I started with a business plan, which contained my plans, my targets and my ideas. I had so many ideas and I couldn't wait to get started with a new exciting adventure, which hopefully, in time, could grow quite big! 

I found the carpet cleaning course to be a lot like learning to drive. The instructor gives you enough hints and tips to get you through the test, but only when you are set free in the big bad world do you really learn about carpet and upholstery cleaning. If you don't do the course and don't continue to learn, then there are a few things that could go wrong. Leaving you embarrassed in front of a very dissatisfied customer! I have become enthralled in carpet and upholstery cleaning and I love to see the final results, which still amaze me eighteen months on. Yes, that's right, eighteen months, I have learned so much in those eighteen months. Soaking up all the knowledge from the course, then continuing to learn and thrive in the carpet and upholstery cleaning services. 

I've also really enjoyed meeting a lot of people, different people, different cultures, who all have their own personalities, their own stories. I've had some great laughs with a lot of fantastic people. People who hopefully will be customers of Little Duck Cleaning Services for many years to come. I have been humbled by the reviews left on our Facebook page, left by some of Little Duck's customers. There are some very kind words, from some genuinely lovely people.

Having always had a passion for design and marketing, I designed the logo, stationary and vehicle graphics for the company. I also design the status updates for our social media platforms. Our website was brilliantly constructed by Lightbulb Web Design, with the SEO work carried out by Consulting Cumbria.

My idea from the start was to make Little Duck into a brand. I didn't quite realise that we would be providing so many services this early on, if at all. Our priority was to provide impeccable customer service. A service that customers could have confidence in, and hopefully gain repeat business from the same customers, as well as looking for new ones.

Our core values
• Fun-Loving
• Honest
• Respected
• Humorous
• Dependable

With the carpet and upholstery services doing well, we decided to push some of our other services and also add some additional ones to our growing list. So here we are, eighteen months on, and things are going really well. We have started specialist cleaning services, like builders and sparkle cleans, we have just launched our very own brand carpet and upholstery stain remover, we have added several new commercial and domestic cleaning contracts to the list and we hope to have two brand new services starting in July...

I'm loving the challenge. Everyday is different and new developments are occurring all the time. There are new obstacles around every corner and I'm learning so much about the cleaning industry.

Hopefully Little Duck Cleaning Services will continue to thrive and become the market leading cleaning company in Cumbria and beyond...