Testimonial – Barry Knights

Before joining Ovenclean, Barry Knights had spent 30 years working in the transport and logistics industry, both in managerial positions and operating his own business. The loss of a major contract forced Barry to close his business and consider his next steps.   

“Having owned and operated my own business for 15 years, I realised I couldn’t work for anyone else other than myself. I decided to look at starting another business, but as I would need to start up from scratch, I decided that buying an established franchise seemed to be the quick and obvious solution.

“The Ovenclean advert caught my eye whilst browsing the internet one day, and primarily it ticked the main boxes of being able to build my own business quickly, at an affordable investment price. I had no doubt in my mind that I could fulfil the requirements of being a franchisee and felt I had enough previous experience and knowhow to build and maintain a successful business.

“My only initial concern was the earning potential and how quickly I could achieve my desired income. But after numerous conversations with existing franchisees, my questions were quickly answered, and this enabled me to make my decision.”

Barry attended an Open Day at Ovenclean’s Head Office in the Midlands and was instantly taken with the opportunity. “To be honest, I believe my mind was made up immediately after the Open Day, and assuming I could get the numbers to balance, I was always going to go ahead.”

In February 2019 Barry joined the Ovenclean network and of course, with any new business, there were challenges, but Barry tackled them head on. “The only real challenge I have faced is adjusting to the financial income in my initial 6 months, although I was undoubtedly busier during this period that I initially thought I would be. However, I had planned for this prior to joining the network, with adequate finances behind me, to get me through the first year.”

Barry’s Ovenclean business is continuing to grow and he is very much enjoying being his own boss again. “The flexibility of running my own business is undoubtedly the biggest plus point of the Ovenclean franchise. I had too many years of long hours and stress – I decided that at this stage of my life, things had to change. Owning an Ovenclean franchise has certainly given me the work/life balance that I was looking for. Another major plus point is the daily job satisfaction that I get, seeing and hearing a customer’s reaction when they see their clean oven for the first time is a great feeling, along with reading the positive Trustpilot reviews I receive, it makes it all worthwhile.

“To anyone thinking about joining Ovenclean, my advice would be; ensure you are financially secure for that first year as you attempt to build your business and make sure you do a first-class job every time to enable you to get that wow factor from your customers, as this will have them booking and recommending your services again and again!”

Talking about his plans for the future, Barry concludes, “I will continue driving the business hard and fast, whilst maintaining all high standards to hopefully get to the point whereby my business model is self-sustainable with mainly repeat business mixed with a steady stream of new business.”