Partner Article

Getting to know... Paul Edwards

We know you as the founder of Edwards Commercial Cleaning and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…

My Dad had his own business, and being around an entrepreneur, I suppose something must have rubbed off. I was always trying to make a bit of money. I remember doing mini-plays with some friends in the street for our parents to come along and watch, and charging them a few pence so we could go to the local sweet shop afterwards for a treat. At 13, I had a morning paper round, working six days a week for £2, and I did that for years, which taught me discipline and responsibility. When I was 15, my parents bought a static caravan near Darlington, but I couldn’t go on a Friday night as I had the Saturday morning round, so I negotiated a £3 a week pocket money raise and gave up the papers to spend some weekends fishing in the Tees!

Hazel and I have brought up three wonderful children, and we’re so very proud of the amazing humans they’ve turned into. Having our own business has given me the time and opportunity to spend time with them, which is one of the biggest advantages of doing something for yourself.

Did you always want to work in your industry?

Absolutely not. The cleaning industry isn’t something I’d ever imagined myself in. I wanted, from a really early age, to become a pilot, but at 13 years old, in a careers meeting at school, I was told I was too thick and to forget the idea! I actually got into selling franchises, which happened to be in commercial cleaning. The business was a global franchise business, and I sold franchises into new areas and managed the sales and operations support to help them grow. Being the Divisional Manager for the North of England and Scotland meant being away from home and working long hours, and, over time, their culture changed horribly. So I left to set up our own business in 1998. We rebranded and Hazel joined the business in 2003 when we became Edwards Commercial Cleaning Services Ltd.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst?

Seeing people develop and excel at what they do. My role is support, strategy, and trying to look ahead to see what our clients and future clients will want from a commercial cleaning business like ours. I’m a people person, so working with and building the team, and seeing individuals grow in ability and especially confidence and achieve what they are capable of, is just amazing.

Admin jobs are just awful. I have very little patience when doing paperwork, and especially preparing annually for a particular accreditation. We’ve been with them for 15 years, and every year they just manage to push my buttons by asking the very same questions as the year before!

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Taking the risk to start the business, selling our family home for the equity so that we wouldn’t need to take out loans, and then being able to concentrate on dedicating huge hours to working, selling, cleaning, and employing staff. Since September 1998, we’ve never missed a payroll, which isn’t a bad thing either.

How do you relax outside of work?

Dog walking, family time, and football. I’m a huge Newcastle United fan. Hazel and I need to get away more and travel, especially to see our new grandson in Canada. I really find it difficult to wind down and can’t help keeping an eye on emails, etc., even though our brilliant management team can run things without us. I used to go fishing and found that very relaxing, but stopped quite a while ago. Maybe it’s time to pick the rod back up!

What makes the North East such a great place to live and work?

The people, the history, the architecture, the beautiful countryside, and what can you say about those beaches? Everywhere you go, people mention how friendly we are up in the region. It’s true, we are, in the main, a really nice lot. One thing we’re all really big into is sustainability and our environment. We really have to look after our planet, and especially where we all live. I hate to see litter in the streets and along the sides of our motorways. We still need to be better.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know…

I mentioned that I really wanted to be a pilot when I was young, so when I turned 40, I decided to learn to fly. I took and passed all nine exams, did around 60 hours with an instructor before passing my final flight test and getting my Private Pilot License. Just goes to show what careers teachers knew, eh?

We also have beehives in our garden, and I love my beekeeping. I think this is my fifth year, and we’re only now getting the benefit of quite a lot of honey, which we just give away. Our neighbours have never had so many fruit crops off their trees, and the gardens around us are doing brilliantly.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Entrepreneurs' Forum .