“The business has grown quickly and I absolutely love it”

Ovenclean franchisee, Pam Patel's, only regret is that she wishes she hadn't waited 10 years to switch careers

An uninspiring job role that focused on negative customer experiences left Pam Patel unhappy in her career. Her supportive husband, who recognised how fantastic she was at working with the public, encouraged her to seek a new path.

Together, they researched jobs where she could make a difference to other people, offering a service they didn’t want to do themselves and which enabled Pam to regularly meet new people. They came across Ovenclean, which ticked all the boxes.

She says: “Ovenclean was totally different to what I had always done and I was worried that I wouldn’t get enough business through the door - there’s a lot of responsibility with being self-employed. But when I enquired about an Ovenclean franchise opportunity in my local area with Franchise Brands, I got reassurance very quickly.

“I attended an open day, where lots of experienced Ovenclean franchisees explained how they had come from boring careers and would never go back. It made me think I could do it, so we invested.

“I’ve started building my own profile, using social media to develop my brand locally, as well as newspapers and word of mouth recommendations. The business has grown quickly and I absolutely love it. The exciting part is not really knowing what to expect from each customer. Sometimes I’m in and out within an hour, other times I’m there much longer.

“But whatever the case, the best part is the result. I absolutely love looking at my customers’ faces when they see I’ve got their oven looking cleaner than they ever expected it to. The main difference for me since joining Ovenclean is that I wake up happy.

“I wish I’d done this 10 years ago. My husband pushed me to get to this point and I’m so glad he did. I only have to rely on myself and I know that I’ll do a good job. It’s my business, my time, my happiness. And that’s such a huge reward.”