02/03/2026
Yesterday Royston Bin Cleaning marked its first full year in business.
Like most new businesses, it’s been full of ups, downs and steep learning curves. But I think it’s safe to say that what we faced in our first year has probably set us up to never feel stress or pressure the same way again 🤣
The Challenges
We purchased a van from what we believed was a reputable dealer — but it turned into a headache from day one.
To get it right (and get back on the road quickly so our customers didn’t suffer), we made the decision to have all repairs carried out by Ford. It cost over £7,000 — a painful bill — but we wanted peace of mind and warranty protection.
Six weeks to the day after getting it back… the clutch and flywheel went.
Back to Ford. Another £1,900.
To future-proof the business, we purchased a second van so we’d always have backup. We didn’t want to be at the mercy of repair timeframes again.
Then, just two months after all the repairs — and only two months into a 24-month warranty — the van was written off while parked.
Just like that, nearly £9,000 in repairs and the extended warranty were gone.
The Wins
Despite all that…
• Our customer base has grown from 180 to over 700
• We’ve implemented new computer systems to streamline operations
• We secured a large commercial contract — longer than expected
• We purchased a commercial trailer
• We’re now back to running two vans and a trailer, so we’re fully covered
This year has taught me something important:
You can’t plan for breakdowns or unexpected problems.
But you can have a plan for when things go wrong.
Through everything, we only let down a very small number of customers on one occasion — and we worked hard to put it right immediately. Our vision has always been to put customers first, and that hasn’t changed for a second.
We’re proud of how far we’ve come in 12 months — and we’re even more excited about where the next 12 will take us.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us.
Harry & The Team
