Is Oven Cleaning a Profitable Business?

Starting a business of any kind is a big step. It’s crucial to consider the economic and market conditions when determining if it’s the right time to invest.

When considering profitability, starting a cleaning business in the UK can be a great choice due to low overheads and options for expansion.

Oven cleaning is a profitable venture when the right business plan is in place. Starting your company independently gives you complete freedom over your operation, but joining a franchise enables you to follow a proven business model, with an efficient route to profitability.

How to start your own cleaning business

With over 75,000 cleaning businesses in the UK, it might seem intimidating to start your own. However, competition is often an indicator of a healthy market with a high demand for products and services. On top of this, there are many different cleaning niches which can allow you to carve out your own area of the market.

To officially set up the business, you will need to follow some legal processes, including business registration, insurance, and creating your business plan. The latter should detail the services you’ll offer, your target customers, your operation area, marketing, automated management systems, and predicted sales.

Why is oven cleaning a profitable business?

As the costs of running a cleaning business are relatively low, the potential profit you can make is high. Many of our franchisees earn a profit of up to £60,000+, thanks to our unique expert training and exclusive products.

Derek Lancaster, of Ovenu Darlington, said: “Ovenu offers an efficient route to profitability. It has served us exceedingly well, allowing me to pay the mortgage off 15 years early”.

Low start-up costs

There are very low start-up costs when starting a cleaning business and relatively small ongoing operational costs. These regular costs will mainly be your cleaning products, personal transport, and insurance.

Further down the line, you’ll have to buy replacement products, maintain your equipment, and invest in marketing your services.

Favourable UK cleaning market conditions

Busy lifestyles and an intense hygiene focus following the pandemic have driven up demand for professional cleaning services, and since 2018, there has been a 70% increase in households employing a private cleaner.

The UK is also appealing for cleaning franchises, as there are relatively few legal obligations associated with setting up your cleaning business or joining a franchise as a new business owner.

No need for physical premises

Most oven cleaning businesses start out as a one-man operation that can easily function from the owner’s home. Eliminating the need for a commercial space stops funds from being lost on rent, bills, or private storage. It also saves time, which would otherwise be lost on commuting to and from an office.

Low overheads

Joining a cleaning franchise will help you minimise costs associated with replenishing fuel, cleaning materials, and other expenses.

This is because all members of Ovenu’s franchise network benefit from our ‘economy of scale’ buying power, with all savings being passed on to the franchisees. We also source our cleaning materials from UK manufacturers and suppliers wherever possible, saving money on import duties and tariffs.

On average, our unique cleaning products, along with scourers, cloths, face-masks, and other disposables, cost just over £6 a job – leaving a healthy gross profit.

How much could you earn with Ovenu?

The average order value for our UK-based Ovenu franchisees is roughly £100. This figure includes all oven types, makes, and models. It also includes some of our popular add-ons, such as supplying and fitting replacement oven lamps, door seals, and extractor hood filters.

All expenses and overheads combined come in at under £25 a job, leaving a potential profit of £75 per job.

If you book 15 jobs a week, that equates to £1125 of weekly profit. Factor in a generous holiday allowance (which is up to you to decide), and you could easily be making a minimum annual profit of £50,000 from your oven cleaning business.

Ultimately, your profit potential as an Ovenu franchisee will be dictated by the amount of work you’re willing to take on and your efficiency as an oven cleaning technician.

What does it take to run a profitable oven cleaning business?

An oven cleaning company’s profitability depends on a proven business plan, along with dedication and commitment from the owner. Providing overheads, insurance costs, equipment, and marketing costs have been accounted for, any individual can turn a profit in oven cleaning.

It’s worth considering what personal qualities are required of a successful oven cleaning business owner and whether it might be more beneficial to seek the guidance of a franchise model, as opposed to starting up independently.

Dedication

Whether you’re working independently or as part of a franchise, complete dedication to the business is required to make a profit. Whilst you’ll be in charge of your own hours and will set your own schedule, you’ll have to seriously consider how many hours you’re willing to work to earn the living and lifestyle you want. Be advised, running your own business could mean working in the evenings or on the weekends to keep the books balanced.

Branding

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and decide who you’d trust more to come into your home: an independent tradesman with no professional affiliation, or an oven cleaner using equipment and chemicals associated with a nationally recognised brand.

The oven cleaning sector is made up of a variety of different businesses, including unbranded one-man operations and nationally recognised ventures. To stand out from the competition, you’ll need to decide whether you can create a professional-looking brand that will be trusted by the public, or if you’d be better off working under the banner of a pre-existing organisation that has already achieved this.

Elbow grease and determination are essential to get the job done on a day-to-day basis, but consistently turning a profit in the oven cleaning sector requires efficient business management skills. This includes short-term tasks such as sourcing enquiries and booking jobs, as well as thinking about the long-term goals that your business should be shooting for. You should be able to calculate the percentage of repeat business that you expect to see year-on-year, in addition to understanding the true costs of running your business.

Developing and refining important business management processes can take time. Independent business owners will need to create their own systems from scratch and forge their own path, whereas those following a franchise model have access to tested tools that make managing a profitable oven cleaning business a much simpler task.

Ovenu franchisees have access to our Franchisee Forum – a network of business owners who help one another with their business queries and share their wealth of knowledge and experience.

Furthermore, Ovenu had a five-year pilot scheme before launch, where the business model was thoroughly tested and refined.

Marketing

Any successful business owner will tell you that enquiries don’t come from thin air. Marketing is a key aspect of any profitable business, and if you’re not able to attract new clients, then your business will fail. Learning to balance marketing spend with incoming inquiries whilst finding the right tactics to invest in is a skill that takes time to learn – especially when working independently.

Pay-per-click advertising, SEO, and online review systems have been proven to work for oven cleaning businesses. However, setting them up can be a daunting task for the uninitiated. Working with a franchise business gives you access to pre-existing digital marketing channels that have already been proven to work, allowing new business owners to avoid the potential pitfalls that first-time marketers might otherwise make, so you can hit the ground running.

Which is better: independent or franchise oven cleaning businesses?

The personal traits and qualities of a profitable oven cleaning business owner will differ depending on whether they’re an independent or franchise-owned operation. Many have pursued the independent route into self-employment in the oven cleaning business arena, and some who are still trading successfully.

However, franchisees build their business on the knowledge of dozens of others who have operated under the company for years. The tricky and often costly period of trial and error most new businesses must endure can be avoided with a franchise’s proven business plan and best practices.

Ovenu can help you create a profitable oven cleaning business

We have over 25 years of experience helping aspiring oven cleaners get started with their own business. During this time. We’ve helped build successful oven cleaning businesses that have reported profits over £60,000 per annum.

If you’re interested in starting your own profitable oven cleaning business, the Ovenu franchise can provide you with expert training, marketing support, and unique, tried-and-tested cleaning tools custom-made for our franchisees. Get in touch today to register your interest.