80.8% of Ovenclean franchise owners were aged 40 years or older when they bought their oven cleaning businesses. The average start age of a new Ovenclean franchisee is 47, with ages ranging from 28 to 67 years old when they became part of the Ovenclean network. In 2019, the number of self-employed workers increased by 90,000 to reach a record high of 4.93 million in the three months to March 2019. [1] Changing careers over 40 can be a daunting life decision, however this research suggests the most popular age to start a franchise cleaning business is in your fifties, followed closely by forties. This is likely dependant on a number of factors including investment, experience, work life balance and franchise support. For most, forties and fifties represent a time of financial security. Statista UK notes a correlation between cash savings and age, due to individual priorities. [2] Ages 18-34 are more likely to be saving for large purchases such as a car or house, whereas over forties are likely to have no mortgage and spare capital for a new business. Richard Metcalfe, Ovenclean franchisee since 2016 commented: “After working in operational management for over 25 years, I turned to franchising because I wanted a career that offered financial security and had the potential to generate a great income.” An additional explanation for 40+ being the most popular age to buy a franchise is down to the work, life balance aspect. Owning a franchise allows the franchisee to manage their own diary, permitting more time for family, holidays and hobbies. The final explanation relates to the support franchisees receive from a franchise company. Starting a business alone over 40 comes with risks, especially if there is no prior experience in the industry. 60% of new businesses in the UK will fail within three years, and 20% will close within just 12 months.[3] This statistic could be linked to a lack of training, experience and support. Whereas reputable franchise companies, like Ovenclean offer full ongoing technical, business, sales and marketing training, so no experience is necessary. Tim Harris, Managing Director of Ovenclean commented: “We are seeing an increasing shift towards franchising, especially in the over 40s. With full training, marketing and business support – franchising is the perfect solution for an over forties career change.” In the UK alone, the number of franchisee-owned businesses has increased by 14% in two years with most of the businesses, on average, turning over more than £250,000 every year[4]. It is therefore little surprise that individuals who are facing critical career change decisions now view the option of franchising as a viable alternative to full-time work. [1] Office for National Statistics, Labour market economic commentary: May 2019. [2] Statista UK Mean amount of cash savings in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, by age group. [3] Telegraph - Start-ups across the UK are going bust - they need more careful management for our economy to boom. [4] British Franchise Association: Franchise Industry Research
80.8% of Ovenclean franchise owners were aged 40 years or older when they bought their oven cleaning businesses. The average start age of a new Ovenclean franchisee is 47, with ages ranging from 28 to 67 years old when they became part of the Ovenclean network.
In 2019, the number of self-employed workers increased by 90,000 to reach a record high of 4.93 million in the three months to March 2019. [1]
Changing careers over 40 can be a daunting life decision, however this research suggests the most popular age to start a franchise cleaning business is in your fifties, followed closely by forties.
This is likely dependant on a number of factors including investment, experience, work life balance and franchise support. For most, forties and fifties represent a time of financial security. Statista UK notes a correlation between cash savings and age, due to individual priorities. [2] Ages 18-34 are more likely to be saving for large purchases such as a car or house, whereas over forties are likely to have no mortgage and spare capital for a new business.
Richard Metcalfe, Ovenclean franchisee since 2016 commented: “After working in operational management for over 25 years, I turned to franchising because I wanted a career that offered financial security and had the potential to generate a great income.”
An additional explanation for 40+ being the most popular age to buy a franchise is down to the work, life balance aspect. Owning a franchise allows the franchisee to manage their own diary, permitting more time for family, holidays and hobbies.
The final explanation relates to the support franchisees receive from a franchise company. Starting a business alone over 40 comes with risks, especially if there is no prior experience in the industry.
60% of new businesses in the UK will fail within three years, and 20% will close within just 12 months.[3] This statistic could be linked to a lack of training, experience and support. Whereas reputable franchise companies, like Ovenclean offer full ongoing technical, business, sales and marketing training, so no experience is necessary.
Tim Harris, Managing Director of Ovenclean commented: “We are seeing an increasing shift towards franchising, especially in the over 40s. With full training, marketing and business support – franchising is the perfect solution for an over forties career change.”
In the UK alone, the number of franchisee-owned businesses has increased by 14% in two years with most of the businesses, on average, turning over more than £250,000 every year[4]. It is therefore little surprise that individuals who are facing critical career change decisions now view the option of franchising as a viable alternative to full-time work.
[1] Office for National Statistics, Labour market economic commentary: May 2019.
