Buying into an Oven Cleaning Franchise vs. Going Independent: Pros and Cons

By on 17th September 2024 (updated: 7th November 2024)

If you’re contemplating the exciting step of starting your own business, the cleaning industry has a huge amount to offer. Just take a look at the latest report from the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICS). It shows that the cleaning industry employs nearly a million people in the UK and contributes almost £60 billion to the economy each year.

Not only has the cleaning industry grown every single year since 2010, with turnover increasing 22% between 2015 and 2021, it’s also an excellent choice for independent businesses and sole traders. According to BICS, nearly nine in ten businesses in the cleaning industry are microbusinesses, employing ten people or fewer.

ovenu-van-cutout

So, what does all this tell us? Well, it’s a clear sign that, if you’re looking to be your own boss, a cleaning business is a great place to start. Cleaning is the perfect example of a growing industry with low barriers to entry for people who want to strike out on their own and see where their hard work can take them.

And I’d argue that an oven cleaning business has even more advantages to offer for the aspiring entrepreneur. After all, ovens aren’t just a near-universal appliance in domestic kitchens – they’re also liable to accumulate unpleasant levels of dirt and grime at record pace, as well as being notoriously difficult to clean using domestic products. Add in the fact that professional oven cleaning can be easily carried out by a single person (properly trained and equipped, of course!) and it’s hard to imagine a more profitable opportunity for would-be business owners.

But even if I’ve convinced you that oven cleaning is an opportunity that’s too good to pass up, there’s still at least one big question you need to tackle: should you go it alone or purchase a franchise? This is far from an easy choice, and the decision you make can have a profound impact on your chances of success. That’s why I’m going to dig deep into the pros and cons of each approach, before giving you some tips for how to make your own decision.

Buying into a franchise: Pros and cons

Let’s start with the basics: what is a franchise, exactly?

In general terms, a franchise is a business that allows other businesses to use its image, branding and products – for a fee, of course. There is usually an initial cost to buy into the franchise, followed by ongoing monthly payments or royalties. The agreement will also usually last for a set period of time and come with specific requirements, such as only using branded products or adopting a particular method for delivering the service.

A great example of the franchise model is McDonald’s. Most McDonald’s restaurants are owned and operated by individual business owners, who pay for the right to use McDonald’s globally recognised branding and sell their products. They get all the benefits of those famous golden arches, but at the same time they’re expected to follow McDonald’s guidelines and procedures for how the food is made and how the restaurant should be run.

Before I lay out the pros and cons of buying into an oven cleaning franchise, let me offer one final disclaimer: not all franchises are created equal. In fact, not only will there be enormous variance in how a particular franchise operates, there’ll be major differences in how well they operate, too. So, word to the wise: the balance of pros and cons will differ on a franchise-by-franchise basis, and doing your due diligence is essential.

Pros

  • Brand recognition. Buying into an established oven cleaning franchise means your new business will have a familiar name and face for local customers. This gives you an instant level of trust that’s vital for businesses that involve going into people’s homes. It also means you’re more likely to get discovered by people searching for oven cleaning services in their area.
  • A proven business model. If an oven cleaning franchise has been able to successfully expand across the country, that tells you something pretty important: that their underlying business model is sound. They’ve had plenty of chances to test their offering in different areas and find out what does and doesn’t work – something you can take advantage of from the get-go instead of having to figure out the whole business plan by yourself.
  • Training and support. Most franchises will offer both initial training and ongoing support from technicians and experts. At Ovenu, for instance, we don’t just offer an in-depth five-day training program – we also have three WhatsApp groups that allow our franchisees to ask questions and share best practices, alongside regular Zoom calls with yours truly. If you’ve not got much of a background in cleaning, this kind of knowledge sharing will be key to your success.
  • Marketing expertise. It’s an obvious point, but if nobody knows your business exists, you’re not going to get many bookings! But marketing is a fast-paced and complex business, especially as it becomes more reliant on digital technology, and getting your business noticed can be a full-time job to itself. By working with a franchise, you can rely on their national and local marketing efforts to help deliver a steady flow of leads and build your business profile.
  • Access to specialist products and techniques. Franchises will often have their own proprietary tools and products that franchisees can use – in Ovenu’s case, for example, our unique dip tank and bespoke eco-friendly cleaning products. Buying into a franchise means getting the instant benefit of these tried and tested innovations, giving you a key competitive advantage in your local area.
  • Immediate flow of leads. Joining a franchise network means you’ve got a national business that’s constantly generating leads on your behalf – the Ovenu website currently generates over 400 enquiries every single week for franchisees across the UK. That means you’ll be getting a steady stream of leads from day one, helping you get your business off the ground much faster.

