AN inspiring Bankie entrepreneur admits taking the step of starting her own business just under a year ago has paid off after her cleaning service was named best in the UK.

Sheryl Cassidy and pal of 20 years, Vicky Mooney, only took on Optimum Group Services’ first cleaning contract in April last year but have already been celebrating success after being named the Domestic Cleaning Business Network (DCBN) Newcomer of the Year for 2022.

It’s a remarkable success story for a Clydebank business that offers cleaning services to both domestic and commercial premises throughout West Dunbartonshire and now has over 60 clients and two full-time members of staff.

Speaking to the Post, Sheryl, who left her career in recruitment to start Optimum, insists it was a risk worth taking to follow her dreams.

She said: “I’m so proud of myself and Vicky for putting ourselves out there.

“Both of us have families. To come away from full-time employment, it’s daunting.

“Thinking, gosh, I’ve got a mortgage to pay, I have financial commitments, like everybody else.

“So, to make that jump and go self-employed and achieve what we have done in such a short space of time, I’m so proud of both of us.

“It’s been real hard work, but so worth it, and I would never change any of it.”

Their client portfolio ranges from construction, project managers, property developers, holiday lets, domestic clients, housing associations, waste management companies, office cleaning, and a car garage. 

Services offered including domestic cleaning, commercial cleaning, end-of-tenancy cleans, serviced accommodation/air BnB, oven cleaning, after-builder cleans, sparkle cleans, deep cleaning, ironing, pram cleaning and hoover servicing.

Sheryl says her lightbulb moment came when, while searching for someone to clean the serviced accommodation she owns, she had difficulty finding the right service and ended up redoing the job herself.

“The whole trying to get a decent cleaning company was an absolute nightmare,” she added.

“I was going into property I was running and having to redo cleans, and I thought, there is a massive gap in the market here.”

That’s when she reached out to Vicky, who was training to be an accountant at the time, and the pair began setting out the blueprint to become their own bosses.

Sheryl continued: “We wanted an actual brand, we wanted a business, we had big ideas of what we would do and how we would target our customers.

“We started with the whole planning side of the business, getting our website, getting a brand, getting our logo before we even launched anything, just to allow us to market ourselves properly.”

The plan now is to treble the workforce by the end of 2023 and continue to grow following the recent addition of a big commercial contract.

“Taking a risk has paid off,” Sheryl added.

“But this year, we aren’t stopping, it’s all about growth.”