Direct Shine

16/05/2026

“Do you even work”……

A statement that can often be heard in a sarcastic tone albeit light heartedly but it does act as a compliment at the same time.

It seems a badge of honour to be in the coal face, no family life, business dependency on one person and to be generally miserable.

When I hear this it is a compliment as truth betold the overall goal for any person starting a business is for the business to run on its own one day.

As you get older and employ staff the risk of sickness, disease and generally priorities will and should change so it’s crucial the business can operate without the owner for a duration of time.

As a business owner that controls everything and employs you have multiple families reliant on one person to be in optimum condition at all times.

This is so dangerous for the company, for your family and for the other employees families.

The goal is to systemise, to have a company that can as the blunt Scottish statement goes “wipe its own arse” without the owner.

From the start Direct Shine was created with far to much reliance on myself, where I micromanaged every individual decision and drove myself mental with it.

70hr+ weeks over 7-days were normal for many many years and I seen this as me doing my bit but what kids taught me and a overwhelming feeling of suffocation was this was a one way ticket to a heart attack and a business folding the minute I was in hospital oblivious and helpless to the situation.

Once the business folds, the unfortunate truth is
my family folds and this is a thought that kept me awake many nights the intial start up years….

So 5 years ago i made the decision to invest heavily in the office side and systems within the company that allowed it operate to a level without me and gave staff/management the tools to do the job correctly and in most cases to a level far better than what I was providing.

I still run the day to day operations as in the decisions on system implementation, finance, staffing levels and the direction the company is going whilst ensuring the directors and management are doing their jobs.

I step in when needed with clarity and direction not stress and over reaction. (Most of the time haha)

Having to live with the fact Direct Shine has costs exceeding £45k each month (before tax/vat) just to survive is no easy feat and one where to have a life you must have people and systems in place that let you switch off and more importantly enjoy life.

In the end I will perhaps hire or promote someone to the role I carry out but for now I enjoy having a purpose and I see the project of Direct Shine as a work in progress.

Direct Shine as a company can be run from anywhere in the world through these systems and this creates a freedom to make the correct decisions without stress and more importantly lets me sleep better at night.

So the next time someone says “do you even work” as misguided as it can be, I suppose it shows the business is on the correct path and operating as an asset and not as a huge noose strapped firmly around your neck 👌

24/04/2026

A different quote today seen Direct Shine quoting for a big marquee clean in Edinburgh.

The company is expanding well across the capital and that’s reflected by drawing the attention of potential clients like this.

Direct Shine now have over 1000 regular commercial and residential clients in Edinburgh and this is growing daily.

Whether we get the job or not it’s a great sign of our growing reputation not only locally but also across Scotland.

Today also seen a quote request come in for a large site in the centre of Glasgow so these are great signs for the company and this will be quoted early next week by myself.

A lot of my quotes aren’t much fun but i did take advantage of having a little walk round and see the animals on this one and fingers crossed the job comes in 👌

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sun ☀️

10/04/2026

At times my posts have definitely this last year or so been on the negative side and it has felt we have like so many other companies been up against it.

That being said I do want to pass on the wins and recently there has been a few.

1) The company welcomed back sites that had cancelled us off as we had to lift prices, these sites played hard ball but from our point of view they were loss makers and had to either increase or go. It wasn’t a decision, it was a necessity but this last week the go ahead has been given for a number of them to accept the costs and become our clients again.

This is great news and means more than likely they price compared us and realised we are competitive and to be honest we are a company that tries to do things correct and act in the proper manner regarding quality, issues and health and safety.

The recent increases added significant quality turnover to the business.

2) Over the course of 4-weeks we have added 70+ new clients to the rounds from all over our service areas….

Meaning our advertising is working but also word of mouth is spreading not only in Perth but also cities like Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Stirling and Dundee (and many others in between)

3) Vehicle repairs and costs have steadied a bit and the last 4-weeks has seen this tail off to normal levels after an influx of repairs.

4) Teams being handed a second pay increment in the last 12-months. (Loyalty bonus and an increase recently) - This is keeping our teams fairly compensated for the work they do and trying to help them in a time where costs are increasing for themselves personally,

5) Record low in complaints - with over 5k cleans carried out in the last 4-5 week the firm recorded 6 issues in that time which were offered recleans.

This mean an average of just 1 issue per 1000 ish cleans which is as good as it gets in the world of cleaning as unfortunately zero issues over so many cleans in my experience is almost impossible…

The lads are human beings not robots so little issues will happen but we will react correctly.

So although there has been trials and tests recently we are on a nice spell so should be thankful for it.

Here is to a nice weekend and we hope all our clients and staff enjoyed theirs when it comes too 👌

20/03/2026

My wife and director of Direct Shine Romy is doing a great job of being a host at our holiday let in Burghead and now we are one of the top rated in the area for accommodation.

We still have some availability if anyone would like to book a little stay away👌

airbnb.com/h/clearwaterburghead

20/03/2026

Sometimes letting people know the effects these lunatics that run the countries across the world have on businesses and people in general.

Here is two photos one is the cost of fuel only 4-weeks ago (the prices have to have vat added) and one is today’s updated price.

This change will cost our company around £3k a month and unfortunately we are fixed costs to clients and can’t just keep coming to increase.

We still stand by no increase to clients unless they are on the rounds for 12-months as that’s what I feel is fair but this shows how volatile business is and this cost will need to be absorbed.

