MeetMatthew Sammons

The phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”, doesn’t always ring true. But when it comes to firing up your own NIC Local franchise, it can certainly help!

The proven NIC Local business model not only enables all franchisees to make the most of their transferable skills, but also to cultivate contacts from their previous careers to kickstart their client list.

This is perfectly illustrated by Matthew Sammons, an NIC Local franchise since 2011.

“I’d worked in the bar and leisure industry for about 12 years. But I had a young family, and working until 4am in the morning every day just wasn’t great for that. I felt the time had come for me to be my own boss.”

Wondering where to start in order to realise his new ambition, Matthew quickly identified a pain point he’d long endured in the leisure industry.

“Whilst working in bars and nightclubs, I never found a good contract cleaner. I always had lots of companies come in, promise me the world, but then when the cleaner didn’t turn up, nobody answered the phone.

“So I looked at opening my own cleaning business with the thought that it’s a virtually recession-proof industry and everyone is going to need cleaners.”

Settling on NIC to clean up as a business owner

With many different cleaning franchise opportunities available, Matthew perused the market before deciding on joining the NIC Local family.

“NIC as a brand is hugely respected, with massive coverage. You have total freedom to choose how to run and grow your business. That was a massive selling point.”

Industry-leading support at your fingertips

But no matter how good any franchise model is, it’s always the level of support franchisees receive that makes the difference. And that’s something which resonated with Matthew too.

“The key reason why I joined NIC is they instantly give you a platform and foundation. They’ve got phenomenal people who will do your payroll, support you with tenders, and have accreditations. These are all the things that, if you were going to do on your own, would take you away from winning new contracts and being able to grow the business.”

Being confident in bidding for client contracts can be a daunting prospect for any new franchisee, but as Matthew explains, that needn’t be the case.

“I think the biggest thing is the support with the tenders. The support team breaks it all down and says what they need from me, but the bulk of the tender is put together by NIC and that’s absolutely invaluable. They’ve got that support and knowledge to put strong tender packs together with franchisees.

“They provide amazing support with some really good people, which ultimately allows you to focus on operating and growing your business.”

Kickstarting the business with existing contacts

Once Matthew had gone through the in-depth training and onboarding process to set up his NIC Local business, it was time to start building his client base – and he knew exactly where to start.

“I had a lot of contacts from my time in the leisure industry to help get me started. From a business perspective, I sell us as a medium-sized business which is keen to have a personal touch and work closely with you – to that end I am the one point of contact. So if clients have any issues, I will answer them really swiftly.

“From there the key to success for my business has been word of mouth. We’ve got a pipeline of eight new contracts, all of which has come from recommendations through current clients. To us that’s the best type of business.”

How owning an NIC Local business has changed Matthew’s life

As Matthew mentions, one of the biggest reasons anyone enters franchising is to take control of their destiny and establish a much more enjoyable work-life balance. Pleasingly, it’s something Matthew is delighted to have achieved.

“I’ve seen a massive difference to me as a person. Being able to take time out to go and watch the kids play sports has been huge for me.

“I think the key to every business is having a balance; if you just continually work day after day, night after night, and you don’t enjoy any pleasures or interests, you definitely lose motivation.

“As the business has scaled up, I’ve been able to pull myself back and deal with more of the larger sites. I now have a team of people around me looking after the day-to-day, so I can focus on the wider business overview.”

Make the most of the opportunity to change your life

For those interested in joining the NIC Local family, Matthew has some final words of advice.

“As a sector, the opportunities are massive – everywhere needs cleaning,” he explains. “If you do a good job, pick up the phone when someone has an issue and deal with things in a controlled way, then cleaning is an excellent sector to be in.

“NIC provides you with a platform and will give you every opportunity to grow, but ultimately it is down to the individual to make their business work.”