“I had worked in the bar and leisure industry for about 12 years. In 2011 I found myself with a young family, and working until 4am every day was not working for us as a family. The time had come for me to be my own boss and take control of my work-life balance.

“Whilst working in bars and nightclubs, I struggled to find a good contract cleaner. I had lots of companies promise me the world, but when the cleaner didn’t turn up, nobody answered the phone.

“I looked at opening my own cleaning business with the thoughts that it’s a largely recession-proof industry and that everywhere needs cleaning.”

With many different cleaning franchise opportunities available, Matthew reviewed the market before deciding on joining the NIC family.

“NIC as a brand is hugely respected, with massive coverage. One thing that stood out for me was that there are no territory or industry restrictions – I could cover the whole of the North East working with clients in different sectors if I wanted to with the freedom to choose how to grow my business whilst being fully supported in all that I do.”

But no matter how good any franchise model is, it is always the level of support franchisees receive that makes the difference.

“The key reason I joined NIC Group is they instantly give you a platform and foundation. They have phenomenal people who will do your payroll, support you with tenders, and marketing your business. These are all the things that, if you were going to go on your own, would take you away from winning new contracts and being able to grow the business.

“One of the biggest benefits for me is the support we receive with tenders. The support team breaks it all down and says what they need from me, but the bulk of the tender is put together by NIC which is invaluable. They have that support and knowledge to put strong tender packs together with franchisees.

“They provide amazing support with some really good people, which ultimately allows you to focus on operating and growing your business.”

Once Matthew had gone through the in-depth training and onboarding process to set up his NIC Services Group business, it was time to start building his client base – and he knew exactly where to start.

“I had a lot of contacts from my time in the leisure industry to help get me started. From a business perspective, I promote us as a medium-sized business which has a human touch and to work closely with my customers.

“After my first year, I worked with my NIC Business Development Manager to identify opportunities outside of the hospitality sector as I did not want to specialise in just one sector. Working with NIC has enabled me to grow into sectors including pharmaceutical, manufacturing, medical facilities, and education. The latter being especially important recently after I won a substantial contract for the provision of cleaning services to a multi-location academy trust.

“I now have a multi-million-pound turnover business that continues to see growth.”

As Matthew mentions, one of the motivation factors for joining a franchise is to establish a much more enjoyable work-life balance, something Matthew is delighted to have achieved.

“I have seen a massive difference to me as a person. Being able to take time out to go and watch the kids play sports has been huge for me.

“I think the key to every business is having a balance; if you just continually work day after day, night after night, and you do not enjoy any pleasures or interests, you definitely lose motivation.

“As the business has scaled up, I have been able to pull myself back and deal with more of the larger sites. I now have a team of people around me looking after the day-to-day, so I can focus on the wider business overview.”

For those interested in joining NIC, Matthew has some final words of advice.

“As a sector, the opportunities in commercial cleaning are massive – everywhere needs cleaning,” he explains. “If you do a good job, pick up the phone when someone has an issue and deal with things in a controlled way, then cleaning is an excellent sector to be in.”