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Podcast - Why Oven Cleaning Might Be the Smartest Business in the UK
44 Plays1 month ago
Why would anyone leave your job to start an oven cleaning business?
In this first episode of The Oven Cleaning Podcast, Ian shares the honest story behind starting Oven Loving — from long commutes, redundancies and missing family moments… to building a business that created more flexibility, freedom and control over life.
This episode explores why oven cleaning might just be one of the smartest “boring” businesses in the UK, the hidden opportunities within the industry, the reality of starting from scratch, and why simple service businesses are often massively underestimated.
If you’ve ever wanted more control of your time, a practical business idea, or a different way of working and living… this episode is for you.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Oven Cleaning Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Oven Cleaning Podcast with me, Ian and Tina. This is the podcast where we talk all things oven cleaning, business, freedom and building something for yourself. Because when you really get into this industry, you realise it's not just about cleaning ovens.
00:00:16
Speaker
So let's get into today's episode.
Ian's Past Corporate Life and Desire for Freedom
00:00:34
Speaker
Most people would laugh if you told them you clean ovens for a living. And honestly, a few years ago, ah probably would have laughed as well. Because like a lot of people, I grew up thinking success looked a certain way.
00:00:47
Speaker
You go to school, get a decent job, work your way up, commute every day, do the whole 9 to 5 thing, even though if we're honest... It's never really 9 to 5 is it? It's more like 7 in the morning until 7 at night once you include the commute, the stress, the emails, the traffic and mentally never really switching off. And that was my life for years. I was working in the corporate world dealing with redundancies, pressure, targets, meetings, living for weekends and somewhere along the line I started realizing something. I was missing my own life.
00:01:21
Speaker
I was asking permission to attend sports days, trying to juggle school runs, watching family moments fly past while I sat in traffic wondering what the point of all this actually was.
00:01:32
Speaker
And I think that's the thing a lot of people feel now, even if they don't say it out loud. People don't just want more money anymore. They want more control, control of their time, control of their life. And honestly, that was the bit I was craving the most.
00:01:46
Speaker
Not millions, not flashy cars, just freedom. Real freedom. The freedom to actually be present. The freedom to decide what my day looked like. The freedom to stop building somebody else's future while mine passed me by.
00:02:00
Speaker
And weirdly,
Choosing and Starting the Oven Cleaning Business
00:02:01
Speaker
that journey led me to oven cleaning. Now I know how ridiculous that sounds, because when you tell people you own an oven cleaning business, you normally get one of two reactions.
00:02:11
Speaker
either confusion or laughter. People look at you like, really? Oven cleaning? And I completely understand it. On paper, it sounds boring. But here's the thing, that the best businesses are often boring, because boring businesses solve real problems.
00:02:27
Speaker
And real problems create real income. And that's something I didn't understand until I started researching all this properly. Because at first... Even I thought, would this actually work?
00:02:38
Speaker
So I researched a lot. I spoke to people. i looked into the industry. I even went out and did work experience because I wanted to know whether this was genuinely something I could see myself doing.
00:02:49
Speaker
And very quickly, I realized this wasn't really about ovens at all. It was about lifestyle. It was about flexibility. it was about creating something for ourselves. it was about reconnecting with people again.
00:03:00
Speaker
And weirdly, it was about reconnecting with myself a little bit too. Because when you work in big corporate environments for years, you slowly lose bits of yourself. You become busy, stressed, reactive, constantly chasing time, and you stop feeling connected to what you're actually doing. Every day starts feeling the same.
00:03:19
Speaker
And I think a lot of people listening to this will understand exactly what I mean. You
Challenges and Early Experiences of Entrepreneurship
00:03:23
Speaker
wake up, rush around, fight traffic, work all day, get home exhausted, and before you know it,
00:03:30
Speaker
Years have gone by. And one thing I kept asking myself was, is this it? Now don't get me wrong. Starting your own business is scary. Really scary sometimes, especially when you've got a family, because suddenly the decisions are yours. If it works, that's on you.
