Posted:05-June-2026
Building a Business That Lasts: Debbie Walker's 20+ Years Merry Maids Success Story
After investing in her Merry Maids franchise in 2003, Debbie Walker has built an award-winning business in Croydon with a strong team, loyal customers, and deep community roots. As a 2025 Great British Franchisee Award winner, she shares what it really takes to build a domestic cleaning business that lasts, why structure matters more than lifestyle promises, and how support from the Merry Maids and ServiceMaster Ltd network has allowed her to grow through economic change, Covid, and shifting customer demand.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying your Merry Maids franchise business?
Before franchising, I worked across a range of roles including recruitment sales, strategic sales, telesales, food demonstrations, and radio. It was quite varied, but it gave me a strong foundation. You learn how to communicate, sell, and manage people, which are things I rely on every day now.
Can you also tell us about Merry Maids?
I own Merry Maids of Croydon, providing professional domestic cleaning services. Over the years we’ve built a strong reputation and a loyal client base. Today, I have a team of around 25 staff, and we focus on delivering quality, trust and a consistent service that customers know they can rely on.
Why did you go down the franchise route? What made you choose the cleaning industry? And why Merry Maids?
I made the decision when I had my first child. It made me stop and think about what I wanted long term. I wanted more control over my future, but I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks that weren’t going to pay off.
Merry Maids gave me that balance. With a franchise you’re running your own business but not starting from scratch. The industry is busy, and a lot of people talk about lifestyle, but what stood out to me was the structure behind it. Merry Maids gave me a clear model to follow whilst reducing risk. That gave me confidence that I could grow the business properly rather than just react to what came in day to day.
How did you raise the finance?
I took voluntary redundancy from my previous role, which allowed me to fund the business without needing a loan. That took away some of the pressure early on and meant I could focus fully on getting it right.
What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
From the start, I wasn’t left to figure it out on my own, which was important. ServiceMaster Ltd already had a clear way of doing things, so I had systems and processes to follow rather than trying to build everything from scratch.
The two-week Merry Maids Academy gave me a good foundation, and having the launch plan in place meant I knew what to focus on early on. It took a lot of the guesswork out of those first few months.
I also had the practical side set up, things like marketing and a website, although when I first started it was very different. Back then it was more Yellow Pages and directories.
Now, the marketing is on a completely different level. There are multiple channels working together, and it’s not just about getting enquiries, it’s about keeping the brand visible and bringing in the right type of customer consistently. Aaliah Chik (Residential Marketing Manager) and the marketing team manage a lot of that side, which takes a lot of pressure off and means I can focus on running the business.
After that, the support is there when you need it. I’ve always found there’s someone you can speak to, whether that’s the brand team or others in the network, but you’re also given the space to run your own business.
How would you describe your day-to-day role as a Merry Maids franchisee?
My role has definitely changed over time. In the early days, I was much more hands on with everything. Now, I still stay very involved, but more from a management and decision-making point of view.
I work alongside Lynne in the office. I oversee the day-to-day accounts and client onboarding, and I’m always keeping an eye on the overall direction of the business and the numbers at a higher level.
Recruitment is still a big part of what I do. I’m very involved in that, and I still make key sales calls myself. I like to stay close to what customers are asking for and what they need.
The Merry Maids’ BMS systems makes a big difference as well. Everything sits in one place, from customers and teams through to scheduling and reporting, so you’ve got a clear view of what’s going on without having to piece it together.
Provide information on challenges overcome as well as your key successes to date.
The 2008 financial crash hit us hard. We were very reliant on city clients at the time, and when that shifted, it really exposed it.
I had to rethink quite quickly how we were running the business. I stopped look at it as “this is what we offer” and started asking “what does the customers actually need”. It sounds simple, but that shift made a big difference. It made the business more stable and helped us hold onto customers.
Covid was probably the toughest. We had to close for eight weeks, which is not something you ever except. What mattered was how we handled it, we stayed in touch with customers the whole time and made a clear communication plan to make sure they knew what was happening.
For the team, it was about safety first. We were sending updates twice a week, making sure they felt comfortable before going back into people’s homes and then back to their own families. I carried that responsibility so made sure to not take it lightly.
There are always challenges in business. At the moment it’s things like rising costs and recruitment, and you do see changes in customer behaviour. But that’s part of running a business, and it’s about how you respond to it.
For me, it always comes back to what you can control. Standards, how you run things, and how you look after your team and your customers. That doesn’t change.
In terms of success, it’s not one big moment. It’s the consistency. We’ve continued to grow over the long term, built a strong reputation locally, and been recognised through a number of awards. That comes from doing the right things over time.
Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?
Yes. It has. You do get the freedom of being your own boss, but you also carry the responsibility.
