The resettlement phase can be daunting for those leaving the Armed Forces and wondering what to do next. OvenKing’s Training dept. called The King Academy, offers oven cleaning training courses for ex Armed Forces personnel. This job requires zero previous experience, a low initial investment and can provide great results quickly.

We spoke to Mr Daryl Self, the company Director. Here’s what he said:

“We know this business really well. We started OvenKing back in 2013 with just one van and now we are the leading domestic and commercial cleaning company in the South of England, with 8 vans covering 3 counties. We developed our own brand of cleaning chemicals, and a variety of training courses that cover all budgets and needs. Our trainees spread all across the UK and Europe, and we’re slowly expanding into the US.

This is a profitable business. Even when the pandemic started, after the initial shock of the first month or so, we were still constantly fully booked. We show people how to make in excess of £1,000 per week and their success shows in our testimonials. Oven cleaning gives a financial stability that’s really important to ex-Armed Forces personnel who are used to having a steady income.

Compared to other business start-ups, oven cleaning provides a very quick RoI (Return of Investment). The time between training completion and the first booking of our trainees can be as quick as one day! The hard work, determination and commitment required from the armed forces personnel, transfers really well into running an oven cleaning business.

Of course, nobody can know everything there is to know in oven cleaning right after they graduate, no matter how exhaustive and meticulous the training is. For that reason, we offer an optional Membership that entitles trainees to a direct line of support when they most need it, plus a generous 20% discount on our GleamKing branded commercial cleaning products (gleamking.co.uk), ongoing industry, marketing and business advice and discounts on further training.”

Business support doesn’t end with Oven Cleaning Training

OvenKing (ovenking.co.uk) are members of the British Institute of Cleaning Science (bics.org.uk) and the Oven Kitchen Extraction Cleaning Association (okeca.org). All trainers are fully certified oven cleaners that train you in real people’s homes. After the first day where trainees learn about ovens in a classroom, this practical hands-on training teaches every little step throughout the interaction with the client, from booking to completion.

Gregory from Northern Ireland was one of their ex military trainees that opted for the Membership. Here’s what he said:

“I am ex military and security and after 35 years I had enough. I decided time to move on and run my own business and I came across oven cleaning.

I chose one of the courses The King Academy offer. After the technical training, Daryl gave me a marketing presentation that I felt was the most precious insight, especially as I hadn’t worked for myself before. In these 5 days I learned a lot but I wanted to ensure that I could have some ongoing support for the start, so I signed up as a Member. This proved to be the right choice as I called them quite a few times and got solutions right away. This is invaluable when you are at a client’s house and don’t know how to deal with a problem.”

Work/life balance

Perhaps the second most important benefit from an oven cleaning business after the income is the ability to arrange your own schedule around your personal or family needs. This flexibility is sought after ex-Armed Forces personnel because, after many years of service, you now get to choose the hours you work.

Tim is ex-RN and was looking for a business that would enable him to do exactly that. Here’s what he said:

“Prior to starting my own Oven Cleaning Business I was in the RN for 38 years, 22 years active service and 16 years in recruiting.  I finished my career in the RN in March 2019 and did my training with The King Academy as part of my resettlement in January 2019.

I chose the Oven Cleaning industry because I wanted to do something that was not too stressful, I could work the hours I wanted and the start up costs were reasonable. I was first looking into buying a Franchise but thought that the cost was excessive and didn’t like the area and financial restrictions, so I looked at how I could start up on my own business. After a bit of research on the internet I found that The King Academy by Oven King had everything I wanted. They supplied all the equipment, chemicals, tools and training, they even designed my logo, set up my website, business cards and flyers. They helped me with my pricing structure, advised me on marketing and upselling and pointed out possible mistakes that I should avoid before I even thought about them.

My business started to take off after about 6- 12 months. I now have more work than I really need and my customers are waiting about 4 weeks for an appointment.  This is mainly because I only do 2 or sometimes 3 jobs a day as I like to start at 9am and be finished by 2pm. I feel that I 100% made the right choice.”

If you would like to know more about oven cleaning training, please visit their website thekingacademy.co.uk or email info@thekingacademy.co.uk