20 Years in Business and Empowering the Next Generation

I still can’t quite believe that the business I started as a young 18-year-old A level student is celebrating its 20th birthday and employs around 500 people. When I began this adventure, my intention was to get some extra money for myself by taking over the cleaning of my mother’s house and see where it went. I quickly realised that there was a gap in the market for professionalism and consistency in what was being offered in the domestic cleaning space, and the rest is history.

The past twenty years have flown and in that time we have moved on from the domestic market and are fully focussed on commercial cleaning, specialising in education, manufacturing, offices and warehouse spaces. We work with some of Wales and the south west’s biggest and best companies and educational settings and are proud to call them our customers.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken some time to look back on what I’ve learnt in the past 20 years of running this business and thought I’d share my tips for those that are just starting out on their own business journey, or a business owner who might be looking to expand in the next few years.

• Lead from the front: One thing I have done since the start of Mrs Buckét and continue to do is lead from the front. The story of how the business was founded, the early entrepreneur awards and contract wins is an important part of our history and the two can’t really be separated. I have come to realise that my name and Mrs Buckét’s origin story is a key part of our brand and have run with it. As a business founder you have to believe in yourself, you have to have the courage of your convictions and step up when you need to. For your staff members, you are the boss, and you have to make it happen. Be resilient, be available, be present.
• Marketing is vitally important. Your brand is everything and not taking time and spending money to invest in that is a mistake. We win a lot of our business through the Mrs Buckét brand, and I realised this from early on and so investing in that from day one has paid dividends. During the pandemic, when most other businesses were cutting their marketing spend, we invested in making our brand stand out from the crowd and it definitely paid off.
• Cashflow. The old adage that cash is king is completely right. Without decent cashflow, you don’t have a business. Keep a close eye on the numbers, your debtors, and the return on investment in what you’re spending. Money makes your business run, so keep a close eye on it, even if you have a team to do so on your behalf. I nearly went bankrupt when we were just a few years old. I wasn’t keeping an eye on what was coming in and out. I had to borrow money off my family to pay wages to keep us afloat. As hard a lesson as that was, I make damn sure that I won’t be back there again and keep a constant check on our cashflow.
• Be different. Mrs Buckét is not your average cleaning company. We look different, we market differently, we act differently – and we are very proud of it. We are on a mission to change the cleaning industry, to professionalise it and to grow our business accordingly. To do that you have to stand out from the crowd – that is what we do, and that is who we are.
• Invest in your team. We now have around 500 people working for us across Wales and the west and they are our biggest asset. You look after your team, and they will look after you. It’s as simple as that. Your team on the ground live and breathe your brand, the way they dress, the way they behave, the way they interact with your customers. Invest in the right people in the right jobs and they will sell themselves. I have an amazing team who make Mrs Buckét what it is, and I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of them.

As I look back on the past 20 years, one thing that really stands out for me is the importance of remembering where I came from and why I started this business. The challenges, the mistakes, the triumphs, the ambition (that I still have), the plans, the failures, and of course, the amazing people – those who have stayed with us and those who have moved on.

Hardworking, committed, and talented people are what made Mrs Buckét the success it is today – and thankfully we’ve got around 500 amazing people who work with us now, who will hopefully help us thrive and grow for the next 20 years.