How Profitability and Resilience Made Handyman Pro One of the Strongest Opportunities in Franchising

Home-improvement franchise Handyman Pro was established just three years ago. In its first two years, the franchise grew quickly, leveraging the resources of parent franchisor Premium Service Brands to help new franchisees build thriving businesses in little time. But it wasn’t until 2020, a year in which businesses across industries struggled to cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, that Handyman Pro emerged as one of the most valuable opportunities in franchising. Now, the emerging brand is continuing to grow, and the franchise industry is paying close attention.

“I think people see what we’re doing — they see the success we’ve found in a year when everyone else is just trying to keep their heads above water — and they’re starting to catch on to what makes Handyman Pro such a unique and exciting model,” said Luke Schulte, Premium Service Brands’ vice president of franchise development.

Schulte admits that “exciting” is not the first word some entrepreneurs might associate with handyman services, “but once they understand how the business works, anyone with any business savvy is going to get excited about it,” he said, noting that Handyman Pro’s profitability is what captures the attention of potential franchisees.

“Most businesses will brag about top-level revenue, but that doesn’t mean much,” he said. “Maybe you run a business that does $5 million in revenue each year, but how much are you actually taking home?”

By using the resources and support provided by Premium Service Brands, Handyman Pro has been able to reduce overhead costs dramatically compared to other franchise opportunities, helping franchisees close the gap between revenue and profit. Premium Service Brands’s robust suite of services for franchisees includes marketing, technology, routing and scheduling software, a contact center and a range of other essential operational systems that most business owners spend too much time and money building and maintaining.

And because Handyman Pro subcontracts the actual home-improvement work out to local skilled professionals, that leaves owners to focus their efforts almost exclusively on growing the business.

“Our franchisees are really executives,” Schulte explained. “They are working on the business rather than in it. These are business people, not technicians.”

Handyman Pro doesn’t just benefit from Premium Service Brands’ network of support, it was actually built from the ground up specifically to complement the franchisor’s existing brands, meaning Handyman Pro franchisees also have a built-in network of potential clients.

“All of our brands work frequently with handymen, so they are frequent and reliable referral sources” Schulte explained. “Take our painting franchise, 360° Painting. Often drywall needs to be fixed before the painting can begin, and homeowners aren't going to be able to do that themselves. Now we will have the local Handyman Pro franchise lined up to come in and solve that problem.”

Another attractive aspect of Handyman Pro’s model is the brand’s durability to changing economic climates.

“Handyman services split the difference between the small repairs that people can do themselves and costly renovations that people only invest in when they’re doing well financially,” said Brit Roberts, brand lead for Handyman Pro. “When times are tough, you might hold off on that new patio, but if there’s a hole in your drywall, you’re gonna get it fixed.”

The franchise industry has seen no shortage of “next big things” over the past decade. Everything from boxing gyms to yogurt shops to spin studios have had some time in the spotlight before receding in popularity to varying extents. But handyman services are consistent — “they’re not going anywhere,” Schulte said.

“We’ve seen enough hot trends come and go, but there are few models that have as reliable a foundation as Handyman Pro has,” Schulte said. “It’s not flashy, but our franchisees are creating jobs and they’re seeing significant returns — those are things they can count on.”

As the pandemic continues to keep many Americans homebound, Roberts says Handyman Pro is seeing a stark increase in demand from consumers across markets. And because the crisis is creating permanent shifts in how people and businesses behave, he does not expect demand to die down even after we emerge from the pandemic.

“People are settling into their homes like never before, and they want to be comfortable. That means fixing all those nagging little issues that maybe they were putting off when they were going to work each day,” Roberts said. “Now we’ve got giant businesses announcing they will remain remote even after the pandemic, so the shift we’re witnessing is permanent for many people.”

Those circumstances have led to a record year for Handyman Pro franchisees “in terms of everything from production to profit to business growth, and we see no signs of that slowing anytime soon,” said Schulte.

Now, Handyman Pro has ten new franchisees in development and is preparing to grow into new markets across the U.S., but Schulte says his team is taking a conservative approach, ensuring that every franchisee has the support they need to grow along with the brand.

“We have a very calculated growth model,” Schulte said. “We’ve got a major opportunity to expand rapidly right now, but we don’t want to outrun our support systems. Our franchisees are our top priority — they are our partners, and our growth depends on theirs. So before we grow anywhere, we are making sure we have the best possible support systems in place in those markets.”

Those support systems include dedicated franchise business coaches, like Roberts, who work closely with franchisees to ensure their success.

“We talk with franchisees every week about everything from production and marketing plans to profit-and-loss reviews — we’ll even help out in recruiting by conducting interviews and providing feedback. The support is really all-encompassing — whatever we can do to help our franchisee partners grow,” said Roberts.

Gerlad Thompson is the owner of Handyman Pro of Northland KC, and he’ll be the first to tell you how invaluable these calls are. “I have a coach and every week we sit down and go over the numbers and anything that’s happened that week,” he said. “Sometimes it’s about recruiting or maybe an issue with bookkeeping, but it can be anything. That has helped me tremendously and it’s exactly what I was looking for when I got into franchising. I welcome someone looking over my shoulder and challenging me.”

As Handyman Pro prepares to onboard new franchisees in new markets, Schulte says he has no doubt his team will find strong candidates everywhere they look.

“You don’t have to be a craftsman to run this business. In fact, that’s not what we’re looking for at all,” Schulte said. “We’re looking for savvy business people who understand the value of this model, and that’s not difficult to find. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to run a business without the risks and difficulties of starting one on their own, and we couldn’t be more excited to start working with more smart and talented entrepreneurs across the country.”

The initial investment to open a Handyman Pro ranges from $99,125 to $139,500, including $60,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate. The brand is actively seeking franchise owners in suburban markets nationwide, including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, San Antonio, Boston, Raleigh and more. For more information on franchising with Handyman Pro, please visit ***