Upbeat Clean
19 December 2025
Sector: Commercial Cleaning
Location: Derby
Upbeat Clean was established five years ago and is a charity-owned commercial cleaning business which provides life-changing employment for women who have fled their countries to rebuild a new life in Derby.
The business employs 60 people today and is the UK’s only cleaning company to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise in Promoting Opportunities.
Its teams are paid the Real Living Wage, supported through training and mentoring, and empowered to progress into leadership roles, resulting in reliable, high-quality cleaning that clients trust. Every contract it delivers fuels meaningful change, transforming a routine business cost into a powerful force for opportunity and integration.
Challenges faced
The business wanted to pilot and expand a franchise model for national social impact, but it needed to upgrade its digital infrastructure before it could support multi-site operations. Its current operating system was not designed to allow for franchisees to use it. This was limiting the business’ growth ambitions.
Solution – Support Given
Upbeat Clean’s Managing Director, Michael Gladwell has been working with East Midlands Chamber’s Business Adviser, Sonny Lakhani and the Accelerator project. Following a thorough diagnostic of the business, Sonny was able to support the business with the application for an Accelerator Growth Voucher, up to £2,000 to fund specialist consultancy support from an external agency.
To support the national franchising of Upbeat Clean, the agency, will upgrade Upbeat Clean’s existing Airtable-based operating system to enable franchisees to operate in a secure digital environment. This will be flexible and scalable that lets multiple organisations use a shared platform securely.
The agency is also building in advanced scheduling features to support the complexity of cleaning operations across a growing number of franchisees. This will enable each franchise to manage its workforce effectively and deliver a consistent quality of service.
Impact - The Difference it’s Made
The support enables Upbeat Clean to franchise across the UK, which will help it duplicate the huge social impact it has in Derby, to other cities.
“This grant has made our system ready for franchising.
We won the Kings Award for Social Mobility because of our work in Derby. We are excited to see this same impact spread across many cities.”
- Michael Gladwell, Managing Director
