Michael Holt has always been ambitious, and prior to becoming an Adept Franchisee his career had blossomed, but he had always been an employee. He is well used to operating within a corporate environment and his background was facilities management where he gained valuable experience looking after university student accommodation, Barclays' Group buildings and finally, Atkins corporate and retail properties.  

It was in the latter role that he encountered Alan Thomson, the MD of Adept Cleaning Services who had held the contract for office cleaning at Atkins for several years at the time of Michael’s appointment there as Facilities Manager. For several years, Michael was therefore a customer of Adept Cleaning Services (and according to Alan he could be rather demanding at times!).

 

But during this time he was able to observe at first-hand the professional and consistent service Adept supplied and his respect for the company grew - they were reliable and if problems arose they were always swiftly dealt with and resolved in a courteous and amicable manner by Alan and his team.

 

It was during a chance conversation one day between the two men that Alan jokingly said “You’ve seen from the other side of the fence what clients are looking for in a cleaning company - why don’t you join Adept and become my first franchisee? Everything is in place – I’m just looking for the right person.”

 

Michael went home, pondered on it and talked it through with his wife. He decided that the opportunity was too good to turn down – he knew Alan to be a person of integrity, and what’s more he had great admiration for the way he had built and ran his own business.

 

Being an Adept customer he had a unique insight into the company and he knew Alan would provide the initial support he’d need. He couldn’t imagine that any other franchise would offer a better opportunity.

 

Michael always knew that one day he would break away from the 9 to 5 routine ofa ‘staff job’ which he found frustrating, to owning his own business. Within a few weeks he had signed up and became the Adept Franchisee for a large territory in the North-West that includes Liverpool, Warrington and Chester.

 

That was in 2007. Within three years Michael had built a substantial business turning over more than £400,000 a year with the potential for much more.

 

“I have absolutely no regrets about joining Adept. Although in many ways running my own business is more challenging than any job I ever had, the freedom I now enjoy to ‘run my own show’ makes it all worthwhile and I have only scratched the surface of the vast untapped market I can sell to. ”

 

“I never feel alone as I can always discuss any concerns I have with Alan. More often than not he has been in similar situations and is able to offer good sound advice.

 

I am quoting for new contracts week-in, week-out and the marketing support and the practical back-up I get from the rest of the team at Adept is vital and leaves me free to build my own client base without having to start from scratch with branding/marketing/accounting and IT systems etc all of which can take up considerable time and financial resources.”

 

“Although I easily ran my business from home initially, when an opportunity recently came to move into very reasonably-priced serviced offices in central Liverpool I felt confident enough to take this major step forward. Running an Adept Cleaning Services Franchise is hard work but the financial and personal rewards certainly make it worthwhile and I feel I have made a good investment for the future and I have control over my daily life. The Adept Franchise system is comprehensive and means that it really isn’t necessary to have experience of the cleaning industry, or sales, in order to be successful in building your own business.

 

No two days are ever the same, and I never tire of meeting new people and visiting different types of premises. I enjoy the challenges of making presentations to potential new clients and Alan is always happy to support me in any way I need. We were recently jointly successful in securing a contract worth £80,000 a year which was a tremendous achievement.

 

This year as well as taking on an office and an assistant, I have invested in Adept livery for our vehicles which is advertising our services within the area, and at the same time improving the professional image of the business. Within the next year or so I am planning to have an area manager to support me and leave me more time to develop the business.

 

For me it has been a relatively risk-free way of starting my own business and I would certainly recommend it as a life-changing opportunity for anyone who has the relevant skills-set.”