element of business activity. Initial training is given on using the Templa system, and ongoing support is unlimited.
The finance department will provide initial training in financial administration. Ongoing support is provided in all areas of finance including billing and payroll.
Further support is available through regular national and regional meetings and via the branch network, where there is a healthy exchange of ideas and information.
Following a career in HR and banking, Bernadette Hanley became the owner of Minster Cleaning’s Birmingham franchise in 2002 with her business partner Kevin Jones. Months later the pair snapped up the neighbouring Black Country franchise. Together they built a thriving business which Bernadette now runs on her own. We asked her what managing a £3million-a-year turnover commercial cleaning enterprise involves day to day.
6.30am – 8am: I’m up early to go for a three-mile walk. I like to get the blood flowing first thing and it really helps take a chunk out of the 10,000 steps a day I’m trying to do.
8am – 10am: Once I’m in the office, I start by reviewing the previous day and sorting out any issues for the day ahead. We have around 500 contracts and employ 400 cleaners so there are a lot of moving parts. We use very effective systems that enable us to run a smooth operation and quickly cover gaps in service when someone is ill, but inevitably challenges emerge which the management team and I will resolve as quickly as possible.
10am – 12noon: Because the business is my baby, I oversee all the financial side. We are responsible for a lot of people’s incomes, so it’s really important we get this right. I could be checking the invoicing, chasing payments or costing new jobs. If I’m not doing that I’ll be getting stuck into my emails which never stop arriving, whether its job applications, client questions or speculative customer queries.
12noon-1pm: One of the great things about running a Minster Cleaning franchise is the network of fellow franchisees eager to support you. I have a couple of franchisee buddies who I speak to on most days, so when I have a spare moment I may fit in a call to share advice, talk through problems or simply say hello.
1pm-2pm: At lunch I’ll head out for another walk to keep totting up those steps. I may also pop into the local pub for a bite to eat.
2pm-4pm: Every day is different and you have to get involved in every aspect of the business, which is one reason I love the job. In the early afternoon I might be heading out to see a potential client, or reviewing our previous month’s performance, including the effectiveness of our marketing channels. In the early days when we were getting established, I’d get involved with the cleaning if needed, although I’ve hung up my Marigolds now we have such a reliable team in place.
4pm-5pm: We’re always looking to evolve and enhance as an organisation and Minster Cleaning’s Network Support Centre is very supportive of that, so I’ll look to fit in time to strategise or work on improvement projects. For example, we recently implemented some new tech systems that will help us operate more effectively and Minster Cleaning’s Head of IT really took the lead and made it a pain-free process.
5pm-6.30pm: Once most of the team have left the office and the pace of the day has slowed, I use the extra headspace to focus on tasks that would benefit from a little additional consideration. If I need to email a client about an issue, I’ll have the time to add the personal touch that really builds positive relationships.
I’ll also check the finances before I leave, updating the purchase ledger and seeing what money has come in throughout the day. Then it’s a short walk home where family, food and, once a week, Irish set dancing take over.
