An Altrincham businesswoman has been named the Outstanding Entrepreneur at a new awards ceremony set up to celebrate “inspirational” women in the North.
Rachel Ray, the founder of housekeeping franchise business Bright and Beautiful, picked up the prize in front of 400 people at a ceremony at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel.
A total of 51 people had been shortlisted in nine categories, from an original nominations tally of 700.
Ray, a former accountant and business consultant, set up Bright and Beautiful in 2007 and has built it into a £5million business with almost 500 staff.
It employs 10 staff at its head office on Hale Road in Altrincham.
Ray told us: “The award really was a surprise – I knew I’d been nominated but was just going along to enjoy the night and celebrate all the women involved.”
Bright and Beautiful is an eco-friendly cleaning, tidying, laundry and ironing service, aimed particularly at busy working people.
Ray had come up with the concept back in the mid-2000s when she struggled to find an equivalent service to fit with her busy lifestyle.
“Like many women I was juggling life around a high pressure career. I started the business because I couldn’t find a reputable service like it – I wanted to feel like my home was managed – and I wanted to be my own boss. In my role as a consultant I’d helped others and I thought it was time to do it myself,” she said.
“It doesn’t seem that long ago since I was recruiting my first clients, and I remember going to local networking events around Altrincham.”
Ray’s business has grown month-on-month since those early days. She sold her first franchise in June 2010 and has now 55 up and down the country, with support based at the Hale Road HQ.
Ray is aiming to at least double turnover in the next two years, with another 20 franchisees planned for the next 12 months. She says that one of the key differences with Bright and Beautiful is that in an industry with a reputation for exploiting workers, all its staff are employed “properly”, with a defined career path.
Her advice for women (or men) tempted to go it alone? “Do your research and find a business that has a sustainable demand – not a fad. I started Bright and Beautiful because even though I don’t like cleaning and housework, I wanted order out of my chaos. There was clearly a gap and a need for this service.”
