Cool to Clean

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Cool to Clean's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Cool to Clean is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Blunkett signature Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett
Pickles signature Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.cooltoclean.co.uk

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
24 | COOL TO CLEAN
Owner Dean Yershon
High-quality commercial
cleaning services
Operating across London and Essex, Cool To Clean
provides professional and ethical cleaning services to
commercial clients. Managing Director Dean Yershon
tells
The Parliamentary Review
that he saw a gap in the market
in which a high-quality, courteous and cost-effective cleaning
service could thrive; with 25 years of experience in the media,
he felt his time in an office environment had equipped him
well to establish the business in 2013. Dean discusses Cool To
Clean’s journey and how profitability continues to be an issue in
the commercial cleaning sector.
Prior to establishing the business, my entire career, from the age of 17, was in the
world of media, having worked for a newspaper sales house in Fleet Street before
spending the next 24 years at News UK, formerly News International, publishers
of
The Times
,
The Sunday Times
,
The Sun
and
News of the World
. Following the
stripping-out of middle management, I accepted voluntary redundancy and decided
to leave corporate life and start my own business.
The journey of our business
Completely out of the blue, my thenpartner suggested I start a commercial
cleaning company. The skills I had learnt in my previous roles gave me confidence
that I could establish a successful company and within a week I came up with a
name and registered it at Companies House as Cool To Clean Ltd.
The next six months was spent at morning networking groups. I did this for a year
and even though it wasn’t profitable, it did give me my first client, a fair-sized
FACTS ABOUT
COOL TO CLEAN
»Owner: Dean Yershon
»Established in 2012
»Based in northeast London
»Services: Commercial cleaning
service
»No. of employees: 55 full and
part-time staff
»www.cooltoclean.co.uk
Cool to Clean
25COOL TO CLEAN |
BUSINESS SERVICES
community hallin Brentwood. As our
number of staff amounted to one,
myself, I requested the help of my
parents and two other women I’d been
put in touch with. Under the direction
of my mother, and her incredibly high
standards, we completed the job and
received a very positive testimonial.
This gave me the incentive to move
forward in terms of knowing how
to clean, what to look out for when
cleaning, which supplies to use and
where to get them.
I joined a different networkinggroup,
as the previous one was costing
me more than I was making. The
networking offered an opportunity to
get to know people but in my heart
of hearts I knew it wasn’t bringing
me clients. It did offer me some good
suppliers, however, many of whom I
have since used.
Every business needs a leg up and
mine came six months after starting
the business. My partner was telling
me about the cleaners of her office
and how their standard was poor and
the management unresponsive. I knew
this was my opportunity. We managed
to secure the contract and our focus
shifted towards making sure we did
a spotless job. It is testament to our
high standards that we still have this
founding client five years later.
Six years on, we are a VAT-registered
company with 37 contracts, offering
main office cleaning, pre and post-
tenancy cleaning, the cleaning of
leisure facilities and community
centresand some 55 full-time and part-
time staff as well as an HR supplier,
accountants and other suppliers.
Despite our recent growth, we still
have just the same desire to carry on
developing, learning andgrowing.
Balancing service with
profitability
There are many elements involved in
running a successful business, one of
which is profitability. As acleaning
company, we are a cost to businesses,
so they want to keep this cost as low
as possible in order to maximise their
own profitability. The downside of
this is that some clients pay less to a
commercial cleaning company than
they pay their domestic cleaning lady
despite the latter having none of the
costs of the former, namely public
liability insurance and the payroll costs
of pensions, holidays and national
insurance contributions.
Commercial cleaners only get paid
the minimum wage of £8.21 an
hour. Realistically,this is not enough
in this day and age with rental costs Working across
London and Essex to
deliver commercial
cleaningservices
Every business
needs a leg
up, and mine
came six
months after
starting
“
“
BEST PRACTICE SPONSOR 2020
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
24 | COOL TO CLEAN
Owner Dean Yershon
High-quality commercial
cleaning services
Operating across London and Essex, Cool To Clean
provides professional and ethical cleaning services to
commercial clients. Managing Director Dean Yershon
tells
The Parliamentary Review
that he saw a gap in the market
in which a high-quality, courteous and cost-effective cleaning
service could thrive; with 25 years of experience in the media,
he felt his time in an office environment had equipped him
well to establish the business in 2013. Dean discusses Cool To
Clean’s journey and how profitability continues to be an issue in
the commercial cleaning sector.
Prior to establishing the business, my entire career, from the age of 17, was in the
world of media, having worked for a newspaper sales house in Fleet Street before
spending the next 24 years at News UK, formerly News International, publishers
of
The Times
,
The Sunday Times
,
The Sun
and
News of the World
. Following the
stripping-out of middle management, I accepted voluntary redundancy and decided