[2] Statista UK Mean amount of cash savings in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, by age group.
[3] Telegraph - Start-ups across the UK are going bust - they need more careful management for our economy to boom.
[4] British Franchise Association: Franchise Industry Research
After 14 years with Ovenclean, the UK’s leading professional oven cleaning specialist, franchisee John Dyer is selling up one half of his thriving business to his employee Richard, and is now on the hunt for a buyer for his other territory, which stretches from Norwich to Stowmarket! Having spent 20 years in a senior logistics role, in 2004, John decided the time was right for a fresh challenge. John looked at various different franchises, across a variety of markets, but soon came to the conclusion that Ovenclean was the one for him. “I was confident I could easily do the work, and the fact the service is a great customer pleaser with a nice repeat business model, was the icing on the cake! “I get to meet so many interesting people. I even have a few customers from the music industry and a very famous chef lives in my area, so no day is ever the same as there are always new people to meet.” Richard joined John 15 months ago, to help him service his second territory, so when John made the decision to sell, Richard was in the perfect position to be able to take it on. “I’ve worked in engineering my whole life and simply wasn’t enjoying it anymore. When the opportunity to join John came along, I jumped. It is totally different to anything I’ve done in the past, but I love it!” enthuses Richard. “I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but customers are always delighted with the results I can achieve using the Ovenclean system. In fact, the best part about it is the customer satisfaction! I’ve never had a customer-facing role before, and rarely even got any recognition for my work, but now I get to put a smile on customer’s faces everyday – you can’t beat it! “As you can imagine, John has grown a fantastic customer base over the years, and so I now also benefit from the database of contacts, not to mention brand awareness, that John has built up.” Says Richard. John is thrilled that Richard will be taking on this half of the business and wishes him the best of luck with his new venture. “My advice for Richard is simple; stay loyal to the brand, customers and above all yourself, and you will do well.” Ovenclean is the longest established and most successful domestic oven cleaning franchise in the UK, providing specialist oven cleaning services to a large, virtually untapped marketplace. Franchisees operate from professionally liveried vans and so benefit from low overheads and high flexibility. The top quality, powerful yet safe Ovenclean product range, exclusive to franchisees, effectively cleans ovens and hobs, Aga range cookers and barbecues, restoring them to pristine condition within a matter of a few hours. John remains working on his other territory whilst also searching for another buyer and is looking forward to a well-deserved rest!
After 14 years with Ovenclean, the UK’s leading professional oven cleaning specialist, franchisee John Dyer is selling up one half of his thriving business to his employee Richard, and is now on the hunt for a buyer for his other territory, which stretches from Norwich to Stowmarket!
Having spent 20 years in a senior logistics role, in 2004, John decided the time was right for a fresh challenge. John looked at various different franchises, across a variety of markets, but soon came to the conclusion that Ovenclean was the one for him.
“I was confident I could easily do the work, and the fact the service is a great customer pleaser with a nice repeat business model, was the icing on the cake!
“I get to meet so many interesting people. I even have a few customers from the music industry and a very famous chef lives in my area, so no day is ever the same as there are always new people to meet.”
Richard joined John 15 months ago, to help him service his second territory, so when John made the decision to sell, Richard was in the perfect position to be able to take it on.
“I’ve worked in engineering my whole life and simply wasn’t enjoying it anymore. When the opportunity to join John came along, I jumped. It is totally different to anything I’ve done in the past, but I love it!” enthuses Richard.
“I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but customers are always delighted with the results I can achieve using the Ovenclean system. In fact, the best part about it is the customer satisfaction! I’ve never had a customer-facing role before, and rarely even got any recognition for my work, but now I get to put a smile on customer’s faces everyday – you can’t beat it!
“As you can imagine, John has grown a fantastic customer base over the years, and so I now also benefit from the database of contacts, not to mention brand awareness, that John has built up.” Says Richard.
John is thrilled that Richard will be taking on this half of the business and wishes him the best of luck with his new venture. “My advice for Richard is simple; stay loyal to the brand, customers and above all yourself, and you will do well.”
Ovenclean is the longest established and most successful domestic oven cleaning franchise in the UK, providing specialist oven cleaning services to a large, virtually untapped marketplace. Franchisees operate from professionally liveried vans and so benefit from low overheads and high flexibility. The top quality, powerful yet safe Ovenclean product range, exclusive to franchisees, effectively cleans ovens and hobs, Aga range cookers and barbecues, restoring them to pristine condition within a matter of a few hours.
