He attributes his success to three critical factors; organisational skills, good customer relationships and a very equable temperament. “If you recognise that in business you have ups and downs, and a good day almost always follows a bad one, there is no need to get stressed.”

He admits that his sunny temperament has also served him well in other areas; before taking on his franchise he had achieved a 7 handicap and was captain of his local golf club. “I never got cross with the little white ball!” he grins. Unfortunately, he has since had to give up golf as he spends a great deal of time travelling in his territory.

Nazir already had considerable experience of running his own business before he set up his Jani-King franchise. With a wife who is a qualified nurse, the couple ran a care home in Folkstone for over 15 years before embarking on this new venture. He had also been a manager for Superdrug and Sainsburys which gave his good people skills.

It was his family who get him involved in contract cleaning. “My brother in law, who had been living in France, decided to move to the UK after 25 years. He had operated a contract cleaning business in France so knew what to look for in the UK,” explains Nazir. His research led him to Jani-King and the two brothers set up the Kent franchise, completing their training together. “In our plan, I was to do the administration and my brother would run the operation.”

Unfortunately after only 9 months, his brother decided to return to France, leaving Nazir holding the ‘baby’ business. “I had invested the money, and so I wanted to carry on. Jani-King were obviously concerned at the time because they knew I still had the care home,” recalls Nazir. “But I done the training, I had been in business for myself before so they continued to support us.”

The business built slowly at first. At the time Jani-King’s expertise and sales teams were largely based in the North of England and Scotland. Representation in Kent was thinner on the ground. But with persistence and teamwork, the business took off and today turns over £49K per month on average.

“Gradual growth suited us,” explains Nazir. “It gave us time to see that it was a viable business and so we sold the care home to focus all our efforts on building it into a thriving enterprise.”

Nazir admits that growing a business which he can hand down to his daughter and son-in-law is a key motivation in his life, and the business is a genuine family affair. Nazir’s son-in-law works with him as a supervisor and his daughter also does some of the local work. His wife does the training for new accounts.

He acknowledges that his previous business experience has been important in creating a successful franchise. “Business is not really complicated; it’s money in and money out. More has to come in than go out! You hire and manage staff in all businesses. The challenges may be slightly different but the principles are the same. A care home is one site, and a contract cleaning business is multiple sites.”

The majority of Nazir’s working day is spent on maintaining his all-important customer relationships. He spends a lot of time travelling. “Relationships with the decision maker are critical to the success of this type of business,” he explains. “So we have to regularly visit all our customers. Using the company journey planner, I know every day exactly where every supervisor has been. We get around efficiently, but it still might mean a four hour round trip to Brighton to see a customer for only an hour since our territory is quite large. But it is essential to maintain a high level of face to face contract with customers if you expect them to support you through thick and thin.”

After five years Nazir knows that Jani-King have a very efficient system “The model works if you follow it, and if you are organised. In the five years we have been doing business, we have seen the company change towards a stronger management model. The training is much better, the support systems are excellent. The business tried to continue to evolve and improve and this is significant if you are in it for the long term.”

His efforts pay off with a high rate of customer retention. The company has many national accounts such as Odeon and Next, but also a lot of business they have generated for themselves. “National accounts is the way the business is going,” Nazir comments. “There is less risk of a high turnover with national accounts, but if it does go wrong, the blow is bigger to your business. You can lose a national account for no personal reason, just through a change in management personnel in an office you have never been to. It means that all franchisees have to perform well across a national account all the time. By and large, most of them get that. If you put up the money, it is after all in your best interests to perform to your maximum.”

This family business continues to grow. “The sky’s the limit really,” says Nazir. If it continues to go well, then I am building a good business which I can leave to my children.”

He even has hope to get back on the golf course one day. “Today my hobby is sleeping! When I started the business with my brother I had more time. I used to play golf three or four times a week. But I’m building a future for my family, and you have to enjoy life. You mustn’t moan. The golf course will still be there waiting for me, and I am confident I can get down to scratch one day!”