to leave corporate life and start my own business.
The journey of our business
Completely out of the blue, my thenpartner suggested I start a commercial
cleaning company. The skills I had learnt in my previous roles gave me confidence
that I could establish a successful company and within a week I came up with a
name and registered it at Companies House as Cool To Clean Ltd.
The next six months was spent at morning networking groups. I did this for a year
and even though it wasn’t profitable, it did give me my first client, a fair-sized
FACTS ABOUT
COOL TO CLEAN
»Owner: Dean Yershon
»Established in 2012
»Based in northeast London
»Services: Commercial cleaning
service
»No. of employees: 55 full and
part-time staff
»www.cooltoclean.co.uk
Cool to Clean
25COOL TO CLEAN |
BUSINESS SERVICES
community hallin Brentwood. As our
number of staff amounted to one,
myself, I requested the help of my
parents and two other women I’d been
put in touch with. Under the direction
of my mother, and her incredibly high
standards, we completed the job and
received a very positive testimonial.
This gave me the incentive to move
forward in terms of knowing how
to clean, what to look out for when
cleaning, which supplies to use and
where to get them.
I joined a different networkinggroup,
as the previous one was costing
me more than I was making. The
networking offered an opportunity to
get to know people but in my heart
of hearts I knew it wasn’t bringing
me clients. It did offer me some good
suppliers, however, many of whom I
have since used.
Every business needs a leg up and
mine came six months after starting
the business. My partner was telling
me about the cleaners of her office
and how their standard was poor and
the management unresponsive. I knew
this was my opportunity. We managed
to secure the contract and our focus
shifted towards making sure we did
a spotless job. It is testament to our
high standards that we still have this
founding client five years later.
Six years on, we are a VAT-registered
company with 37 contracts, offering
main office cleaning, pre and post-
tenancy cleaning, the cleaning of
leisure facilities and community
centresand some 55 full-time and part-
time staff as well as an HR supplier,
accountants and other suppliers.
Despite our recent growth, we still
have just the same desire to carry on
developing, learning andgrowing.
Balancing service with
profitability
There are many elements involved in
running a successful business, one of
which is profitability. As acleaning
company, we are a cost to businesses,
so they want to keep this cost as low
as possible in order to maximise their
own profitability. The downside of
this is that some clients pay less to a
commercial cleaning company than
they pay their domestic cleaning lady
despite the latter having none of the
costs of the former, namely public
liability insurance and the payroll costs
of pensions, holidays and national
insurance contributions.
Commercial cleaners only get paid
the minimum wage of £8.21 an
hour. Realistically,this is not enough
in this day and age with rental costs Working across
London and Essex to
deliver commercial
cleaningservices
Every business
needs a leg
up, and mine
came six
months after
starting
“
“
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
26 | COOL TO CLEAN
higher than that of a mortgage, let
alone living costs, but there has to be
enough of a margin for the cleaning
company to be profitable. In an ideal
world, each person would be paid the
living wage and companies would pay
an additional amount to the cleaning
company to action this.
We have our staff on payroll and they
rightly enjoy the associated benefits.
However, many companies do not
in order to avoid these associated
costs. This allows them to be more
competitive, giving them a huge
advantage over companies who
are compliant and look after their
staff. Of course, this is not right, but
the government does not have the
resources to pursue each company.
I prefer to know we are doing the right
thing and giving our staff the respect
they deserve. Sadly, some companies
are not put off by using suppliers
whose staff are not on the payroll
as it keeps the cleaning costs to a
minimum. This is something we would
like to see changed.
Developing relationships with
our staff
Staff retention and management
is another area of difficulty. As the
owner, you are always going to be
working as hard as possible, including
working late nights and at weekends.
Cleaning staff are not realistically going
to be invested in the business, and in
the vast number of instances, they live
hand to mouth. It has been hugely
important to try and develop the
relationships we have with our staff,
something which is especially difficult
as most of our staff are not English.
Fortunately, the vast majority of our
staff are absolutely fantastic and have
an astonishing work ethic. We support
these workers as much as possible
while ensuring those who do not meet
our standards are moved on.
Our company is made by each and
every person working for it. In order
for the business to have a soul, and a
community feel, I nurture a relationship
with each and every person we
employ. Our growth depends on
these relationships and so this is a
constant priority for myself and our
management team.
The fundamentals of any business are
honesty, decency, transparency and
reliability. We always stick to these
essential criteria and as long as we
do this, there is no reason why we
can’t continue to grow. While we are
extremely ambitious, we are humble
enough to recognise that we do not
have all the answers and that it is
through a process of ongoing learning
that we will be able to improve.
The
fundamentals
of any
business are
honesty,
decency,
transparency
and reliability.
We always
stick to these
essential
criteria
“
“

