Minster Cleaning was established in 1982 and has been a full member of the British Franchise Association (BFA) since 1992. With so much experience of franchising and commercial cleaning, Minster Cleaning gives prospective franchise partners a rock-solid business model with considerable opportunities for growth.
There are many benefits to franchising – brand recognition, a lower risk than starting out on your own, access to a proven business model, initial training and ongoing support, to list a few. But are there any downsides to running a management franchise?
Brand consistency is an important part of franchising. A brand that has been established over many years, such as Minster Cleaning, is well recognised in its industry. Franchisees must ensure that they always comply with the branding requirements of the franchisor, and many franchisors will produce corporate brand guidelines to help with this. Franchisees must use the correct logo in the correct way, provide uniforms that are consistent with uniform guidelines, and conform to the way email footers look, among many other aspects. While this may feel laborious and onerous at times, it does mean that they are benefitting from a strong brand identity which reinforces the credibility of their business.
It’s essential for the smooth running of the franchise business that communication lines are kept open. Franchisees need to find time in their work schedule to liaise with their franchisor. The Minster Cleaning franchisor/franchisee relationship is a powerful one that has been developed and strengthened over many years. Minster Cleaning franchisees have an average length of service of 15 years, with some being with the company for over 30 years, so very close bonds are formed in that time.
The last element here is finance. Franchisees pay service fees to their franchisor in order to trade under the brand name. There are also marketing fees to be paid to the franchisor. Whilst there is a financial burden to belonging to a franchise, the support received is unparalleled. At Minster Cleaning, Heads of Department and their teams in Marketing, Operations, Finance, and IT and systems are there when needed, whether at the end of the phone, by email, or visiting the branch to provide face to face support.
New franchise opportunities include Buckinghamshire, Doncaster, Guildford, Leicestershire, London and Peterborough. Initial startup cost is £20,000 plus vat, which covers a £5,000 marketing launch fund, along with licence fee, training, I.T. equipment and stationery. In addition, you will need £35,000 working capital (plus personal drawings).
