Case Study – Meet Alex Printie

At just 24, Alex Printie is our youngest franchisee. Although he has no previous experience of running his own business or working in the commercial cleaning industry, his varied career history brings some crucial skills necessary for running a successful venture.

Following 5 years’ service in the British Army and subsequent management roles in the leisure and telecommunications industries, Alex has developed excellent people management skills. Upon leaving the army, he knew he wanted to be his own boss, but didn’t have the funds to invest straight away. So whilst following other careers, he started his research into possible business models and industries for when the time was right.

Franchising stood out to Alex due to the low-risk structure and the backing and support of a big company. After narrowing his choice of industries, commercial cleaning appealed due to the constant demand it enjoys and the solid opportunity for growth it represents. When Alex was in a financial position to begin his business venture he contacted Jani-King directly and was impressed and assured by the communication he had with us, the level of professionalism and the overall marketing presence of the business.

Alex signed up to his Plan 10 business structure in January 2017, but opted to delay his training until April. ‘The training was fantastic as it not only taught me the practical skills required for cleaning, but also operational management issues I hadn’t considered such as managing staffing levels and balancing the need for full time and part time staff’.

In May, just three weeks after completing training, Alex’s business was underway with 2 contracts offered under our Guaranteed Business Promise. As Alex chose a Plan 10, that means his business was up and running with £10,000 of monthly turnover from the outset! So far, Alex’s team will be servicing two car dealerships and some restaurants, both of which have specialist cleaning requirements, the variety and challenge of which Alex relishes. ‘I enjoy the combination of requirements my customers have. For example, the car dealerships need my team to maintain not only the pristine car showrooms, but also the staff areas and more challenging car workshops!’

Alex has his eyes firmly on the future. He plans to remain flexible in order to respond to opportunities as they arise, but wants to grow his business quickly through a combination of the contracts he wins for himself and those he is given through Jani-King.

If you’d like to find out more about starting your own commercial cleaning franchise, contact us today and you too could be well on your way to a whole new exciting career.