I've made plenty of business mistakes so you don't have to!
I’m Diane Greenwood, business coach, mentor and long-time cleaning business owner.
I started my cleaning business back in 2008 and went on to build it so that it can operate without me being involved in the day-to-day. I live in France and the business is in the UK so it has to!
Over the years I’ve dealt with most of the things cleaning business owners struggle with:
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staff not turning up
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clients cancelling
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prices that were too low
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recruitment problems
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cashflow
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systems
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VAT
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team management
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growth
and the occasional week where everything seemed to go wrong at once!
That experience eventually led to me co-founding the Domestic Cleaning Business Network, where I now work with cleaning business owners across the UK and to putting my coaching skills into practice to help other cleaning business owners build profitable, sustainable cleaning businesses.
I built a business that gave me choices...
This is what success looks like for me. Yours might look completely different.
After nearly 20 years in business, one of the things I'm proudest of isn't a turnover figure or the number of people I've employed. It's that I've built businesses that no longer need me to be there every day.
That gave my husband Mark and me the freedom to make a huge life change and move to a new home in rural France, while my cleaning business continued to operate back in the UK.
Life here isn't quite permanent holidays by the pool! We've taken on a beautiful old property that always seems to have another renovation project waiting for us, and I'm still running businesses, coaching and coming up with new ideas. But I now have something that was very difficult to imagine when I was caught up in the day-to-day running of a cleaning business:
Choice over how I spend my time.
And that's a big part of what I want for the people I coach.
I'm not going to tell you that success means building a huge cleaning company, employing 50 people or moving to France. It might mean getting yourself off the tools. It might mean earning more while working fewer hours. Being able to take a proper holiday. Spending more time with your family. Or simply knowing that if you don't turn up tomorrow, your business will carry on without you.
Your version of freedom is yours. My job is to help you build the business that can give it to you!
The dream...
...and the reality!
My approach to coaching
I don’t believe coaching is about telling you what to do. My job is to help you:
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understand what’s really happening in your business
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look at the numbers rather than guessing
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challenge assumptions
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make decisions
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and turn those decisions into action
Sometimes you need a coach.
Sometimes you need a mentor.
Sometimes you need someone to say:
“Have you actually worked out what that costs you?”
I’m happy doing all three.
Qualifications
Expert in Business Coaching
Utilising proven coaching methodologies to help owners make decisions and turn them into practical actions.
Co-founder & Director, DCBN
Supporting cleaning business owners across the UK with practical guidance and commercial focus.
BSc in IT, Business Management & Languages
University of York. A foundation in business principles applied to the realities of the cleaning industry.
NEBSM Diploma in Supervisory Management
HR, Industrial Relations, Staff Supervision
AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
Association of Accounting Technicians Level 2 Qualified
Certificate in Adult Education
Teaching Certificate
Mentoring Methodology
I combine coaching, mentoring and practical experience to help you build a better business. I don't always just tell you what to do; but I help you understand what's happening, challenge assumptions and make decisions that lead to sustainable growth.
1. Goal Setting & Planning
Defining clear objectives and creating a roadmap for your business's future.
2. Financials
Understanding pricing, costs and margins to ensure long-term profitability.
3. Systems & Systemisation
Getting processes out of the owner's head to create a business that can operate without constant involvement.
4. Recruitment & Team
Developing a team you can rely on and managing staff effectively.
5. Marketing & Sales
Driving growth through effective sales and marketing strategies.