In 2011 I found myself made redundant from a career I enjoyed and had studied hard to find success in. My whole world and employment purpose was turned upon it’s head.
Two young children to feed, a house to keep and a husband in a similar predicament, we felt the impact of the recession at that time in its full force. I spent a great deal of time applying for everything I thought I might be able to do, in an attempt to save our home and keep us going as a family. Nothing came of those applications and in order to fill the hours with something constructive, I started helping a friend with some re-organising of her home. Through her encouragement and positivity, we came to consider starting our own business, focussing on de-cluttering to start with but also looking to include cleaning services.
We quickly realised that we would not build a client base overnight and so I managed to secure a temporary full-time post as a conveyancer. During the day I worked for my employer and by evening I worked on structuring and marketing our business. My husband carried out any cleaning appointments we had during the day. That first month he made £95.
Spotless Interiors has now traded for almost 10 years and in that time we have encountered many hurdles and challenges but one thing we have maintained is our belief that the business model we have developed has not only looked after the wellbeing of our team but has also attended to clients needs and expectations. We have sought to continue to work in a way which prioritises these equally and is very different to the way in which many other similar companies work.
I will be writing articles on the things we have found challenging, important, encouraging and looking at how redundancy can be a catalyst for a very different career path…
