Molly Maid: a model for squeaky clean success

Inspired to find a better work-life balance, Rob and Gill Dawson joined Molly Maid – one of the world’s largest professional home cleaning franchises

Gill Dawson started her Molly Maid Franchise in Burton upon Trent in April 2017, with husband Rob joining in 2019. Since the pandemic, the couple has more than doubled their turnover, including achieving the top sales growth leader in 2022 with annual sales growth of £190,000. They say their results are down to teamwork, hard work and the explosive growth in the domestic cleaning industry.

Why did you choose to start a Molly Maid franchise?

GD: Having a young family, we wanted something that would fit around them and allow us to be there for school pick up and activities, things that parents working full-time miss. From our perspective, if you are going to be a franchisee, then you want to be with the best in the industry, which Molly Maid clearly is. Finally, we wanted something that couldn’t be replicated online or replaced by technology, and coupled with the fact 95 per cent of our revenue comes from repeat customers, this business model ticks all the boxes.

How has Molly Maid helped you take advantage of the booming demand from new customers?

RD: The support from Molly Maid has been invaluable in helping us navigate the events of the last few years. They were always one step ahead in terms of future planning, identifying opportunities and reassuring us we would bounce back even stronger. The Homesafe cleaning system launched at the perfect time to reinforce our brand and take advantage of great market conditions and we have just ridden this huge wave of customer demand since then.

Is the cost-of-living crisis impacting the growth of your business?

RD: We have naturally seen a few more customers cancelling but enquiries from new customers have remained really strong and our sales growth has continued through October, November and December of this year, which surprised us a bit.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to start a Molly Maid Franchise?

GD: If you are buying into the Molly Maid franchise model, you are buying into a tried and tested formula with decades of experience in the home cleaning industry. All the tools are there to make your business a success. You may think you know better but stick to the plan!

What has been the biggest challenge in establishing the business?

GD: Staff recruitment in an ever-changing economic climate remains a challenge, especially post-Brexit and pandemic. But the Best Employer branding Molly Maid launched in March 2022 has really helped us to stand out from the competition. Again, Molly Maid always seems to be ahead of the curve in providing tools to help us respond to market conditions.

Where are you hoping to take the business next?

RD: Our aim now is to become the largest revenue-generating Molly Maid franchise in the UK. This would see us achieve weekly sales nearing £20,000 or more than £1 million per year.

What have you learned that has been crucial to the success of the business?

GD: Never take anything for granted, don’t dwell on mistakes or disappointment and don’t get too carried away with your success. Hard work and determination will prevail.

How much of a challenge has it been and was that in line with your expectations?

RD: We didn’t go into this thinking it was going to be easy and you have to put in the work. Running a business is hard but ultimately extremely rewarding. Especially when you earn the incentive trips Molly Maid puts on. We’ve been to Venice, Athens and most recently, Rome.

At a glance

Established:

1984

Number of franchised outlets:

70

Location of units:

Across the UK

Investment range:

£18,975

Minimum required capital:

£8,000

Contact:

Aaron Watson, awatson@mollymaid.co.uk