00:03:47
Speaker
If it fails, that's on you too. And that responsibility can feel heavy. There were definitely moments where we thought, have we done the right thing here? Especially at the start, because when you leave a secure job, even if it doesn't feel secure emotionally, you're still stepping away from predictable money.
00:04:06
Speaker
And that messes with your head a bit. But after around two years of planning, researching, saving, talking, thinking, I finally left my job and started oven loving. And I still remember those early days vividly.
00:04:21
Speaker
My wife laughs about it now. But she said she remembers me coming home after one of my first days absolutely covered in black carbon. Completely filthy, absolutely shattered, but happy, properly happy.
00:04:33
Speaker
And she said, I haven't seen you come home from work like that in years. And honestly, that moment stuck with me because physically I was more tired. But mentally, I felt lighter.
00:04:46
Speaker
And that's a strange thing to explain unless you've experienced it. When you build something for yourself, the work feels different. You care differently, you think differently, and suddenly you realise you're not just earning money anymore, you're building a life.
00:05:00
Speaker
Now obviously,
Business and Financial Potential of Oven Cleaning
00:05:01
Speaker
no business is perfect, and I never want this podcast to sound like, start an oven cleaning business and your life becomes magical. because that's nonsense. There are hard days. There are stressful days. There are long days. You'll deal with difficult customers occasionally. You'll question yourself sometimes. And yes, you'll get filthy. But honestly, the positives massively outweighed the negatives for me.
00:05:22
Speaker
Because for the first time in years, I felt in control again. And that's why I think this industry surprises people so much. Because on the surface, it's just oven cleaning. But underneath it...
00:05:34
Speaker
There's actually an incredible business model hiding there. Think about it. Every single kitchen has an oven. Every one. Sometimes two. Now that sounds obvious. But it's really important because there are very few businesses where literally every household is a potential customer.
00:05:49
Speaker
You don't need to educate people on whether they need the service. They already know they do. The issue is most people hate doing it themselves. And honestly, i don't blame them. The average person spends hours trying to clean an oven.
00:06:03
Speaker
Scrubbing. using harsh chemicals, hurting their knees, waiting for products to work, only to switch the oven back on and still smell smoke, still smell burnt grease, still think, why did I even bother?
00:06:17
Speaker
And eventually, most people hit the same point. They give up and call a professional. And that's where this business becomes interesting, because you're not just cleaning ovens.
00:06:27
Speaker
You're solving a problem people genuinely don't want to deal with. You're saving them time, saving them hassle. and often making them feel better about their kitchen again. I've genuinely had customers stare into their oven after a clean and say, well, that looks brand new.
00:06:43
Speaker
Some people don't even want to cook in it afterwards. And weirdly, that feeling never really gets old because people are genuinely grateful. And in today's world, it's actually quite refreshing. You meet people, you hear stories, you become part of your local community.
00:06:59
Speaker
And I think that's another bit I didn't expect in the corporate world. Everything felt disconnected. but running oven. Loving made me feel connected to people again, to my area, to conversations, to community. And honestly, i think humans need that more than we realize.
00:07:15
Speaker
Now financially, let's talk honestly, because this matters too. This isn't one of those fantasy internet businesses where someone claims they made a million pounds overnight. This is a real business, a practical business, and practical businesses can make very good money,
Building a Stable Business with Repeat Customers
00:07:30
Speaker
especially when your overheads are relatively low.
00:07:33
Speaker
you can realistically earn between £200 and £400 a day doing oven cleaning properly. And yes, that depends on pricing, systems, marketing, consistency, effort.
00:07:44
Speaker
But the opportunity is absolutely there. In my first year, working roughly four-hour days, Monday to Friday, I earned around £24,000. And for some people, that won't sound life-changing.
00:07:57
Speaker
But for me at that stage, it represented something much bigger. Possibility, proof, freedom, because I suddenly realized that, hang on, this actually works. And the beautiful thing about this business is you don't necessarily have to work ridiculous hours to make it viable. You can work around family, hobbies, another job, school runs, evenings, weekends, which makes it incredibly flexible, especially for people wanting a second income initially.
