From Power Washers to People Power – Family Business, Resilience and Confidence with Liz Carnie of PWS

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Liz Carnie, director of PWS(formerly Power Washer Services), a second-generation family business started by her dad over 40 years ago. From one man and a van to a team of 28 covering all of Scotland, PWS now supplies and services power washers, compressors, generators, heaters and more – with a reputation built on backup service, not just sales.

Liz shares how she went from RAF police and policing in England to “helping dad out for a bit” in 1990, only to discover a whole new world of business, sales and spreadsheets she never imagined herself in. She talks about learning on the job before computers and mobiles, growing the engineer team, and why they chose to service competitors’ machines as a growth strategy.

We dive into the realities of running and scaling a family business. Liz works alongside her brother Jim, his three children and now her own son – and she is candid about disagreements, boundaries and succession planning. She explains how they recruit engineers for attitude and problem-solving skills, often from agricultural backgrounds, and why cross-training staff has become essential.

Liz also opens up about the most difficult chapter of her life: her partner Colin’s cancer diagnosis, his role in the business, working from home during COVID and eventually losing him. She shares how being forced to step back showed her that the business could run without her – and why building a company that doesn’t rely on one person is so important.

Along the way we talk confidence, difficult conversations, “eating the frog”, lists, and how networking through BNI helped her find her voice, ask for help and realise she wasn’t alone in business. Her message to women thinking about starting or scaling is simple and powerful: go for it, and don’t be afraid to ask for support.

In this episode, we cover:

1. The story of PWS: from her dad’s redundancy from farming to spotting a niche in power washers
2. How the business grew from two people to 28 staff, serving customers across Scotland
3. Adding compressors, generators, heaters and more by listening to existing customers’ needs
4. Choosing to repair competitors’ machines and why service has been their long-term differentiator
5. Liz’s journey from RAF police and policing to sales, office management and business leadership
6. Learning accounts, systems and HR on the job – and later investing in courses and self-development
7. Recruiting engineers for practical skills, attitude and hobbies, not just formal qualifications
8. The reality of managing people: treating everyone differently, playing to strengths and getting the best out of the team
9. Running a multi-generational family business with her brother, nieces, nephews and son
10. Handing over responsibility, succession planning and involving the next generation in management and numbers
11. Navigating her partner Colin’s cancer diagnosis and death, and how the team stepped up in her absence
12. Why cross-training roles and building a business that works without you is essential
13. The role of BNI and networking in building confidence, learning to ask for help and finding community in business
14. Liz’s advice to women thinking about starting or scaling a business