How to Make a Career Change With a Handyman Franchise

Elliott Fudge, writer

Published at 09/10/2021, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 5 min

How to Make a Career Change With a Handyman Franchise
Photo © How-to-Make-a-Career-Change-With-a-Handyman-Franchise.jpg

Making a career change can be a daunting and scary thing to do if you’re not properly prepared. But thankfully, if you’ve been thinking about making a career change with a handyman franchise you can look forward to better days ahead. If you’re looking to make a career change as a handyman, here’s everything you need to know.


Being a handyman means one thing: being the first port of call for anybody needing quick fixes around the house. While this is certainly true to a point, running a handyman franchise means you’ll be doing far more than just that.

Why make a career change with a handyman franchise?

The last few months have given everybody pause for thought. Many people who felt set in their careers are now looking to change, and if you’re one of them, you’re not alone. According to Show House, as many as 30% of Brits are looking to make a change into a trades-related industry [Show House].

If you’re looking to get into this sector yourself, there are lots of good reasons why franchising is the best way to go about it. As a franchisee, you’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits of running your business, while minimising many of the costs. For example, as a franchisee you’ll benefit from:

  • A pre-existing business brand, reputation and customer base
  • Dedicated training and support
  • Beneficial financial rates
  • An exclusive territory to operate in
  • Personal tutors to help your business grow
  • The freedom to be your own boss

If running a franchise sounds like a good option for you, you could be the perfect handyman franchisee. If you want to make a career change, here’s what you need to know.


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How to make a career change with a handyman franchise

1. Understand the industry

You need a good understanding of this industry and your responsibilities before you get set up as a franchisee. You’ll be working with customers on a daily basis, and it’s no secret that this can sometimes be a challenge. You’ll need to have a good understanding of the skills you’ll need, and some of the opportunities available to you. When it comes to skills, you’ll need to be:

  • Calm
  • Capable of working under pressure
  • Resourceful
  • Patient
  • Have good customer-facing skills
  • Good with your hands

These are transferable skills that you can sharpen in any industry, but as you’ll be working as something of a generalist in a busy sector, you will need to have many of these core skills.

2. Get qualified

When it comes to making a career change with a home improvement franchise, oftentimes, you won’t need to have pre-existing experience or qualifications. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop your own skills and gain experience and qualifications on the job. This doesn’t mean you should just disregard qualifications though.

Having the right qualifications beforehand means that you’ll be seen as a better option for starting a franchise business. You’ll hit the ground running without needing to develop your skills as you go, and you’ll be able to build a good relationship with your customers from minute one.

3. Choose a franchise

One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make as an aspiring franchisee is choosing which franchise is the right option for you. There are lots of different attractive and ambitious franchises you might choose to operate with, but not all of them will be for you. Start by taking a broad approach and forming a long list of potential options.

You’ll then need to start narrowing down your list. Consider the following questions:

  • Is the franchise affordable?
  • Do you share the franchise’s ethos?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of each franchise?
  • Which franchises have unique selling points?
  • Do certain franchises work specifically within the commercial or household sectors?
  • How much training, support and mentoring is available to you?

Deciding which direction to take your services can be a challenging thing to do, but after asking yourself these and other important questions, you should have a good idea of what franchises you should look to pursue.

4. