I started my exterior cleaning business whilst I was still at college in 1996! Like many others before me, it was only really meant to be a short term solution while I became qualified for the job I really wanted to do. And like lots of others who also start their own business, I had no real understanding of what it takes to run my own business, or how to make it successful. So it’s been a long learning curve of trial and error, learning the hard way about what works and what doesn’t. That very brief history brings me to the point I am now, where I love to help others who want to get control of their own destiny by starting their own business.
Starting Out In Traditional Window Cleaning
This endeavour of helping others to skip over the mistakes I’ve made has been a gradual process. I got to the point of having people working with me part time, and I would always be talking about my business, the things I had tried so far, and the plans I had to move things forward. The problem was that I probably talked too much, because everyone who worked with me would soon go off and start their own business, with great success!
People I’ve Helped To Start A Business
I soon started to realise that my advice and experience had value, and I was able to help others in a productive way. This was even helping them to get better control over their working lives, to achieve their dreams of being self employed in some cases! So during the first lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic I used the time to start putting some of my advice into power point presentations. Through a number of video conference sessions, I was now able to support people from all over the world to learn about exterior cleaning tools and chemicals, and advise them on business techniques.
Business Owners I’ve Trained or Supported
The stories are really starting to come in from people I’ve helped, and my confidence has grown on what people need to make things work in the best way. Another thing that’s really helped has been seeing my daughter achieve the highest possible grade at A-level in Business Studies. I’ve picked up tips and techniques from supporting her with revision cards and projects. This has helped bolster my confidence to realise that some of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way are actually proper business techniques that are taught in school! I wish I’d taken business studies! Now she has supported me to help incorporate business techniques into aspects of training course that I use to help others.
Maesun Mackintosh – Business Award
Now I have developed a formula for business success even further, incorporating experience I’ve gained working with other brands in the industry, other business coaches that I share ideas with, and nearly 30 years of my own hands on experience testing out different tools and techniques in my own business. I understand the challenges of starting up with very little experience, so I have a range of training options to fit the needs of a variety of circumstances and budgets. From online training courses which can be done in the convenience of your own home, in-person group training days, or bespoke training on location to suit your needs. It can be a daunting prospect to start up on your own, especially if you have always been employed. But it can be so rewarding to see people come away from my training full of confidence and with a plan of what direction they should take.
Training Day CPD Certification
Giving Instruction on the Training Day
Industrial Training on Location
Meeting up with business owners is one of the most enjoyable aspects of what I do now. Getting to understand various circumstances of the individual and what they aspire to achieve with their business. Whether it’s to gain more flexibility in their working life, or maybe they want to grow a successful business that also supports others? It’s great to be able to understand the challenges they face and work out strategies to help them achieve their goals. Every business owner seems to have their own ideas too! The group training days add another dynamic to this when everyone can get together to share strategies and different perspectives on things. It’s a fantastic way to benefit from this exchange of ideas to, in effect, leapfrog the mistakes and frustrations of a trial and error approach.
Ashley and Riley Mackintosh
It’s been a long and challenging journey. But one of the best things about running my own business has been the flexibility of being my own boss. I’ve tried things that I want to try, and Ive taken it in the direction that I want to go. It hasn’t always worked out for the best, but It’s all been part of the learning curve. It’s been part of my development as a person, and it’s given me a greater understanding of what works and what doesn’t. But above all, I’ve been able to spend time with my family as they’ve grown up. Working together to support each other is the business that I always hoped I might have. If I can help other business owners to achieve even a little bit of that magic, then maybe they could also achieve their dreams!
Take a look at my training website for more information on how you can benefit from my experience: