Handyman franchises speak to the modern busy home owner or business person. There was a time when most American dads could fix the plumbing, repair the steps, or replace an appliance, and they taught their sons to do so, too. This is no longer the case. Not only are many handyman jobs more complex than they used to be, they’re also not what the modern guy wants to do on the weekend.
Calling a handyman is the obvious choice, and that makes it a great choice for people who want to invest in a franchise business now.
Handyman franchise businesses bring up a question, though. You might not consider opening a tax preparation service without the special software and training a franchise offers, but couldn’t you just by some tools and hire out as a handyman? Why would you want to invest in a franchise when you might be able to open up your own handyman service with a lower investment?
Here’s why:
- You don’t have to do all the work yourself. Franchises like Mr. Handyman are built on an executive model, so you run the business, rather than just strapping on a tool belt and getting to work. Working in your business as well as on it is very likely to mean you don’t have time to manage and grow it the way you need to in order to see the success you want.
- National name recognition builds trust. Handymen go into someone’s home. That means that trust is key. This can be particularly significant in the mind of a female homeowner who is allowing a strange man into her home. Calling an individual feels completely different from calling Handyman Connection, a national company with an established name. Of course, over time you’ll develop trust with your clients, but the franchise option lets you start with it.
- Marketing support gets you up and running fast. A typical handyman relies on word of mouth for business. A job or two works up to more jobs, and somewhere along the way the business earns enough to pay for a little bit of marketing (or it fails). Garage Force starts their franchisees off with a website, social media, and public relations, from the beginning.
- Forget trial and error. A franchise like Mr. Handyman comes with a tried-and-true system and special management software that makes it easy for you to succeed from the beginning. Every business takes time to become profitable and to get well down in the community, but a franchise lets you hit the ground running.
- You can specialize. It’s well known that specialists can charge more and often get more business than general handymen. However, starting up as a specialist can be very difficult unless you already have the knowledge and connections that justify that higher price. A franchise like Home Technology Pros or ShelfGenie puts you in that enviable position from the start.
It’s hard for an individual handyman to compete with the professional, polished, well managed franchise operations. Why not be the owner of the franchise instead of the one competing with it?