www.cooltoclean.co.uk

This article was sponsored by Cool to Clean. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss.

Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss

Even by the standards of the day –this has been one of the most exciting and unpredictable years in British politics.

The leadership election we’ve just seen marks a huge moment in our country’s history. This government is taking a decisive new direction, embracing the opportunities of Brexit and preparing our country to flourish outside the EU.

As international trade secretary, I’ll be driving forward work on the free trade agreements that are going to be a priority for the government. Free trade isn’t just an abstract concept bandied around by technocrats. It is crucial for a strong economy and for the ability of families to make ends meet. Free trade benefits people in every part of our country, as British firms export to new markets and people doing the weekly shop have access to a wider choice of goods at lower prices.

The essence of free trade is in the title: freedom. It’s about giving people the power to exchange their goods without heavy government taxation or interference. Commerce and free exchange are the engine room of prosperity and social mobility. I’m determined to tackle the forces who want to hold that back.

One of my priorities is agreeing an exciting new free trade deal with the US, building on the great relationship between our two countries and the Prime Minister and US President. But I’ll also be talking to other partners including New Zealand, Australia and fast-growing Asian markets.

And with the EU too, we want a friendly and constructive relationship, as constitutional equals, and as friends and partners in facing the challenges that lie ahead – a relationship based on a deep free trade agreement. Our country produces some of the world’s most successful exports, and the opportunity to bring these to the rest of the world should make us all excited about the future. It is this excitement, optimism and ambition which I believe will come to define this government.

For too long now, we have been told Britain isn’t big or important enough to survive outside the EU – that we have to accept a deal that reflects our reduced circumstances. I say that’s rubbish. With the right policies in place, we can be the most competitive, free-thinking, prosperous nation on Earth exporting to the world and leading in new developments like AI. To do that, we’ll give the brilliant next generation of entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed. Since 2015, there has been a staggering 85 per cent rise in the number of businesses set up by 18 to 24 year olds – twice the level set up by the same age group in France and Germany. We’ll help them flourish by championing enterprise, cutting taxes and making regulation flexible and responsive to their needs.

As we do that, we’ll level up and unite all parts of the UK with great transport links, fibre broadband in every home and proper school funding, so everyone shares in our country’s success.

2019 has been the year of brewing economic and political revolution. 2020 will be the year when a revitalised Conservative government turbo charges the economy, boosts prospects for people across the country, and catapults Britain back to the forefront of the world stage.



Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss
Secretary of State for International Development