Mike Harris Of Oven Rescue: Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Opening a Franchise

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about succession, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

Starting from the trenches of field-based sales in the office supplies industry, I gradually climbed the ladder, transitioning from a sales manager role to regional sales manager, and eventually to regional sales director across various businesses.

However, the pivotal moment came when I was headhunted to lead the southern and western regions as a director for a worldwide office supplies company. Managing four offices and hundreds of employees, I was deeply involved in the intricacies of the business, even participating in a management buyout.

As part of the management buyout, and at the age of 40, I found myself facing redundancy. Although I knew it was coming, I didn’t have a plan in place and wanted to use the time to figure out what I really wanted to do. It was during this time that I stumbled into the world of franchises, purely by accident. Determined to pivot away from the corporate grind that had consumed much of my career, I vowed never to wear a suit in vain again, setting the stage for a new chapter.

After taking some time out on holiday in Spain, I met someone who was running a solo oven cleaning business out there, and I started looking into the idea of doing this back in the UK. He was really helpful and open to helping me on my journey, so he came back to the UK with me and shared everything he knew. And the rest, so they say, is history.

I managed to get up and running through connections in the lettings industry and lots of networking. I worked on my own for two years before opening the franchise and taking people on.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I spent years travelling all over the world for work, meeting people from all walks of life, so have plenty of stories about those days. But it’s the people who have given me the most incredible stories.

For instance, when I worked in sales, I hired a hungry 18-year-old who was determined to smash any target and record we had. Starting fresh out of education, he spent the first few years learning everything about the business, and processes, and absorbing as much information as he could. Now, more than 20 years on, he’s grown into an incredibly successful man with an amazing job, but he’s now also a wonderful husband, father, and friend to those around him. And it’s the stories about the people that I find the most interesting.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

‘Work hard and be nice to people’. This is a simple one but one many people forget. When you work for yourself, there is no one to do the work for you, so it’s all down to you. Likewise, you never know whose paths you’ll cross and when, so if you leave a good impression on everyone, you’ll never be worried about bumping into anyone.

I’ve crossed paths with so many people over the years, and you always remember the ones who weren’t pleasant to deal with.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

From a consumer perspective, the professionalism and expertise of our team shines through, and this is something that starts from the very beginning. When people contact me to discuss opening a franchise, it’s by no means an interview, but I use that time to understand them, their history, and their motives and drive. This initial conversation has, so far, helped me to onboard the right people who have made a success of their franchise. Most of our franchises grow via word of mouth, and that’s a testament to their individual work.

For budding franchise owners, the first attraction is the initial setup cost versus the opportunity. The oven-cleaning market is huge, and the model works everywhere, meaning the ceiling for earnings is virtually limitless.

The setup cost itself is something I strive to keep as low as possible, and is actually lower than similar franchises’ (£9,000). This opens up the pathway to franchising to as many people as possible. There is also the option to utilise a government-backed loan or other business financing to cover the set-up costs.

One of the franchisees who’s been with me since he was 19 (he’s now 31) was really unsure about what he wanted to do with his life. He had been working as a football coach for a while when he went to a franchise expo with his dad. His dad had run a business previously, so was inspired by him to look into entrepreneurship. After looking into franchising, we spoke a couple of times and he came on board. He quickly got up and running and started reaping the rewards almost immediately. Over a decade on and he’s not slowed down. He’s recently taken on a second area so is incredibly busy, but is proud to be able to support his young family. He was able to buy a lovely home for his family, goes abroad twice a year, and drives a luxury SUV as a result of his hard work and determination. And it’s stories like this that really make me proud of the franchise and how it can literally change people’s lives.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. What factors did you consider when selecting your franchise, and how did you determine it was the right fit for you?

I did a lot of research before committing to a franchise, and worked one-on-one with a solicitor and BFA mentor. Both of these were critical in helping me to make the right decision — both personally and professionally.

They helped me to understand the market and the opportunities for different industries, as well as thoroughly understand what it means to own a franchise. Although moving from being an employee to self-employed is a big step, swapping employment for owning and running a franchise is a wholly different experience.

Knowing I would not only be responsible for my own career but also that of others, was something I had to seriously consider whether I could take on, so talking through the options with experts helped me to focus on what I wanted to get out of starting out on my own.

