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Tell me about your background in business
I couldn’t have ever contemplated one day being the managing director of a cleaning company employing 60 people when, after leaving Harton Comprehensive in South Shields, I won a scholarship to study an HNC in electrical and electronical engineering – part of a programme designed to encourage more women into engineering.
However, starting my first job with telephone headset manufacturer GN Netcom, it was quickly apparent the world of electrical engineering wasn’t for me. Tucked away in a room all by myself, my task was designing and building telephone testing equipment as part of the acoustic testing process.
I had the ability, but realised I was a people person with a passion for organisation and project management. Eventually, I became an internal auditor for the Danish firm – even learning to speak a little conversational Danish – before moving to South Shields circuit board manufacturer, Interconnection Systems, as a departmental production manager.
Here I was in my element, gaining a reputation as a ‘numbers animal’ with an ability to unblock production bottlenecks and to get things done.
However, after having my first son, the family moved to the south of England where I worked part-time in a logistics role at Chloride Power Protection in Southampton.
Following the arrival of my second son, we returned to the North East and, armed with a pot of cash from the house sale, I decided it was time to become my own boss and opted to buy a franchised domestic cleaning business.
How was APM Cleaning & Repair formed?
The business was formed out of necessity when, in 2005, the franchisor failed and I took the decision to rebrand as APM Cleaning and continue on alone – using my managerial experience to impose my own high standards, processes and values on the business.
It was a steep learning curve as one of the reasons I’d originally chosen the franchise model was my lack of sales experience. I believed, wrongly, that I would be better supported in that department within the franchise system.
I refocused the busines as a ‘high-end’ domestic cleaning business and quickly earnt a reputation for reliability and delivering a quality service.
In those early days, I still recall driving to an appointment in my business suit, then changing into my ‘work gear’ to begin cleaning, then afterwards changing back before beginning the whole process again at the next appointment.
In your own words, what is it that APM Cleaning & Repair does?
We provide commercial and domestic cleaning services, including carpet and upholstery cleaning, delivered on time and to an agreed specification. APM Cleaning has become an integral part of multiple first, second and final commercial building handover cleans, and our client list ranges from building contractors and property developers to shop fitters and private landlords. We are also a major player in the domestic market, offering a bespoke cleaning package for ABC1 households, with experience of servicing everything from studio flats to stately homes.
We also offer specialist services including infection control and medical cleaning, servicing local authority extra care facilities and social housing.
What is your proudest moment with the company?
That would be winning the very first tender I submitted. It was particularly satisfying as I did not use a bid writer and the significant win involved Durham County Council. The other thing that fills me with pride is seeing my cleaning staff progress and step up into management roles – which gives me the time and space I need to continue to grow the business. I strongly believe in investing in my staff and currently have four members of staff enrolled on the Entrepreneurs’ Forum Scale-up programme.
Is there a particular mistake you have made while in business? And how did you overcome/learn from it?
I’ve made lots of mistakes over the years, one of which was remaining far too long with a second-rate accountant. The other was delegating tasks to people and then failing to manage them properly. In many ways, I’m still learning but that’s nothing to be ashamed about, it is part of the process of growing a business and being an entrepreneur.
What is the USP of APM Cleaning & Repair?
It has gained a reputation for outstanding customer service, excellent attention to detail, amazing flexibility, and responsiveness – and above all a professional ‘can-do’ attitude.
How has the firm grown and what do you attribute this to?
For many years, the business grew organically – until around four years ago. With the family grown up, I was able to dedicate my time to creating a strategic plan, which is the key for growth, and creating the space and time to begin to implement it.
One of the things that differentiates us from other cleaning companies is the commitment of our 60-strong staff which are employed full-time. I’m pleased to pay above minimum wage and invest in training and development.
As a result, many have been with us since the start, almost unheard of in the cleaning industry, and display a real pride in their work – reflected by our glowing testimonials and the fact that we still retain many of our original clients.
Due to the growth in the business, we bought our first premises on the Team Valley four years ago and, while still retaining our domestic customers, I’ve aggressively pursued commercial clients – which now make up 60 percent of the business.
As well as Durham County Council, our clients include Karbon Homes, Castle and Coasts Housing Association, Newcastle City Council, Prosper and North Tyneside Council, Gateshead Council and more recently we have been granted a place on the NHS SBS framework. We subcontract for many major national development companies and are currently delivering the builders clean of Newcastle’s landmark Hadrian’s Tower.
Our business is overwhelmingly based in the North East, but I am currently looking to grow our activity in the North West, with plans to open a second office on Merseyside or the Wirral.
As a sideline, I also launched two new businesses. The first was Read Apartments, which specialises in providing serviced accommodation across the North East, North Wales and the Murcia region of Spain.
The second, a specialist surface repair business, has a real synergy with APM, in particular its commercial activity. Its qualified technicians can restore or repair all types of cracks, burns, dents, chips, and scratches on everything from worktops to floor tiles, bricks and stone to wood, laminates, and shower trays as part of a nationwide service.
Do you live by/do business by a certain motto?
I don’t but we all abide by the company’s core values which were carefully crafted and considered. They revolve around honesty, approachability, hard work, adaptability, constant improvement – combined with a desire to treat everyone the way you would wish to be treated.