The biggest change for me has been having control. I’m not relying on someone else’s decisions. I can shape the business. I can build a team and a culture I’m proud of. And because the model is structured, I can build something that lasts rather than something that feels uncertain.
How do you achieve a work-life balance?
For me, it’s something that’s come over time rather than straight away. In the early years, I was very hands on, you have to be, you’re building your business and putting all the pieces in place.
The difference now is the team. I’ve built a strong team around me over the years, and because of that I can step away more than I ever thought I would be able to when I first started. They take over when I’m not there, and the business keeps running as it should.
That doesn’t happen overnight though. It’s taken time, and it’s taken a lot of work to get to that point. But having the right people and a clear way of doing things makes it possible.
How do you retain your best staff and keep morale high and productive?
It really starts with having the right people. I’ve always believed that’s critical, you can have everything else in place, but if you don’t have the right team, it’s very hard to make it work.
I’m very lucky with the people I have around me. Lynne, my office manager, is incredible. She knows the business inside out and is a big part of why things run as they do day to day.
For me, it’s about creating an environment where people feel supported and valued. You recognise when someone has done a good job, you say thank you, and you make sure they know they matter to the business.
Can you tell us about any community involvement?
Community has always mattered to me. I’ve never wanted this to be just a cleaning business. I’ve always wanted it to feel like we’re part of something locally, and that we’re using the business to do some good where we can.
One example that really stays with me is supporting a young Ukrainian refugee called Yuliia. When the war started, I wanted to help through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, but I couldn’t feasibly house anyone. When a friend took Yuliia in, I employed her in the business so she could work and build a life here. Our team helped her settle, train, and find her confidence, even with the language barrier. It meant she could get a work visa and send money home, and we also supported her fundraising for practical supplies for her family back in Ukraine.
I’m also very focused on looking after my team properly. We partnered with Successful Mums and Wirehouse Employer Services to put a menopause policy in place, because I knew it was needed. It’s about treating people with dignity and making sure work is manageable, and that staff feel comfortable speaking up if they need support.
The other big area for us is supporting families locally. We’ve worked closely with the Reedham Children’s Trust on food bank drives, collecting donations from customers and matching them, so the support goes further. The response from our customers was incredible. One year we donated enough to support over 100 vulnerable families, and we’ve continued the drive because the need has not gone away. In 2023, the donations totalled £1161.89, which is a lot of essentials going to people who genuinely need it.
Because of that partnership, we were named a Croydon Children’s Champion, which I was really proud of. Not because of the title, but because it means the support was real and it landed where it needed to.
Dementia support is another area that’s close to the business. We’ve been involved in the nationwide Merry Maids Forget Me Knot Challenge, raising money for Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia Friends. It raised over £1,300 in six weeks, and it then grew further as more businesses got involved.
We also support customers living with a cancer diagnosis. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is take one worry off someone’s plate when they’re exhausted or overwhelmed.
A lot of this has been recognised over the years, including being a finalist in the BFA Community Focus category, and winning awards like the Resilience Award, Best in Class Customer Service, the People Award, and A Great Place to Invest. That recognition is lovely, but it’s not why we do it. We do it because it’s the right thing to do, and because it’s the kind of business I want to run.
What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?
Go in with your eyes open and be clear on what you’re trying to build from the start.
Within the Merry Maids franchise, you’ve got ServiceMaster Ltd and the wider network as well, so make the most of that. Speak to people, ask questions and learn from those who’ve already done it. There’s a lot of experience around you if you use it.
Stay open-minded, be prepared to adapt when things change, and keep a close eye on your numbers. At the end of the day, you’re still running a business.
In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
For me, it comes down to consistency. Anyone can have a good month, but it’s about showing up and running the business properly day in, day out.
You also need to be resilient. Things don’t always go to plan, and there will be challenges. It’s how you deal with those moments that makes the difference.
Mindset plays a big part as well. You’ve got to be open to learning and use the support around you.
That’s where the franchise helps. Within Merry Maids, you’ve got a proven way of doing things and people around you who’ve already been through it, so if you’re willing to use that, it puts you in a much stronger position.
And ultimately, you need to remember you’re running a business. It’s not about being busy for the sake of it, it’s about building something that works, is profitable, and lasts over time.
What are your plans for the future?
At some point I will look to retire, but not just yet. I’ve got the business to a place where it works well, I’ve got a strong team around me, and I can step back when I need to, which is something I probably didn’t think would be possible when I first started.
I’ve put a lot into it over the years, so I want to enjoy that now and keep things running well.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
I’d probably focus on building the right team even earlier. Once you’ve got the right people around you, everything becomes easier to manage, and the business runs as it should rather than relying on you for everything.
That’s something I’ve built over the last 20 years, and it’s a big part of why the business has grown consistently and kept moving forward.
Interested and want to know more about Merry Maids ?
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