There are couple of reasons why Handyman franchising can be attractive to some. One is for brand recognition. Brand recognition is important in that it can project a feeling of safety and quality to potential customers. Customers want to know that the professional coming into their home is reputable and will stand behind their work. The other is that it allows someone to step into a completely developed method to success. Some products do work quite well with the traditional franchise model such as fast food restaurants or retail sales locations such as clothing or electronics stores. However, in Handyman franchises, where every job is different, this franchise model can have major drawbacks.
Handyman franchises are usually set up for people that just want to “manage” a company and thrive in the middle of the day-to-day grind of office work and endless meetings. What happens, in many cases, is that the franchise ends up managing them, which is an exhausting place for someone to find themselves.
Buying a service franchise can deplete resources due to the franchiser requiring large sums of money from their Handymen, up front, sometimes in excess of $125,000 as well as a large percentage of the yearly profits. They also require the use of their policies, procedure and products, all of which have a cost and can limit the ability to solve problems in a timely manner.
But wait there’s more! Some services franchises require the Handymen to spend over $40,000 per year on advertising. Herein lies the illusion of service industry franchises. When you spend several thousand dollars on advertising you are probably going to get a lot of work. But, just because you’re busy doesn’t mean that you’re profitable. High volume comes with the high costs of hiring and training outside salespeople, multiple work crews, office staff, accountants, and slimer margins. This business model is a, one size fits all, approach that eliminates the flexibility that Handymen need to succeed.
Having flexibility can allow you to grow at your own pace, maximize your profits, streamline the size of your team or the types of jobs you take, and can increase your free time so you can focus on other important items.
This is where we come in.
We are Five Star Services Network. We have spent years developing a proven system that provides you with the benefits of a Handyman franchise while removing the disadvantages, giving you the freedom to grow at your speed and at a fraction of the cost.
So, what is Five Star Services Network, Inc.?
We are a network of service professionals from different industries that are connected for the purpose of expanding each other’s service offerings, reducing risks and most of all increasing profits.
What makes Five Star Services Network different from a franchise?
As we’ve already noted, brand recognition, in the correct industry can project safety and security to potential customers resulting in more sales. Through our research we have found that Handyman brands are rarely known outside of a small geographical area, which diminishes the value of most franchise brands.
For example, think of the name of a few window cleaning companies. How about flooring installation companies, garage door companies, or electricians. If you did think of some, are they local, regional or national? Some companies such as Air Conditioning or Plumbing may be more recognizable, but If you traveled 50 miles away you would probably find that most of these companies have never been heard of. Which means, opening a franchise in some areas is the same as starting a company from scratch and handing your profits to someone else.
Now think of a fast-food restaurant. I bet the fast-food restaurant is a nationally recognized brand. Franchises work when the requirements are extremely rigorous, and there is a completely controlled environment. What about the Handyman industry? Have you ever had a week where every job’s requirements were the same, much less a single day?
How does Five Star Services Network project safety and quality to potential customers for our network members?
First, we are a verification company similar to UL or ETL. Look at any electronic device in your home and you will see a label on it with either the UL or ETL logo on it. This means that the manufacturer has met all requirements by these companies to be deemed “safe for use” and they allow the manufacturer to use their verification marks to promote the safety of their products.
Likewise, Five Star Services Network has a multipoint verification process for Handymen. When a customer reaches out, we want them to know that they are contacting the most reputable individual or company in their area. As with these other verification companies, we provide you with our, highly recognizable Verification Mark that you can use on all your marketing.
Second, once you are verified you are eligible to join our network of service professionals. This is really where Five Star separates itself from franchising.
Once you are a member, we will promote our network in your area showcasing you as the premier Five Star Network Verified Handymen. We will provide you with additional verification marks, for each of your verified services, to be used in your marketing area and to broadcast that you are the only Five Star Services Network Verified company for your type of services.
We’ll provide a professional and proven website 100% dedicated to you and your Handyman services. It will contain all local contact information and you will receive 100% the emails, calls, texts or any other communications that derive from the website. We will also develop other available online platforms to increase the number of inquiries you receive.
Third, we have a Network Partner Program, that you can participate in.
Our Network Partner Program allows you to compete with all the companies in your area whether local or national and to capture the leads before anyone else does. This program is a proven way to dominate the competition in your area no matter who they are. Not only will you capture the leads before your competition, you’ll do it at a fraction of the cost.
Beside leads, there are other incredible benefits to Five Star’s Network Partner Program.
We’ve already discussed how getting a high number of calls does not always result in a profit. If you aren’t prepared, It can result in higher costs, slimmer margins and less flexibility.
By far the greatest benefit of our Network Partner Program is that you will have full control and can design your program to work for your specific needs.
You will have the ability to target jobs you desire and that fit your current crew size and skill level, increase or eliminate jobs of a certain time frame or be able to close more sales faster all while beating the other Handymen to customers.
If you are just starting out, you can grow your tool inventory and capabilities as your company grows and at the speed you would like. No need for large, up front, capital expenditures on tools and supplies. You can increase your service offerings at your own pace as well allowing you to determine where you fit in and take to advantage of new markets.
Or, maybe you are an existing service provider that wants to find ways to streamline, increase your hourly rate, expand your market, reduce travel time, reduce risk or maybe you want to increase your income level without increasing your work load.
Our Partner Program allows Handymen to reach out for only the types and scale of jobs you want.
When you take into consideration all that Five Star Services Network, Inc. has to offer, it can be summed up by two things. Flexibility and Profitability.
Give us a call today, to discuss your needs and to get started.
