£1 million grant scheme launched to help start 200 domestic service franchises

Fantastic Services pledges up to £5,000 per applicant to cover initial costs and training

Home services franchisor Fantastic Services is offering 200 people the chance to start their own domestic service business via a new grant programme.

Providing up to £1million-worth of cash grants, the scheme is open to people living in all areas of the UK, but with more grants expected to be issued in London and the south east, where demand for domestic services has seen a steady increase over the past year and a sharp rise since the easing of lockdown restrictions earlier this month.

Each grant is worth up to £5,000 and will go towards covering initial start-up costs, in addition to the provision of training through an in-house programme to help equip and support grant recipients with the skills they need to successfully operate their own franchise.

Rune Sovndahl, co-founder of Fantastic Services, says: “As COVID-19 has changed the business landscape in several industries, the demand for property maintenance has boomed.

“Through our new grant scheme, we’re making a vow to support those affected during the pandemic by offering a grant covering most of the expenses for starting a home services business in London and other areas of Britain.”

Fantastic Services, which offers more than 10 domestic service franchise options, including anti-viral sanitisation, cleaning, gardening, handyman, pest control, removals and other property services, has launched new franchises in over 20 new regions in the past year and reported revenue growth of 7.8 per cent. 

Anton Skarlatov, co-founder and CEO of Fantastic Services, says: “Our grant programme is designed to help those who lost their job, self-employed tradespeople, as well as small businesses within the service industry that were negatively impacted by the pandemic.

“We started Fantastic Services in 2009 with just £6,000 of our own money and today the business turns over £9.5 million, employing hundreds of staff across three continents as we continue to be self-financed.

“We’ve always reinvested profits back into the business and our new grant programme is designed to help empower more domestic service workers to be their own boss.”

According to Fantastic Services, the programme is most suitable for tradespeople or technicians with experience in the services sector or people with significant customer service experience.

Basic requirements for the full grant include:

• Documents - eligibility to work in the UK and a DBS check.

• Soft skills - fluency in English. Customer service experience and commitment to being punctual.

• Hard skills - knowledge of how to use a computer and smartphone.

• Driving licence - at least one member of the team should have a driving licence.

Jenny Farenden, Fantastic Services’ franchise marketing director, says: “A working franchise will allow grant recipients to work on-site at people’s homes or offices to deliver their specialised service, along with the opportunity to build their own team or manage several local teams.

“It’s perfect for local service providers or self-employed tradespeople who offer one or a selection of services.

“Based on experience, grant recipients will be provided with further training and expected to ensure they deliver high quality services in line with the brand’s standards.

“Fantastic Services will provide franchisees with a constant customer flow and a 24/7 call centre. They will also receive support with equipment, vehicles, managing and recruiting team members, marketing, technological solutions and more.

“We have the demand and will be looking to issue grants to qualifying applicants immediately.

“We have a highly efficient system in place for issuing grants and getting new franchisees up and running, where successful applicants could be servicing their new clients within a week.”

For more information visit fantasticfranchise.com/fantastic-grant