MOLLY MAID is one of the UK’s leading management franchise brands. For more than 30 years MOLLY MAID has been providing professional house cleaning services to households across the UK.
As a MOLLY MAID franchisee, you do not do the cleaning work yourself, but you develop and promote the business and manage your team of cleaners. MOLLY MAID is a great choice if you want recurring revenue too as up to 90% of your business will be repeat business.
MOLLY MAID is a Full member of the British Franchise Association.
How much does a MOLLY MAID franchise cost?
The investment to start a MOLLY MAID domestic cleaning franchise is:
- Franchise Start up package: £7,975
- Marketing Launch Programme: £9,000
- Total:£16,975+ VAT
MOLLY MAID has good relations with all the leading banks and up to 70% (including working capital) can normally be financed to start your domestic cleaning business, subject to status.
Interview with Jim Emery, MOLLY MAID franchisee for Eversley & Ash Vale
Jim Emery
Eversley & Ash Vale
Name: Jim Emery
Franchise location: Eversley & Ash Vale
Date Started: September 2010
AWS: £5,592
Why did you choose franchising?
Before joining MOLLY MAID, I had worked for a major high street bank and part of my role there was dealing with a variety of customers including small to medium sized businesses. Many of these were start-up businesses.
Through my experience and training, I was fully aware that the failure rate among new start-up businesses was fairly high, although with franchises the failure rate was much lower with far more proving successful.
I was mindful of this when I was looking to set up a business and was looking for a business with a proven track record.
Why MOLLY MAID?
I had, had previous dealings with MOLLY MAID and had gained a very favourable impression of its ethos and business methods. I had good working relationships with key people within the franchise and, seeing that there was a ready demand for their services, I saw it as an opportunity to use some of my skills.
Early meetings I had with MOLLY MAID were positive and encouraging. I was impressed by the substantial support given to franchisees (which has proved to be as good as was promised) and, despite my lack of experience in the cleaning industry, considered that MOLLY MAID was right for me.
What are your greatest successes or achievements?
Retaining staff is one aspect of which I am proud. One maid has been with me since I started almost 5 years ago and two others have completed 4 years.
The business itself has grown over the years and has now successfully incorporated the Ash Vale franchise. I am very pleased that the combined business is progressing well, leading to recent qualification for the President’s Circle.
You’re Top Tip (for a new Franchise Owner)?
Without the right members of staff there is no business. It is important to take on suitable maids and ensure that they are teamed with maids that they can work with. All maids are different and will inevitably have varied skills and characteristics and it is vital to allocate the right team to each new customer. Communication is also key; both with staff and customers.
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Interview with Pam Bader OBE, Molly Maid
Franchisors name: Pam Bader
Name of franchise: MOLLY MAID
Tell us about how/when Molly Maid was started and the motivation behind establishing the company.
In 1984 Malcom Tall my business and life partner purchased the master licence from MOLLY MAID international in Canada. Malcolm already ran a cleaning company and saw the potential for the MOLLY MAID brand here in the UK. It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to take on a company and build it into a major brand and I love a challenge.
When and why did you decide to go down the franchise route?
Malcolm had been looking for a master licence in cleaning he could bring into the UK and saw the potential for the MOLLY MAID brand in the UK and franchising was financially a more viable option.
What have been Molly Maid’s biggest achievements/successes to date so far?
We have been awarded Franchisee of the Year twice, gained Investor in People and many other awards along the way but taking the company from a standing start in 1984 to a turnover of £16 million in 2013 with 70 Franchise Owners is our biggest achievement so far.
What challenges have you had to overcome?
We have faced many challenges over the last 28 years including two recessions, changes in employment law, introduction of holiday pay and now pensions. We’ve overcome them all by working with our Franchise Owners and within the time frames set to incorporate the changes into our Business System without any detrimental effect to Franchise Owner profits.
What marketing/promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise?
The top three marketing activities we use to grow our Franchise businesses are:
1 Paid Search – to reach people who are searching on the internet for cleaning services
2 Flyers – to remind people about MOLLY MAID when they decide to make contact
3 Community Relations – to help build a strong image within the local community
What differentiates Molly Maid from the competition?
It very much relates to the reputation of the MOLLY MAID brand and its caring staff who are well trained and go that extra mile to deliver excellent service. The philosophy is underpinned by our commitment in issuing a guarantee to the consumer that we will go back to rectify any problem. Our motto is to deliver “Consistent Careful Cleaning”. We have great staff loyalty as evidenced by the fact that many staff have been with us for 10 years plus.
In your opinion, what makes a successful Molly Maid franchisee?
Someone who is prepared to follow the MOLLY MAID system, who takes advice and acts upon it. Our Franchise Owners are above all people orientated. They understand how to motivate people, they enjoy meeting new people and they embrace the challenges offered by business ownership in a service environment.
What changes have you seen in your industry over recent years? And how have you adapted to them?
Changes to employment law, the introduction of the minimum wage, holiday pay entitlement, they have all had a major impact and have had to be incorporated into the MOLLY MAID business system. On the customer front we are witnessing the second generation now whose mothers’ had MOLLY MAID and their children have the service as a matter of course. There is also a much wider acceptance (and ‘status’) to having professional help in and around the home and garden.
What does the future hold for Molly Maid?
Enormous demand for the MOLLY MAID service, our aim is to be so well known that most people refer to MOLLY MAID as a generic term for house cleaning.
What expansion plans have you got nationally and internationally?
We aim to expand into areas in the UK that offer huge potential to grow and develop successful MOLLY MAID businesses with the right business partners (Franchise Owners). There is enormous scope in the market for the right type of people.
What advice would you give to someone considering franchising their business?
Contact the BFA; Go to the specialist seminars for prospective franchisors. There you will meet all the professional expert lawyers, banks, and consultants, so you get the right franchise agreement, get help with funding, putting manuals together and training programmes etc. You will also get lots of ideas about the level of business support you must give to your Franchise Owners to ensure success.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
In hindsight I would have tried to raise more funding to expand the Support Office team so we could have grown our outlets throughout the UK more quickly.
MOLLY MAID is an internationally recognised brand. Operating in the UK for nearly 30 years, their brand's reputation gives you instant credibility and access to customers from day one.
70 franchise owners nationwide and over 350 cars on the road provides a good level of brand awareness across the country
A dedicated and experienced Business Advisor to support you in building and managing your business
Hard working