Although I was armed with the knowledge on oven cleaning, I wasn’t set on oven cleaning from the start and did explore other options before committing. But oven cleaning seemed a bit like destiny after meeting someone in the field. It also made good business sense; it’s not seasonal meaning you face little to no downtime, repeat business is almost guaranteed if you do a good job, payment is immediate, and the whole process is transparent — customers know what they get and the cost before they book — and it’s something people actually want, rather than calling you because they need you to fix something.

I’m a big believer in opportunities coming to you and grabbing them with both hands. And oven cleaning seemed to be that ‘stars aligning’ moment.

Can you share a significant challenge you faced while establishing your franchise? How did you overcome this obstacle, and what did this experience teach you about running a successful franchise?

The hardest thing at the beginning was getting the name out there and building a reputation. Oven cleaning wasn’t a new idea, so being seen as credible was a big hurdle and it took me a while to build myself up. I put a lot of work into this in the early days — travelling around the country to exhibitions and showcasing the business, as well as spending time leafleting my local area and speaking to as many people as possible. So much of the early success in particular I put down to being a people person. I spoke to anyone and everyone to get them to buy into me and the business.

Now, of course, it’s much easier; the brand is established and we have a lot of case studies and reviews to use to showcase our expertise.

Although the first few months and years were tough; it taught me that there is no other way to succeed than hard work. The more you put yourself out there, the more you will get back in return.

It also taught me the importance of staying true and honest to myself. I pride myself on being upfront and honest with customers and franchisees on what to expect, and this honesty is something people really value. If you can’t make an oven look as good as new for whatever reason, tell them. Likewise, franchises aren’t going to be turning over six figures in their first year, so set expectations from the offset and you’ll usually succeed.

Looking back to when you first started your franchise, what was one aspect that completely took you by surprise? This could be related to the franchising process, customer interactions, or day-to-day management that you hadn’t anticipated.

The biggest shock was how quickly the business grew. Although I had to put in a lot of work, especially in the early days to build the business up, I remember my first day running the business vividly. I was posting leaflets through doors and had parked my newly branded van on a residential road. Half an hour into leafleting, I got a call from a lady asking me when I could clean her oven. And from there, the phone rarely stopped ringing for months.

It was a million miles away from my days sitting in a boardroom, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

In hindsight, what advice would you give to potential franchisees about selecting a franchise that aligns with their personal and professional goals?

It sounds so simple, but choose something you enjoy. If you enjoy it, you’ll be able to sell the idea more easily to potential franchisees, and your customers will also feel the positive effects.

Oven cleaning may not sound like the most exciting career, but I tend to think of it as a whole package. I enjoy seeing the visible change I make, meeting new customers, and visiting customers who I’ve worked with for years.

It’s also important to select a franchise that has staying power and national appeal. When I started Oven Rescue, other oven cleaning franchises were established, but the market wasn’t saturated. As such, I saw a gap in the market to drive demand; most homes have at least one oven, which usually needs deep cleaning at least twice a year — spending on use. This gave me a huge market base and longevity for repeat custom.

How do you balance adhering to the established systems of your franchise with the need to innovate and adapt to your local market? Can you provide an example of a successful adaptation or innovation you implemented in your franchise?

Marketing is one of the biggest innovations we’ve seen. The way people consume media has changed so much over the last 14 years and we’ve had to change with it to ensure we reach the right customers. We don’t do anything like TV advertising and have moved away from paid-for ads. We’re a small business, albeit with national reach, so instead of focusing on the brand itself, we focus on the people behind it. This personal touch showcases the faces behind the franchises and connects customers to their local cleaner. After all, if someone is going to be coming into your house, you want to know who that is.

I also give control of the marketing to each franchisee — after all, they know their local area and their customers best. I arm each franchisee with everything they need to get started, such as hi-res logos and images, as well as brand guidelines, but each franchise has the power to market how it sees best.

Over the last couple of years, the business has reaped the benefits of spending money on digital marketing. Social media is great, but as we know, most people use search engines to find services and get advice. This is something we never really invested in at the beginning, but any company not investing in digital marketing is doing itself a disservice.