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Antoni Dimitrov came to the UK in 2010 with a dream of starting his own sustainable car cleaning business. He quickly launched , a waterless car wash that used eco-friendly spray with natural wax which cleans and protects the car paint in single application, but found that his business didn’t immediately begin to grow. By 2012, Antoni had shifted Eco Drift into commercial cleaning, bringing the same sustainability-first ethos into offices and business parks. 

“I tried to change the industry straight away, but I underestimated the challenges of coming to a new country and starting a disruptive business. Often people would ask me what a waterless car wash was. While the system was amazing, I underestimated the amount of information, time, marketing, and education needed for it to take off. I was running out of finances and ended up working on the car washes myself. It was a very humbling experience.” 

Antoni persevered and eventually managed to secure work for a business park that needed extensive work on multiple sites. This led to the first significant contract for Eco Drift in 2013 and began an upward trajectory. 

He had already been preparing to take Eco Drift from a lifestyle business into a medium-sized company built for growth. The  acted as a catalyst, giving him the tools, confidence, and structure to accelerate these changes. Since then, Eco Drift has achieved 25% revenue growth in the last year. 

Help to Grow: Management

As the company grew Antoni researched how to maintain a business with sustainable products, practices and ethics. For example, the company is part of the  which sees the company donate 1% of its revenue to protect the environment.  

Eco Drift also pays the Real Living Wage and uses eco-certified products such as Nordic Swan and Cradle-to-Cradle accredited supplies.

However, this strategic thinking alongside the day-to-day running of the business was difficult for Antoni. “It went from a small business to something bigger, and I needed a different structure for that. I needed managers to help and be a buffer between me and everyone in the company. Not having that separation when we had 30+ employees became overwhelming.”  

To overcome this challenge, Antoni joined the Help to Grow: Management Course at the С����Ƶ Faculty of Business and Law in 2024.  

Antoni had never done a management course but was keen to broaden his skillset through the course, “I wanted to lead not just from my experience but with real leadership tools. The course became a catalyst for me to implement changes.”  

Talking with peers

Talking with peers on the course gave Antoni a new perspective. “I sometimes felt impostor syndrome, but working alongside other business leaders made me realise I already had a lot of valuable experience to share – from industry knowledge to sustainability, efficiency, and innovation.

"That shift helped me build confidence and develop a clear plan for my personal brand. Put simply, most people aren’t interested in cleaning services until they need you — but if they know who I am and what Eco Drift stands for, we’re front of mind when the time comes.” 

This realisation led Antoni to build a regular LinkedIn presence, sharing three posts a week and positioning himself as a thought leader in sustainability, technology, and leadership within facilities management.  

Articulating the value of his company and refining his brand has led to Antoni seeing an increase in customers.  

New and engaged employees

The course reinforced Antoni’s belief that building a strong management layer was essential to move away from day-to-day firefighting and create space for strategy, innovation, and long-term planning. Creating that management layer allowed me to step back from the day-to-day and focus on strategy, innovation, and the bigger picture of the business.” 

The appointment of an Operations Manager gave Antoni time back, enabling him to address . “The course showed me the importance of employee engagement and leading change by communicating to your staff.

"By getting staff to buy into our mission and creating additional training for them they become brilliant ambassadors of the brand. I can't be everywhere, but they are the ones that are seen every day, so it’s important that they are engaged. Eco Drift’s long-tenured staff are a testament to this approach, with many employees staying with the company for years and progressing into more senior roles.

 “I am now looking at creating videos for internal teams so we can onboard more effectively.” 

The plans for a more engaging onboarding process are running simultaneously with the company's geographical expansion.  

Diversifying through technology

With the new time spent on strategy and the help of his business mentor from the Help to Grow: Management Course, Antoni has taken a significant step in improving his . 

“The mentor was helpful because I had someone to look at my plans from the outside and then keep me accountable. My mentor gave me valuable guidance when I was looking into how technology could make my business more efficient.   

Eco Drift has been developing , a software platform using occupancy, motion, and hygiene sensors to monitor how spaces are used in real time.

Through the Help to Grow: Management Course and the support of his , Antoni gained a clear vision of how to structure the rollout, protect the IP, and maximise the value of this innovation for the business. Using this data, Eco Drift can identify when and how regularly rooms or offices need to be cleaned. This reduces unnecessary cleans while ensuring value for customers. Crucially, Proximetrix doesn’t replace people, it empowers cleaning teams with data to work smarter, cut waste, and deliver measurable value. “We are currently rolling this out and I’m really excited to see how technology can help us evolve.” 

Results

Since completing the Help to Grow: Management Course, Antoni has grown Eco Drift’s headcount by 20% and increased the revenue by 25%. Today Eco Drift employs more than 50 people across Hampshire and beyond, supporting offices, business parks, and education providers. 

Antoni also recently led the company through ISO 9001 and ISO , embedding sustainability into both operations and quality standards. 

While many factors contributed to this growth, Antoni highlights the course as a key driver: “It’s very helpful for anyone that is trying to grow their business. No matter what stage you’re at, Help to Grow: Management can help you avoid expensive mistakes and create a plan for growth.”  

This story was previously published on the