00:08:24
Speaker
And here's another thing people underestimate. Repeat business. That's worth repeating. Repeat business. If you do a brilliant job, Customers come back again and again and again. And eventually you build a customer base that creates predictable income.
00:08:40
Speaker
That's powerful. And then there's growth. People massively underestimate it because they only see the surface. They see cleaning ovens. They don't see recurring revenue, local branding, scalability, flexibility, lifestyle design.
00:08:54
Speaker
And honestly, that's why I wanted to create this podcast because I know there are people listening right now. who feel exactly how I felt years ago. Stuck, tired, burnt out, feeling like life is disappearing too quickly.
00:09:08
Speaker
And maybe you don't even want an oven cleaning business specifically. Maybe what you actually want is change. Maybe you want more control, more flexibility, more time, more ownership over your future.
00:09:19
Speaker
And sometimes the opportunity that changes your life doesn't arrive looking glamorous. Sometimes it arrives disguised as something ordinary. And for me, that thing was oven cleaning. And honestly, starting oven, loving was one of the best decisions we ever made.
00:09:34
Speaker
Not because it made us instantly rich, not because it was easy, but because it gave us something we didn't have before, control. And I
Eco-friendly Products and Customer Satisfaction
00:09:42
Speaker
genuinely believe that that's what most people are really searching for.
00:09:44
Speaker
And now it's time for the part of the show we all love. Are you ready for it?
00:09:50
Speaker
Frequently Asked Questions So today's frequently asked question came from a phone call we had this week from someone interested in our products and the question was should I use a caustic product or an eco product in the oven?
00:10:07
Speaker
Now honestly This is one of the biggest debates in the oven cleaning industry. You've got people who swear by strong caustic products and others who won't use anything except eco-friendly solutions. But here's the truth.
00:10:20
Speaker
There isn't really a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on the level of carbon build-up, the type of oven, the environment you're working in, and the expectations of the customer. Because a heavily neglected oven with years of baked-on carbon is very different to a regularly maintained family oven.
00:10:39
Speaker
Now personally, we always use our own vegan products that we've created, partly because as an asthmatic I ain't breathing in nasty chemicals all day, but also because you're working inside somebody's home, you've got pets, children, ventilation surfaces, and your own health to think about as well. Now does that mean eco products are always easier? Definitely not. If I'm honest, sometimes it means we've got to work harder on those really bad ovens.
00:11:05
Speaker
But honestly, modern eco products have come a long way. Some of them are genuinely brilliant now. And this is the important bit. The goal isn't just getting the oven clean, it's getting it clean professionally, safely and responsibly.
00:11:20
Speaker
Because customers are becoming much more aware of chemicals now. A lot of people specifically ask for low odour or eco-friendly cleaning. So understanding how products work and how to use them safely makes you a better oven cleaner and a better business owner.
00:11:38
Speaker
you can find information on the product we spent nearly three years creating at homeloving.co.uk. And that's today's
Podcast Purpose and Future Topics
00:11:47
Speaker
Frequently Asked Questions.
00:11:51
Speaker
So maybe you're sitting there listening to this podcast thinking, is this industry actually for me? And honestly, that's exactly why we created this podcast. Over the next few episodes, we're going to go much deeper into the industry.
00:12:06
Speaker
The good bits, the difficult bits, the opportunities, the mistakes to avoid, and the real essentials needed to build a successful oven cleaning business because before anyone goes out and invests thousands of pounds of their hard-earned money, I genuinely believe they should understand what this industry is really like.
00:12:25
Speaker
That's also why we created our online training, to give people a proper insight into the industry before making any big decisions. So if you've enjoyed today's episode, make sure you follow and subscribe to the Oven Cleaning Podcast.
00:12:40
Speaker
And honestly, who knows where it might lead. Thanks for listening and we'll see you in the next episode.