John remains working on his other territory whilst also searching for another buyer and is looking forward to a well-deserved rest!
Franchise Brands plc is delighted to be celebrating 10 successful years owning, operating and developing Ovenclean, the UK’s original network of oven cleaning specialists. “Since acquiring the franchise back in 2008, we’ve been able to help so many franchisees from all different walks of life with our tried and tested business model.” says Tim Harris, Managing Director of Ovenclean. “Becoming a full member of the BFA in 2015 was a great milestone for us. We’ve worked hard to ensure new and existing franchisees have the best support possible to run their own successful oven cleaning business, and the acknowledgement by the BFA confirmed that we are doing a great job. Ella Pugh, Head of Marketing for Ovenclean explains how the brand strategy has changed over the years. “To run a business like Ovenclean you need to be able to adapt and move with the times. Our marketing strategy has changed so much in the last 10 years, moving from mainly offline activity, to investing in a high-profile TV campaign, and now over 70% of the leads generated from national marketing come from digital sources.” As for the franchisees, they are thriving. Owen Rowlands, specialist for the Stevenage area, joined the franchise in 2012 after working in highway construction and maintenance for 15 years. Because he had no experience elsewhere, he had felt trapped, but he seized the opportunity to invest in an Ovenclean franchise, and it’s completely changed his life for the better. “Since starting my Ovenclean journey, my life has been stress-free with nobody on my case, and I earn more money! Each month, turnover gets better and better. I’m never resentful about having to go to work in the morning and that makes a huge difference. We spend the majority of our time working, so it’s no good if you’re miserable doing it!” In 2014, James Arthur of Ovenclean Macclesfield and Congleton became Ovenclean’s 100th franchisee. James previously worked in the charity sector managing a team of twelve people, having also been a professional yachtsman for two years before that, and he is now thoroughly enjoying taking the helm of his own business! “I am healthier and happier than I’ve been in a long time.” James enthuses. “And I’m making a very good living from it too!”. James has found there are many benefits to joining Ovenclean. “I really enjoy the flexibility it offers as we are now able to visit our holiday home in Pembrokeshire more often, my blood pressure has gone down, I love being out and about meeting new people every day, and I’ve even lost half a stone! I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever about my decision and couldn’t be happier!”
Franchise Brands plc is delighted to be celebrating 10 successful years owning, operating and developing Ovenclean, the UK’s original network of oven cleaning specialists.
“Since acquiring the franchise back in 2008, we’ve been able to help so many franchisees from all different walks of life with our tried and tested business model.” says Tim Harris, Managing Director of Ovenclean.
“Becoming a full member of the BFA in 2015 was a great milestone for us. We’ve worked hard to ensure new and existing franchisees have the best support possible to run their own successful oven cleaning business, and the acknowledgement by the BFA confirmed that we are doing a great job.
Ella Pugh, Head of Marketing for Ovenclean explains how the brand strategy has changed over the years. “To run a business like Ovenclean you need to be able to adapt and move with the times. Our marketing strategy has changed so much in the last 10 years, moving from mainly offline activity, to investing in a high-profile TV campaign, and now over 70% of the leads generated from national marketing come from digital sources.”
As for the franchisees, they are thriving. Owen Rowlands, specialist for the Stevenage area, joined the franchise in 2012 after working in highway construction and maintenance for 15 years. Because he had no experience elsewhere, he had felt trapped, but he seized the opportunity to invest in an Ovenclean franchise, and it’s completely changed his life for the better. “Since starting my Ovenclean journey, my life has been stress-free with nobody on my case, and I earn more money! Each month, turnover gets better and better. I’m never resentful about having to go to work in the morning and that makes a huge difference. We spend the majority of our time working, so it’s no good if you’re miserable doing it!”
In 2014, James Arthur of Ovenclean Macclesfield and Congleton became Ovenclean’s 100th franchisee. James previously worked in the charity sector managing a team of twelve people, having also been a professional yachtsman for two years before that, and he is now thoroughly enjoying taking the helm of his own business! “I am healthier and happier than I’ve been in a long time.” James enthuses. “And I’m making a very good living from it too!”.
James has found there are many benefits to joining Ovenclean. “I really enjoy the flexibility it offers as we are now able to visit our holiday home in Pembrokeshire more often, my blood pressure has gone down, I love being out and about meeting new people every day, and I’ve even lost half a stone! I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever about my decision and couldn’t be happier!”
