Rachael Flanagan has seen Mrs Bucket grow into a £3.5m turnover business with 300 employees and makes the Management Today list
She started her cleaning venture Mrs Bucket aged just 18 and now Rachael Flanagan has been named as one of the UK’s best young women in business.
Ms Flanagan has made Management Today’s 35 under 35 campaign for 2016.
The Swansea-born entrepreneur features alongside 34 women from ambitious entrepreneurs to high-flying chief executives in the business publication’s annual listing.
Previous people on the list, which is published annually and is now in its 16th year, have included Martha Lane Fox, Elisabeth Murdoch and Stella McCartney.
This is the latest accolade for the Mrs Bucket’s founder, who set up the business in November 2005 with just a vacuum cleaner and £20 which she spent on promotional flyers.
Over the past decade, Mrs Bucket has expanded from a one-woman domestic cleaning service to a full-service commercial and domestic cleaning company with offices in Swansea, Cardiff, Newport and Bristol.
With 300 employees and over 250 domestic and commercial clients along the M4 corridor, Mrs Bucket grew by 52% last year, and annual turnover has now reached £3.5m.
The company works across a variety of businesses in sectors including retail, professional services and engineering, and has clients including Aston Martin, Dawnus, S.A Brain & Co, SPTS, Stratstone Jaguar and Stratstone Landrover.
Ms Flanagan said: “I am thrilled to have made Management Today’s 35 under 35, featuring alongside 34 extremely talented, ambitious and inspirational businesswomen.
“When I set up Mrs Bucket 10 years ago, I was determined to make it a successful, thriving company.
"The cleaning industry is notoriously unprofessional, and my aim has always been to introduce innovative ideas, and a rigorous training programme for our staff, so that the service we offer is of the highest quality.
“With the help of my team, we have grown this fantastic company and created jobs across south Wales and most recently the south west of England.
" My dream to make Mrs Bucket a household name is coming true, as we have gone from a small local brand to a regionally and nationally recognised brand.”
Management Today
Kate Bassett of Management Today, said: “A belief that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to has helped propel this year’s 35 Women Under 35 to stratospheric career success.
"These smart, savvy women are creating jobs and growing the economy. We’re delighted to champion Britain’s brightest, young businesswomen.”