The increases are insane and this isn’t just fuel, it’s wages, tax, pensions, national insurance, permits and so much more.

It stops sponsorships, investment and hinders growth which is why unemployment is so high.

Make no doubt about it, it’s a tricky landscape to survive in these days and one where it makes us even more grateful for our loyal clients.

This is not doom and gloom but a little angle to how these politicians starting wars across the world has real effects on your average business and working person.

This week has been a nice one apart from the obvious issues with costs and seen us welcome over 30 new clients to our rounds so for that we are grateful and gives us reason for optimism.

Have a great weekend all and as always thank you for your support 👌

13/03/2026

A little update as it’s been a while since I’ve touched base with how the company is getting on….

After one of the harshest wet periods in our history (which my teams handled exceptionally as expected) the usual winter conditions, staff Xmas holidays and unlucky periods of sickness we have scraped out the other side.

The last 3 months has seen our vehicle repairs break £10k yes that’s over ten thousand pounds due to issues that could not be avoided and again unlucky how it all came at once.

Many look at us and see the busy company but the truth is this last 4 months has been incredibly trying and one where I’m relieved to get back on a level footing.

It’s no secret external government influences/ policies are holding us back with investment and costs are rising all the time putting pressure on our margins but we are still in profit and keeping top local staff in employment which is what we love to do.

Investment in our back office via Ai and new operating system has helped us so much in our goal of maximum efficiency and the decision to do this proved spot on and this will give us a great base for the upcoming year.

When you see the companies going bust and are saying they are struggling I can assure you first hand they will be and are being tested to the maximum just now so please if you can support a local firm and not these big multinationals that pay zero tax in the country do so as it helps.

It’s not all doom and gloom though and we are now firing forward like we do best;

1) We have welcomed an excellent new member of the team who is coming in to assist in reducing wait times in the upcoming busy periods.

2) The teams are now fully booked over the next 5 weeks which is amazing at this time of year so thank you as always.

3) x 10 new 5 star reviews which is showing we are working hard and although still and always will make the odd mistake by in large our teams are smashing it and improving all the time.

4) The back office is now operating in the manner it needs to, although this has never been the office staffs fault, it was mine as I was slow to bring in back office systems due to having no experience in this side but I have now and they are thriving with these systems.

5) Full staff and all vehicles fully repaired ready to maximise earnings over the next 6-8 months.

I have never been one to sugar coat and lie as I believe when times are good let people know but equally when it’s tough to do the same as this is life in general.

It’s been tough but it’s now looking good and as any business worth its salt will say it’s about surviving the hard times and being in a position to smash the good ones and that exactly where we are now.

As always thank you for your support, thank you to my team and have a great weekend all ❤️

13/02/2026

Another recruitment drive done and in the end over 120 ish applicants is narrowed down to 1.

I don’t envy anyone trying to get jobs these days, it’s not easy and really can be a bit of luck that separates it.

We may take on another from this recruitment drive but will wait and see for now on how the spring goes for us.

The cost to hire now for a single position with pensions, wages, taxes, holidays and Ni is in the region of £34k a year on our base wages (before vans, fuels, accountants, repairs costs, parts, insurances, office costs, uniforms and a million other things)

It’s not cheap and we have to be incredibly careful so next time you think your windows are going up a few pound please be aware our costs are high.

We do our best to ensure we are competitive but without doubt hiring staff costs big money now and carries risk so we have to be on the ball.

We are delighted to have some new blood in the company ready to push on with our more established teams.

New teams and staff at times are crucial as it keeps us fresh, hungry and pushing to be the best we can be.

Direct Shine will keep all applicants for this run for any additional position that pops up over the next 3-4 months so all may not be wasted.

Thank you as always for any likes and shares and please have a great weekend 👌

12/02/2026

Direct Shine isn’t all just business and sometimes we like to shine some light on our teams.

Supervisor Rory Chalk is a long term member of our team and had some fantastic news recently getting engaged to his lovely now fiancé Emma.

We love seeing our teams grow in life and wish the two of them the very happiest of engagements ❤️

01/02/2026

We were reminded today that Direct Shine turns 14 years old today….

14 years today the initial company was started off as a small company that would go round to your house and wash your cars, evolving into valeting and then finding its feet a few years later with external cleaning.

The company was started in the midst of a few tricky situations for myself having been made redundant as an electrician and my wife being pregnant to our son James.

This led to a desire to have to make it work and one where although it did turn out okay, I’m not so sure I could have the stomach to do it all over again 😂

It’s been one hell of a journey where we have had so many ups and downs.

The company has seen so many great people come and go but one thing that remains is a company that at its heart wants to service its clients and be as fair an employer as possible.

The passion for the company is as strong now as it was 14 years ago and I truly see the next 14 years being just as big for us.

Direct Shine would like to thank all its valued clients from over the years for their loyalty and of course our past and current staff.

Thank you 👌

Mobile cleaning company, we specialise in window cleaning, gutter clearing, pressure washing, soffit

30/01/2026

Nice afternoon spent with some of the teams from Tradestack today who are the team that have been implementing our Ai software…

Sarel van Baalen and Remo came down from London to spend some time with us and get a feel of what our team get upto behind the scenes.

As a company the Ai systems won’t cost anyone a job but it will let us redirect our office teams to carry out other tasks which will help us to maintain profit whilst we attempt to push forward within an environment where increased costs have hindered growth.

Safe journey Sarel/Remo and thank you very much for your time.

Have a great weekend 👌