Cons

  • Start-up costs. Generally speaking, buying into a franchise will require an up-front investment of capital – at Ovenu, our franchise package costs £12,400 + VAT. Naturally, not everyone will have this amount of money available to invest in a new business venture. However, there are business loan opportunities available from the UK government to help you start out.
  • Less freedom. I mentioned brand recognition as one of the pros – well, this is the reverse side of that. Franchises are dependent on a strong corporate identity across all locations to maintain that level of recognition. This means you’ll be required to use set branding, follow specific procedures, and generally accept certain conditions for being part of the network. If you’re fiercely committed to having complete independence in everything you do, this might not be the option for you.
  • Dependent on franchise performance. This is unlikely to be a major risk if you choose to work with a reputable franchise that has proven itself reliable, but it’s worth mentioning anyway. If the franchise starts to build a reputation for poor service or mercenary business practices, this can impact your ability to attract customers – even if you’re making the effort to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Going independent: Pros and cons

When people talk about starting their own business, the independent approach is usually what they’re imagining. And no doubt there’s a great deal of glamour attached to this image – striking out on your own, making your own choices from day one, with nobody to report to and nobody second-guessing your decisions.

The independent approach means exactly that – you’re on your own, for better or worse. The question is, of course, whether the undoubtedly enticing image of being a business owner actually matches the reality. It’s understandable to want to be your own boss, but it’s easy to overlook the fact that this doesn’t mean you’ll have total freedom – it just means you’ll be the one that has to set the rules and impose boundaries.

The reality is that starting a business can be a big risk and may not always resemble the more romantic descriptions of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. It’s essential that you think carefully about what’s involved before you make the leap. So let’s take a look at the pros and cons you should keep in mind as you make your decision.

Pros

  • Lower start-up costs. Going independent means you won’t need to find the up-front cash for buying into a franchise. You can even continue working at your day job and start the business on the side for even more financial stability (if you’re prepared for the long hours, that is). Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t start-up costs for a new business – and for something like oven cleaning, these may be unexpectedly high. You might need to invest in a van, new equipment, training courses, marketing fees, and more.
  • Build your own brand. To put it another way: your business, your rules. You’re not restricted by the corporate identity of a national business, so you can really stamp your personality on your new venture. This extends from the name and logo to your online presence and how you approach customer service. If you have strong views on the way you want to present yourself, this can be a major benefit of the independent approach.
  • Set your own limits. Franchises often come with set territories and a specific service you’re expected to offer in a defined and proven way. There are no such limitations if you go independent. If you want to branch out from oven cleaning into other types of service, or if you want to expand into a wider region, you’re free to take the chance. (Though in some cases this could also be considered a con!)
  • Keep everything you earn. If you go the independent route, then every penny you take home from a hard day cleaning ovens is yours and yours alone – you won’t need to worry about any monthly fees or royalty payments to the franchise owner. (Let’s forget about the taxman for a second.) This can certainly be a powerful feeling and bring with it a sense of real satisfaction – which is part of the reason many people decide to start their own business in the first place!

