North Warwickshire business founder encourages other start-ups to ask for support

A North Warwickshire commercial cleaning business whose founder swapped laptops and desktops for hoovers and carpet cleaners has urged other small businesses to access the Chamber of Commerce’s business support.

Allan Ward decided to leave his full-time job in IT focusing on website designs, repairs and sales after he saw the potential for winning commercial cleaning contracts when his wife, Toni, started a small cleaning business.

He started exploring the idea during the pandemic and researched the support that was available for new start-up businesses.

That led to Allan establishing Mercia Cleaning Services Ltd last March from Austrey in Atherstone after the company was supported by the start-up team at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Allan attended a suite of digital marketing workshops that are available to start-up businesses which filled in the gaps in his knowledge to effectively market a business online and gave an overview of the different social media platforms.

The Start-up support, delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, forms part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale programme, and was part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Warwickshire County Council and all five District and Borough Councils.

Allan said the support from the Chamber had been invaluable and he was now ready to take Mercia Cleaning Services Ltd to the next stage of its growth.

He said: “My wife started a business as a domestic cleaning company but my ambition was to move into commercial cleaning so we pivoted the business and today it is only commercial cleaning.

“We have contracts in various sectors including offices, schools, hotels, museums, new build projects and university lets which are mainly in the Midlands and some nationwide contracts.

“We employ ten people, but we are continuing to expand this year and plan to bring more local people into our company and provide them with training.

“The support from the Chamber helped me to improve my business plan, and develop a new service along with the knowledge I had gained from attending the workshops and the Chamber’s advice on delivering marketing campaigns.

“All of this plus putting together a strategic plan for the year ahead resulted in taking on an additional three staff within five months.

“I had no experience in running a business at all. I needed help with everything from managing cashflow forecasts to targeting customers. Speaking to the Chamber was invaluable; I needed help with this as well as learning and understand the basics of running a business.”

Chamber business coach Rita Booth has supported the firm from its infancy right through to enabling growth. 

She said: “It can be daunting launching a new start-up but our tailored support is available to help businesses who are less than two years old every step of the way.

“As a single director in a business, the start-up programme helped Allan gain clarity on the actions he needed to take, the direction he was taking his business in and helped him identify which opportunities to chase for success rather than wasting time chasing every opportunity.”

Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place Cllr Martin Watson said:  "The way Allan pivoted to spot an opportunity and then to pursue it is very impressive and typical of so many enterprising small businesses across Warwickshire.

"The County Council is fully committed to supporting small businesses at every stage of their development, but it is often in the formative stages that support is often most-needed so I am delighted that the Start-up support proved of such high value."

Cllr David Wright, leader of North Warwickshire Borough Council, added:  “I am delighted that a new business has been able to flourish in North Warwickshire thanks to Start-up support. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about starting their own business to get in touch as the support and guidance available is invaluable.”

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or a new business owner who has been operating for less than two years and in need of expert help to grow your new venture?

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is delivering free-funded business support workshops to guide you step-by-step on all aspects of business. To get started, email businesssupport@cw-chamber.co.uk or visit https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/business-support/business-start-up/.