Sarah Canny, owner of Extra Help South Hams, West Devon & Bude, explains what inspired her to join the family business
Sarah Canny grew up watching her entrepreneurial mother, Claire Robinson, establish several businesses, including a local magazine, a networking organisation and finally Extra Help, a successful home help and domestic cleaning franchise network, in 2010.
As she shares her mother’s passion for helping others, Sarah studied for a degree in psychology. She then worked in a technology shop, helping people with their purchasing decisions, before travelling in Asia, teaching English.
Upon returning to the UK, Sarah worked as a business development manager for a franchise association, helping it grow and develop connections within the franchising sector.
However, during this time Sarah watched Extra Help grow and was impressed by its work. She says: “It’s been fantastic seeing my mum launch a successful business around her passion to support those most vulnerable in our society, as well as providing domestic cleaning and home help to local communities.”
Positive move for rural devon communities
In 2020, Sarah launched her own Extra Help franchise in South Hams, West Devon & Bude.
“I was so inspired by the tangible difference our franchisees were making within their own communities,” she says.
“I wanted to bring our home help services to the more rural areas of Devon too. I could see how much job satisfaction was involved, which is so important when running your own business.” In addition to this, Sarah is also providing support to the rest of the Extra Help team.
“As well as running my own franchise, I’ve recently been appointed as director of operations,” she says.
“My role is to guide others around the country to run their own home help franchises.”
The right career choice for kind, caring people
Sarah is pleased she made the decision to join the family business and loves making a positive difference in people’s lives. “I love being able to support people, such as enabling older men and women to stay in their own homes for longer,” she says.
“We also provide companionship for isolated individuals and assist clients who just want cleaning or those who may be juggling busy family lives, hectic careers or recovering from injuries, etc.
“We can support anyone who needs some extra help.” Sarah believes Extra Help is the ideal franchise for people looking for the balance of being their own boss and having access to a network of kind and supportive people, who all want to help each other succeed.
The wide range of services offered, such as cleaning, gardening, dog walking and meal preparation, means your potential target market is huge and you can easily adapt to the specific demand in your area.
“We’re always looking for caring, passionate individuals to open branches in their local areas,” Sarah says.
“If you or someone you know may be a good candidate, please get in touch.”
At a glance
Established:
2010
Number of franchised outlets:
33
Location of units:
UK-wide
Investment range:
£12,950 (plus VAT)
Contact:
info@extra-help.co.uk. 01752 905790
