How to make ￡1 million cleaning ovens

I heard an advert over the weekend that really annoyed me. You might know the one.

It starts by saying “This is for the upstarts” and goes on to make having your own start-up sound noble and heroic...

Before trying to get you to open a bank account.

But creating your own start-up doesn't feel that heroic when you're doing it. As anyone who's done the incredibly hard work of growing their own business from scratch will tell you.

In most cases, a start-up calls for incredibly long hours, little sleep, tested relationships, and a whole lot of stress. And if you're in an industry like oven cleaning, it can mean a lot of elbow grease too.

Yet there is an easier way. It doesn't sound as “noble” or “heroic” as having your own start-up.

But it is much more likely to result in a successful, stable new business that you can grow.

Eulogising the start-up

Making start-ups sound noble and heroic is nothing new. A few big names, particularly in the tech industry, have attracted a huge amount of glitz and glamour – not to mention eye-watering levels of investment – over the years.

But as a rule, most start-ups fail. Even my new most-hated advert boasts that two thousand new start-ups open in the UK every day. They can't all be successful.

And they're not. 1 in 5 start-ups fail in the first year. 60% in the first three.

Those are not good odds. Start-ups might still be possible in some industries – like tech, where even the slightest innovation can attract millions in funding.

But in sectors like home services, the hard work of innovation has already been done to a large extent. All you're really doing if you create a start-up in a sector like this is indulging in stroking your own ego.

Investing in the alternative

Of course, there is an alternative. If what you really want from your new business is a reliable, stable source of income. If you want processes that work. And to see your hard work rewarded with growth and return customers.

That alternative is to invest in a franchise. Some might deride the franchise as “buying” or “investing” your way to success. But... who cares?

If the result is you are your own boss, your business works and is successful – plus, you have constant support and expertise to call on – who would really care?

From my own experience with Fantastic Services' franchisees, I can tell you. Not many of them.

The six franchisees who have already become millionaires as a result of “investing their way to success” certainly don't seem that bothered by it.

When all is said and done, check out the statistics. They'll tell you. You are much more likely to succeed owning a franchise than you are creating a start-up.

A franchise still takes work

Whether they know it or not, most people believe somewhere deep down that investing in a franchise is somehow cheating. They feel like if they didn't sweat for success, they didn't earn it.

But investing in a franchise doesn't mean you can put your feet up and relax. Not everyone is suited to being a franchisee. It calls for a whole lot of dedication and teamwork.

The thing you're skipping past, of course, is all of the development, iteration, and improvement work required to build a successful business if you were starting from nothing. Normally, you'd have to somehow find the time to do all that around all of the hard work you were doing actually running your business.

Investing in a franchise is not “cheating”. You're simply making sure you're able to put your best foot forward with your new business, getting out ahead of the competition with branding and promotion – vital in an industry like oven cleaning – and getting the extra support whenever you need it.

Believing in the outcome

When most people think of a start-up, they're thinking of the tech kind you see mythologised in movies. People gathered around computers, coding long into the night, rewarded with millions being showered upon them.

Somewhere between that and the American cultural touchstone of the “self-made person” that seems to permeate most of the world these days, start-up owners have acquired their own mythos.

But the reality of being a start-up owner is one of late nights, hard work, risk, worry, and stress. I should know. I've been one. More than once.

If there is a better option, why would you not want to avoid it? Get into the mindset of the outcome being most important and focus on the best way to achieve your goal:

Being the boss of your own business, knowing you have everything you need to succeed.

Do you agree? Do you think that start-ups deserve the “heroic” status they're accorded?

Let's get the conversation started! Comment below and tell me what you think.