A BRENTWOOD businesswoman has ditched the desk job for the duster after being made redundant from a high-powered career in the City.
Amanda Kinghorn said farewell to the world of finance and human resources to become a franchisee for domestic cleaning firm Bright & Beautiful.
The 34-year-old, from Brindles Close, Hutton, set up the Brentwood office, one of a network of 27 in England, offering professional housework.
She said: "In spite of the recession, it seemed to be an area of business that wasn't suffering – so many people are spending time in offices for fear of being made redundant."
While the company covers a wide area – Brentwood, Billericay, Ingatestone, Shenfield and Warley – it is not as pressured as her previous life in the City, where she worked for a number of household companies including global financial firm Morgan Stanley and the Walt Disney Corporation.
Mrs Kinghorn said: "I didn't want to return to a corporate world that can be inflexible, so I decided to set up my own business."
And, while City life was fun, working for herself is proving even more so, with benefits for her family.
The mother of two added: "We're much more flexible and it's taken pressure off my husband – he doesn't have to worry about being late home.
"Knowing that I can spend time with my children takes a lot of the pressure off.
"At a time when the number of unemployed women is the highest it has ever been, it makes me very proud to be employing other local women.
"There are lots of people looking for jobs due to redundancy or family situations and school kids.
"The response has been much higher than I expected it to be – there has been quite a diverse background of people who have come to me."
According to the Daily Telegraph, statistics released 18 months ago show that a million more people are employing a cleaner, compared with a decade ago.
The article claims that the domestic cleaning sector has grown by 91 per cent within the last three years.
Mrs Kinghorn said: "I absolutely hope to expand into other territories."
Rachel Ray, founder of Bright & Beautiful, said: "Leaving a corporate career to set up and run her own small business as Amanda has done is a big step and we're very proud to be supporting her to achieve her goals.
"The fact that Amanda can deliver a great service for her clients, earn a good salary, manage her own team of professional housekeepers and be there for her children after school is really what counts for her."
For information e-mail Amanda@brightandbeautifulhome.com
