Now their empire is making millions

December 1999 - Sunday Post
Click here to see a scan of the full article

What a difference a year makes!

In October 1997 we told you about John and Hazel Stephen from Kincardine in Fife. They'd already turned a £50 loan from John's father into a £3.7 million turnover in only two years by selling Kleeneze household products.

In 13 months their running turnover has jumped to a whopping £11.5 million! In other words, it's more than doubled. John and Hazel have nothing but praise for the part that the Sunday Post has played.

"We had lots of phone calls and letters", recalls John. "Not just from people wanting to join the team, but also from those wanting to congratulate us on our success, which was great to hear."

Of the people who joined the Kleeneze team, some have gone on to carve a living out of it. Says John, "One guy who called in after the article started off part-time, but packed in his car business to go full-time last December because he was doing so well with Kleeneze."

Now John reckons he and Hazel are on track to up their turnover by more than £9 million this year. No mean feat for the couple who less than a decade ago had lost their business, their house and even half their furniture. By 1990 John's 13-year career as a fisherman, sailing out of Peterhead and Mallaig was over because of the huge costs to refit his boat.

With their two young children, Carol (11) and James (9), they moved to Airth near Falkirk and it was there where they first heard about Kleeneze, the Bristol-based company established in 1923. After borrowing money from John's dad they signed up with the company and dropped catalogues through letterboxes.

Over the years the couple have introduced all types into their team, from doctors and teachers to private detectives. Collectors get between 17 and 37 percent commission, with John and Hazel picking up an over-ride. The couple haven't splashed their profits on Ferraris or the like, but in the past year they've bought a powerful 4x4 car for Hazel and a go-kart for Son James.

On the top of that, they also treated themselves to three foreign family holidays. John says, "It took guts to change direction after generations of fishing in the family, and that fear of change is something which holds a lot of people back." "It's important to push yourself forward though. Always have goals to aim for. One of the mistakes we made at the beginning was making our goals too small. Now they're collosal."

"You can have what you want - but you have to have the courage to change to get it. If you do, the sky's the limit."

Click here to see a scan of the full article

Back to list of articles

To start your very own Kleeneze business click on the links below to receive a free CD-ROM information pack, or to find out how you can get started today!