Zodiac Learners Clean Up in Dragons’ Den

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North East-based cleaning company UK Commercial Cleaning Services, are celebrating their success on BBC’s Dragon’s Den programme.

Company Founder and Director Tony Earnshaw and Sales Manager Steven Pearson, both learners with Zodiac Training, delivered a confident pitch, kept their cool and secured a £100,000 investment from entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne who has also become a director of the company.

Duncan Bannatyne with Tony Earnshaw, Steven Pearson and some of the staff of the Washington branch of UK Commercial Cleaning Services

Tony’s story is one of real success from humble beginnings: “I started off with a little window cleaning round which I bought for £300 and which, at the time, was only taking £300 a month. I built it up by knocking on people’s doors and canvassing for business and was soon making £6000 a month. Six months later I sold the business for £16,000 and went into the industrial and commercial cleaning sector. I bought a couple of vehicles and a depot and basically got on the phones and pitched for business with local companies. The success we have had is down to a good sales technique and an excellent service.”

Tony now employs 30 staff in his Washington and Leeds depots and last year UK Commercial Cleaning Services turned over £370,000, with a projected turnover for this year of £1.5 million.

Tony, aged 24, came from a tough background but he considers this to have been a help not a hindrance, “I grew up having nothing and wanting something in life. Without that I might not have had the drive and the passion and the ambition that I have today. To succeed you have to be very driven and you have to be focused. It’s not enough just to have an idea; you have to have the idea, believe in it and follow it through. You have to have a strategy and a goal and then set yourself targets which will help you to achieve that goal little by little, taking one step at a time.”

His positive message is one he is keen to share with the young people of the region and beyond, “You read a lot about young people in the press these days and most of that press is bad – knife crime, drugs, other criminal activity. My story goes to show that people with nothing can still achieve something. I want people to know that having nothing doesn’t mean you have to turn to crime or turn to drugs, you can do something positive with your life no matter what. I’ve done it and I believe anyone can do it.”

So what of his time in the Den and what will it mean to his company?
“The programme was good, I actually enjoyed it. The interview by the Dragons was nerve-wracking at times, but we were focused and we got the pitch right. Having Duncan Bannatyne on board is a tremendous boost, he brings extensive business acumen to the company and is the right person to take us nationwide. Running a national company is different to running a semi-national company which we are now, there’s a lot more to do and it presents a different challenge. It would have been a lot more difficult without Duncan Bannatyne, he can help us expand, he can help us stream-line things and obviously the cash injection is very important.”

Tony and his business partner Steven have successfully completed an Advanced Apprenticeship in Management with Zodiac Training. Their course included an NVQ Level 3 as well as key skills and Tony says that it has been invaluable in helping him to achieve his goals, “Zodiac Training and their training advisor Phil Dorn have helped me and the business a lot. When I started the company I had drive and I had ambition but I didn’t have the people skills, the management skills or the skills I needed to deal with some of the paperwork – Zodiac Training have given me those skills. Their training has definitely helped me to get where I am today, 100%”.

Zodiac Training Advisor Phil Dorn (centre) with Tony Earnshaw (left) and Steven Pearson (right) of UK Commercial Cleaning Services

He added, “I’ve finished my training now but I’ll be working with Zodiac Training again. Zodiac are going to deliver qualifications to some of my supervisors as well as cleaning qualifications to my cleaning staff.

You know something; it seems crazy that I’ve managed to build all this up from a little window cleaning round. It just goes to show what you can do with ambition, the right attitude and the right training.”

To find out more about Tony and Stephen’s journey into the Dragon’s Den you can see their video here.

About UK Commercial Cleaning Services:
UK Commercial Cleaning Services offer a wide range of cleaning services. They can be contacted via their website at: www.uk-cc.co.uk.

Alternatively you can call their Newcastle office on 0191 4155610 or their Leeds office on 01132 040517.