Start, lead and build a £1m+ management franchise
25% of NIC Local franchisees turnover £1m+ in annual sales. Top performers lead businesses generating £2.5-£4 million per year using the proven NIC Local model
Since launching my business with NIC Local, we have achieved an incredible 240% of our business plan forecast for the first year of trading after just 5 months.
Join NIC Local
NIC Local is a contract cleaning and facilities management franchise that empowers driven, commercially-minded people to lead and scale a management business in one of the UK’s most resilient sectors.
Doing the cleaning is your team’s job, not yours! You’ll be running your company, building a team and managing client relationships.
The Support Behind You
With over 50 years of experience, a team of 10,000+ people, and partnerships with some of the UK’s biggest brands, with NIC Local you’ll benefit from:- 1-to-1 mentoring: every franchisee is supported by a dedicated Business Development Manager (typically working with just 5 franchisees each)
- Training and onboarding: an in-depth, week-long course at our Leeds support office to kickstart your success. Hotels and meals provided by NIC Local.
- Centralised support: administration, invoicing, credit control and compliance handled by the NIC head office team, freeing you to grow
- Marketing and bid support: help winning contracts and setting up new clients
- Access to cutting edge equipment: through NIC Group’s buying power and expertise
A proven, scalable model
This is a management franchise, designed for people who want to lead from the front and build an asset.
Your team provides essential cleaning and facilities management services to local businesses – schools, offices, retail units, healthcare providers and more – creating recurring income month after month.
- No territory limits: build your business as large as your ambition allows
- Recurring contracted income: 80% of revenue is regular, repeat business
- Stable sector: cleaning is a necessity, not a luxury
- Asset creation: successful franchisees often sell for 2-4x earnings
The ongoing support from NIC Local enabled me to build a near-£4m business. I am now able to focus on maintaining my work/life balance.
Your Franchise Journey
| Stage 1: Prep & Launch | Stage 2: Build Your Team | Stage 3: Grow to £1m+ | Stage 4: Expand Without Limits | Stage 5 – Build an Asset for the Future |
| Get going quickly. You can recoup your initial investment within the first 12 month | Recruit and lead your own management and operational team with NIC Local’s full support. Many franchisees scale fast to employ 100+ colleagues within 2-3 years. | 25% of NIC Local franchisees now run businesses turning over £1m+ annually, built on recurring revenue and long-term client relationships. | Unlike most franchises, you’re not restricted by territory. Your potential is unlimited. Our top three franchisees turnover £2.5m–£4m per year. | When you’re ready, you can pass the business to family, sell it, or even arrange a management buyout, with valuations averaging 2–4x profit multiples. |
I had no business experience prior to NIC. The guidance and support given every step of the way has helped me build a multimillion-pound business.
What you need to succeed
This is a leadership and management role, not an operational cleaning job. You’ll thrive if you bring:
- Strong leadership and communication skills
- Commercial acumen and the ability to build relationships
- A strategic mindset and focus on growth
- Experience managing people or projects
- Determination to build a valuable, scalable business
NIC Local helped me develop a successful business and new skills to deliver a great return on my investment.
Investment and returns
- Franchise Fee: £30,000 plus VAT
- Personal capital: £14,000
- Bank funding available: major UK banks lend up to 70%
- Typical payback: regularly achieved within 12 months
- Proven performance: 25% of current franchisees turnover £1m+ per year
Join NIC Local
NIC Services Group proudly remains a family-owned business, combining corporate strength with personal support. With no limits on your growth, a proven business model, and decades of industry experience, you’ll be joining one of the UK’s most respected names in commercial cleaning and facilities management.
Build your management business. Lead your team. Create your future
NIC Local | What is a Management Franchise?
NIC Local breaks down the advantages and disadvantages of a management franchise.
When exploring franchise opportunities, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is what type of franchise model suits your goals and lifestyle.
The two most common models are a management franchise, and an owner-operator franchise.
Making an informed choice between these is critically important, as the impact they will have on your day-to-day involvement with the business, as well as your lifestyle, is significant.
While both offer the benefits of a proven system and brand, their core philosophies regarding the franchisee’s role are fundamentally different.
For ambitious entrepreneurs seeking an attractive route to build a scalable business without being involved in day-to-day service delivery, a management franchise is the best choice.
This guide explains clearly what a management franchise is, how it differs from the more hands-on owner-operator model, and how to decide which model best suits you.
We’ll also explain what makes NIC Local such an in-demand management franchise opportunity, and why it’s far more than just another cleaning franchise.
What are the key features of a management franchise?
A management franchise is a business model where the franchisee focuses on leading and growing the business, rather than personally delivering the service offered.
Due to the need for a larger initial team and/or potentially a more sophisticated operational infrastructure, management franchisees can sometimes have a higher initial investment requirement compared to owner-operator franchises.
Management franchises are most commonly found in business-to-business (B2B) sectors, such as commercial cleaning, facilities management, and logistics, to name just a few.
The franchise owner’s role is primarily strategic and operational, with key responsibilities including:
- Recruiting, training, and overseeing staff
- Managing finances
- Focusing on sales and marketing
- Quality control
- Building client relationships
- Business development
- Expanding the business
The actual day-to-day work – whether that’s cleaning, delivering services, or handling logistics, is then carried out by employed staff or subcontractors.
This allows the franchisee to concentrate on critical higher-level responsibilities, like those we have mentioned above.
As the business grows, you can hire more staff and potentially more managers, allowing you to grow the business and expand into new areas, without proportionately increasing your direct workload.
Management franchises often allow for a more flexible schedule, potentially enabling the franchisee to manage multiple units or even other ventures.
