THINKING GREEN, LIVING CLEAN
There are businesses that make money with little regard for how they go about it, but for Julie Bishop, founder of Living Clean, ethics and the environment aren't just buzzwords, they are the raison d'etre of her franchise. By Matt Pigott
'The reason I started Living Clean was primarily because of illness,' says Julie. 'I get very bad asthma, and my father also suffered from the condition. However, he died from cancer and had the unshakable conviction that pesticides, and airborne chemicals, were responsible for his disease. I also know from my own experience as an asthma sufferer that using certain cleaning products, particularly bleach-based sprays, can bring on quite a severe attack.'
It was for these reasons that Julie set out on a quest to find harmless products that she could use without worrying about damaging side effects.
'I started looking into everything that was being used or sprayed in and around the house,' she says. 'I researched the chemical contents and looked into the potentially harmful effects they could have on my family and me. The more I investigated, the more I became convinced that that finding harmless alternatives was essential.'
Julie scoured the UK for non-toxic alternatives but couldn't find anything that met her strict criteria, and eventually found a range of benign products in the US - a discovery that gave Julie's fledgling business idea the impetus it needed.
'Once I had the products and started to use them, I was amazed at how effective they were,' says Julie. 'I soon realised that there was probably a demand for this type of thing - a cleaning service with a beneficial twist - and that was when I decided to start Living Clean.'
It was a hunch that paid dividends. Julie started the business, branded with Dolly the Dolphin - a logo poignantly designed by her father before he died - and quickly discovered a market of potential clients with health concerns that echoed her own. Within just a few months, she was running her business at full capacity and had six staff members on board. Soon after that, her entrepreneurial spark struck again, and she began to devise her own range of products.
'Starting the Living Clean range seemed like the next natural step,' she confirms. 'Importing the products from the US all of the time started to become time- consuming and expensive. I went on the hunt for an industrial chemist who could help me with the new idea, and eventually found a local family-run business in Norwich. They sympathised with what I was trying to achieve and we quickly drew up the blueprint for the products.'
Now Julie's Living Clean range has an exciting array of punchy names including:
Ping, Budge, Blitz, Shine, and Zing. All of the products have a specific cleaning role to play and are entirely free of petrochemicals, ammonia, chlorine and bleach - potentially harmful components found in most domestic cleaning products.
'I had lots of consultations with the chemist, and we messed around with various samples until we got the balance of ingredients just right,' says Julie. 'Blitz, for example, which is used for bathroom cleaning, has powerful, natural acids in it; Shine is a polish made up of Carnauba wax and organic apple oil; and Ping is a combination of apple and orange, blended with aromatic oils, plus Tea tree oil to disinfect. They all work very well and I currently supply a number of local farm shops.'
The great news for those thinking about buying a Living Clean franchise is that they will also benefit directly from the sales of these unique products.
'When we get the delivery address from a customer,' adds Julie, 'whichever franchisee owns the territory the customer's postcode falls into, gets proceeds from the sale. It's a real bonus for candidates to know that they have this additional revenue stream in their business.'
Those interested in the Living Clean franchise will find that a modest investment buys a substantial business proposition with good room for growth.
Total setting up costs, inclusive of working capital, amount to approximatley £27,000, of which up to 70 per cent may be financed by a business loan from major banks. This includes sole rights to a substantial territory, and a management franchise in a business that has been painstakingly developed over the last four years. Tapping into the fast-growing cleaning sector of cash-rich, time-poor (not to mention increasingly environmentally aware) customers looking for good cleaning services, franchisees are in a strong position to develop a territory that will yield an excellent return.
'Over the next three years, just 40 territories will be up for grabs, so those that like the sound of Living Clean should get in early.
Once signed up, franchisees will operate under Julie's very own auspices for the first few months, and will find her ongoing help and support a valuable asset in their progress. Franchisees will also benefit from comprehensive training that outlines how the franchise operates from the ground level up.
Living Clean also provides an excellent franchise package, which includes (among other things) branded uniforms, marketing materials, plus a liveried van leased through the company. Hoovers, colour-coded cloths, buckets, ladders and even cobweb removers make up some of the additional kit on offer. And perhaps most importantly, when it comes to managing the business day to day, is the bespoke Living Clean computer package you get, which facilitates the smooth operation of the business. From bookings and appointments, to invoices, employee attendance and payroll, everything can be recorded in the Living Clean management software.
Once up and running, expect your business to run at a one-van capacity for a year as you feel out your new territory. Rough projections based on single vehicle model are £46,000 in the first year, rising to £93,000 with two vans on the road and as much as £140,000 with three.
But above all, and aside of these excellent financial projections, Julie feels that franchisees will get something extra for their investment, which is a certain psychological comfort that comes from being part of a project striving to make the world a better place to live - one in which wholesome environmental ethics permeate every fibre of the business.
'When it comes to the environment, I'm a bit of a fanatic,' Julie confirms. 'I hate seeing things go to waste; at Living Clean's head office all of the ink we use in our printers is made from vegetable oil, the pencils are made of wood from sustainable forests, we shred discarded cardboard and paper to use as horse bedding, and on June 5 each year we promote World Environment Day. We also buy rainforest from the World Land Trust as an additional way of doing our bit. Living Clean isn't about jumping onto the latest fad as a way of making money. It's about having a heartfelt cause, and a strong and viable business has emerged from that as a by-product.'
With a franchisor like this on board, all you have to do is decide whether you're in or whether you're out.
'A CLEANING SERVICE WITH A BENEFICIAL TWIST'