Cons

  • Lack of a proven business plan. What geographical areas will your oven cleaning business cover and how long will you allot for each service? What system will you use for managing bookings and contacting customers? How are you going to market your business and spread the word? And above all, is this approach going to be profitable – and when? Going it alone means you need to answer these questions for yourself, without a proven business model to rely on. In all likelihood, that means more trial and error, more mistakes, and a higher risk of failure in those difficult first few years.
  • No immediate flow of leads. Starting out on your own means starting from zero. On day one, you’ll have no enquiries, no bookings, no customers clamouring to pay you for your services. In fact, nobody besides you – and maybe a select few friends and family, if you’re lucky! – will even know your business exists. If you want to start making a profit, you’ll need to build momentum from a standing start. Needless to say, this can be an enormously demanding – and sometimes dispiriting – task.
  • Lack of reputation. Trust is vital for at-home services like oven cleaning, and there are now plenty of easy ways for people to find out if a business can be relied on. From simple word of mouth to looking at your website, Google reviews or social media activity, customers can quickly get a sense of your quality of service just with a quick look on their phones. Unfortunately, you won’t benefit from any of these as a newly formed independent business – and that will make it much harder to convince people to give you a try.
  • You’re on your own. Unless you can afford to hire someone out of the gate, starting your own business means wearing many different hats – from marketing and admin to customer service, bookkeeping, equipment maintenance and beyond, it’s all on you. And don’t forget the small matter of actually going out and cleaning people’s ovens to a spotless finish! Taking all this on without any guidance or expert support is, to put it mildly, a serious undertaking.

Buying into an oven cleaning franchise vs. going independent: The bottom line

As with so many major life decisions, there’s no right answer when it comes to buying into an oven cleaning franchise vs. going independent. And personally, I’ve no aspiration to be in the business of telling people what to do! Sorry if you were expecting a definitive answer at this point – it’s not going to be that easy.

Carefully reviewing and thinking through the pros and cons of each is an important step toward making the right decision – and hopefully I’ve given you a few things to mull over to get started. But it’s also important to think deeply about your own goals and motivations, and that’s something nobody else can do for you.

If you’re someone who is truly committed to being your own boss and forging your own path, then the independent approach may suit you better. You’ll have unfettered freedom to develop your business as you choose and stamp it with your own personality right from the get go.

But what if you’re more risk averse and prefer to hedge your bets in favour of success? A franchise gives you the head start of tailored support, national recognition and a proven business model, so that’s likely the way to go.

Ovenu’s industry-leading franchise offering for oven cleaning businesses

I mentioned above that all the advice I’ve given needs to be taken with the proviso that franchises naturally differ in what they offer to franchisees. And so once you’ve decided to take the franchise route, you’re not quite done with making big decisions. Now comes that final step: which franchise network do you want to join?

Obviously, you want a franchise that can provide all the pros I outlined above, from a proven business plan to national marketing support, bespoke products and exceptional training and support – all of which, I’m proud to say, Ovenu offers to every single franchisee.

But it’s also important to go further than what a franchise offers at the level of branding, products or services. Just as important is how they operate. What are their values as a business? If you’re going to adopt a franchise’s branding and become part of their national network for the long term, you need to know that you can take pride in the business as a whole.

Well, there are plenty of stories I can tell you from the 30+ year history of Ovenu that would hopefully show you what we’re all about. But here’s just one to get started: when we were looking to launch Ovenu as a franchise business back in 1994, the expert advice was to run a one-year pilot scheme. The theory was that this would prove the viability of the underlying business model before you started trying to expand your network.

All well and good, I thought – but a year, really? That seemed nowhere near long enough to demonstrate that our idea had real legs and could actually keep growing year after year. So we decided to ignore the experts and commit to a five year pilot scheme.

And what did we see at the end of that period? Consistent annual growth underpinned by well-established business metrics. We could demonstrate everything from the consistency of repeat customers and the number of referrals to seasonal and yearly fluctuations and beyond. That meant none of our prospective franchisees was taking a leap of faith – we could just tell them to look at the data!

This is just a little insight into our ethical values as a business – and we’ve stuck to this patient, ethically driven approach for over three decades now. From improving our specialist dip tank 19 times to pioneering a range of eco-friendly cleaning products (all of which are exclusive to our franchisees), we’ve worked to ensure our network continues to grow from a firm foundation.

If this sounds like something you want to be part of, why not explore our FAQs to learn more – or just get in touch to discuss the next steps!

owner of ovenu

Rik Hellewell is the Founder & Managing Director of Ovenu and a member of the Approved Franchise Association. He established Ovenu in 1993, cleaning 4,000 ovens and proving his concept over five years before starting the franchise business. Since then he has helped over 200 franchisees achieve their dreams of running successful businesses of their own. Established for over 25 years, the Ovenu concept has proven successful across the UK, New Zealand, Australia and the USA.