Essentially, the ethos of a management franchise is about working on the business, not in it.
What skills are needed to succeed in a management franchise?
Regardless of the sector the management franchise operates in, a particular skill set is needed to succeed as the owner of one.
Key skills include:
- Strong leadership
- Great communication
- Strategic planning
- Financial management
- Commercial acumen
- People management skills
All good management franchises thrive when the proven system is followed to the letter.
Therefore, direct industry/sector experience in the franchise’s core service is less important than having the natural managerial acumen listed above.
How is an owner-operator franchise different from a management franchise?
An owner-operator franchise is a business model in which the franchisee is directly involved in the day-to-day operations and delivery of the service.
Rather than overseeing a team as you would be doing in a management franchise, the franchisee is typically the one “on the tools”.
That could be cleaning, cooking, fixing, selling, or even swimming – it completely depends on the sector the franchise operates in.
The owner-operator franchise model suits individuals who enjoy hands-on work and want to take a very active role in their business.
Typically, they are ideal for people who enjoy face-to-face customer interaction, have specific technical or service skills, and are looking to replace employment with self-employment, rather than build a large, managed business.
As a result, owner-operator franchises often require zero or very few staff to start with.
They also tend to have a lower initial investment cost, as the franchisee’s own work offsets the need to hire a team straight away.
But although owner-operator franchises can offer more immediate control, they are usually less scalable.
Growth is often limited by the franchisee’s time and availability – thus scaling up usually means stepping away from hands-on duties and hiring others.
This essentially transitions the business into a management franchise model.
What are the key differences between a management franchise and an owner-operator franchise?
While both management and owner-operator franchises benefit from proven systems and the support of a franchisor, the day-to-day responsibilities of the franchisee vary significantly.
This table lays out the key differences between the two models:
Management Franchise | Owner-Operator Franchise |
Strategic leadership role | Hands-on operational role |
Staff perform the service | Franchisee performs the service |
Scalable with team growth | Limited scalability unless roles are delegated |
Focused on business development, team management, and strategy | Focused on service delivery, customer interaction, and daily operations |
Ideal for ex-managers or aspiring entrepreneurs | Ideal for skilled individuals who want to be self-employed |
In essence, if you see yourself leading a team and building a highly valuable business asset, a management franchise is likely the better fit.
Is a management franchise right for you?
Ultimately, choosing between a management and owner-operator franchise comes down to your personal skills, lifestyle aspirations, and long-term goals.
You may be better suited to a management franchise if:
- You have experience in team leadership and business development
- You prefer working “on” the business, not “in” the business
- You want to create a scalable, saleable asset
- You seek flexible working hours and a better work/life balance
- You’re driven by long-term growth goals over short-term income
Conversely, an owner-operator model might suit you if:
- You enjoy hands-on work and direct customer contact
- You’re looking for a lower-cost entry point into business ownership
- You want a role that replaces your current job without building a large team
Before deciding the right path is for, it is essential to reflect on your own strengths, what motivates you, and the lifestyle you want to create.
What makes NIC Local a leading management franchise opportunity?
Although NIC Local serves the commercial cleaning sector, make no mistake; this is not an owner-operator franchise, and certainly not a cleaning job opportunity.
In fact, NIC Local is the UK’s leading commercial cleaning and facilities management franchise opportunity.
As an NIC Local franchisee, you are not cleaning offices or mopping floors. Instead, you are managing and growing a thriving B2B service business, supported by one of the most experienced franchise support teams in the UK.
Key features of the NIC Local management franchise are:
Management-focused role
As an NIC Local franchisee, you will recruit, train, and lead a team of cleaning operatives, ensuring consistently high service standards.
Over time, you will build a management team to oversee daily operations, giving you the freedom to focus on strategic growth and cultivating client relationships.
Proven business model with recurring income
You’ll develop long-term client contracts that generate stable, recurring monthly revenue, often from daily cleaning schedules.
This repeat income provides financial security and allows you to plan and scale your operations with confidence.
No industry experience needed
NIC Local franchisees come from diverse professional backgrounds, including retail, finance, corporate and management roles – most with no prior cleaning experience at all.
But thanks to NIC Local’s comprehensive training and franchise lifetime 1:1 business development support, rest assured you’ll be fully equipped to succeed.
Fully supported growth journey
From looking after invoicing and payroll, to assisting with marketing, recruitment, and contract quoting, your assigned business development manager – as well as our wider franchise support team – is by your side every step of the way.
This enables franchisees to fully focus on scaling and growing their business.
Build an asset
An NIC Local management franchise is about creating a high-value business you can eventually sell in the future – not just enjoying the rewards of strong recurring income.
Some NIC Local franchisees have built businesses worth millions of pounds, providing life-changing returns on their original investment.
Key benefits of the NIC Local management franchise model
Choosing NIC Local means setting foot on a proven pathway to financial freedom, scalable success, and long-term business ownership – backed by one of the UK’s most experienced franchise support teams.
- Low initial investment (£30,000 plus working capital)
- Excellent relationships with major banks for funding support
- Industry-leading support and training
- Extensive marketing support to drive leads to your business
- Exclusive access to cutting-edge tech and cleaning innovations
- High profit margins (typically 18%–25% per annum)
How can I find out more about a NIC Local management franchise?
If you’re researching management franchise opportunities and are serious about building a business with long-term potential, NIC Local is ready to support you on that journey.
We offer the perfect blend of strategic leadership, scalability, and autonomy, all within a proven, profitable, and professionally supported business model.
So, if you’re ready to take control of your future, build a business asset, and be your own boss, we want to hear from you.
