17/07/2026
It’s Friday, and it’s been one hell of a week.
I want to touch on something that happened yesterday. Last week I received a call from an elderly couple who were struggling and needed some home assistance with cleaning. I booked Ellie and Purdy in to help the new customer as they had had a cancellation.
The girls arrived on time, introduced themselves, and sat down for a quick chat, as the couple requested. They then got straight on with the cleaning, working hard to get as much done as possible on the space they had.
Unfortunately, while they were working upstairs they overheard comments being made about them. Things like, “They look about 12,” “They don’t know how to do the job properly,” “It’s child labour,” “what is it, bring your kid to work day”.
Both Ellie and Purdy messaged me afterwards, disheartened preparing for a complaint to come through. They explained what had been said, and I’ll admit, it got my back up how they were prejudged. Even more so that they think I’m old enough to even have an 18 or 20 year old daughter!
Instead of the expected complaint, today I received a message saying they were very happy with the service and that the team had done a great job, and wanted them to return on a regular basis.
What impressed me wasn’t the positive feedback—it was the way these two ‘12 year olds’ handled themselves. They didn’t let those comments knock their confidence. They carried on professionally, worked hard, and proved through their actions exactly what they were capable of.
For the record, Ellie and Purdy are both over 18. They are adults, not children, and they are more than capable of doing their job to a high standard.
Neither of them enjoyed education and simply wanted to leave school, work and needed someone to give them an opportunity. From day one both of their attitudes towards working for my company impressed me. I took them under my wing, trained them properly, taught them how to work with customers, manage their time, be honest, reliable and take pride in what they do.
Young people today are often criticised for lacking ambition or not wanting to work. Yet here are two who get up every morning, work hard, never complain, stay professional, and have built fantastic relationships with our regular customers who have seen their confidence and skills grow over the past year. That work ethic doesn’t happen by accident—it comes from strong values, and the effort they put in every single day.
Not every young person gets it right first time, but many never even get the chance to prove themselves. That’s the real shame, because there are plenty who are willing to work if someone is prepared to believe in them. So before judging someone because they look young and you think they are incompetent, remember that appearances don’t tell you anything about their ability, work ethic or character.
I know that because I was once the young person people judged. I was a lost teenager living in emergency accommodation, working from the age of 13, then working evenings in take aways after doing a day at sixth form. I got the grades for Uni but fell pregnant over the summer, and became a mum to two children under two instead!
It didn’t stop me, but no one would employ me, so I employed myself and I went on to build a successful business. None of that would have happened if somebody hadn’t given me a chance.
A little kindness and a little faith in people can go a very long way.
