Catherine Joliffe: Mowgli South West Entrepreneur

The Mowgli Foundation UK South West: Entrepreneur Mentee Case Study Catherine Joliffe- Founder and Manager, My Green Cleaner Ltd. Catherine’s background is in sustainable banking, with 7 years spent at one of the UK’s major ‘green’ banks. When Catherine and her partner had their first child, however, Catherine struggled to find a good, local cleaning company that used ecologically sound products. This inspired her to set up her own cleaning company and the company was launched shortly after her second child’s first birthday. My Green Cleaner provides a domestic and commercial cleaning service in the Bristol area; Catherine’s domestic clients tend to be families with young children, and affluent couples. “It’s people who are prepared to pay a little more for a reliable, friendly and completely green cleaning service,” says Catherine. As well as working hard to attract new clients, Catherine has also placed social and environmentalobjectives at the centre of everything My Green Cleaner does. In addition to being passionateabout the environmental benefits of cleaning and sourcing from independent manufacturers ofgreen products, Catherine also hires staff as direct employees (unlike many cleaning companies)and pays above minimum wage. Catherine prides herself on her approachable managerial styleand takes a personal interest in her staff’s wellbeing and development, for example by trainingone former cleaner in office administration. “I have really clear ethical values for how I run thebusiness,” says Catherine, “and I’m genuinely passionate about raising awareness ofenvironmentally friendly cleaning. I’d also love to employ even more people than I do, and helpcreate more jobs in Bristol.”My Green Cleaner is now two and half years old, and the majority of her client base is within thedomestic sector. Now, Catherine plans to break into the commercial sector and so Mowglimentoring comes at the right time. In the next 12 months, Catherine hopes to double her numberof cleaning hours, and get a marketing strategy in place, as well as considering some upcomingHR-related financial challenges. My Green Cleaner also faces increased competition. “When Istarted up in 2009, My Green Cleaner was the only business in the Bristol area specialising ineco-cleaning; now there are a few others.” Catherine looks forward to meeting her Mowglimentor, since her previous experience is that mentoring advice too often narrowly focuses onspecific areas of the business. “I’m hoping to meet someone who can listen to my ideas, and lookat the business holistically with me- someone to build rapport with, and bounce ideas off.”Catherine’s aims for 2012 are to increase My Green Cleaner’s turnover, by both sustaining thesuccessful domestic cleaning operations, and moving into the commercial sector. She also hopesthe mentor can help build her confidence in certain areas she’s personally unsure of, and tobecome more competent at prioritising, focusing and time management. She also wants to feelmore confident in dealing with her work/life balance. “The Mowgli Foundation’s project is a reallygood opportunity, and I’m really excited about being part of it,” she says. “A mentor- someonewho has experience and a good business head- is exactly what I need.”

Catherine Joliffe: Mowgli South West Entrepreneur

by Mowgli Foundation on Feb 09, 2012

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Catherine Joliffe: Mowgli South West Entrepreneur — Document Transcript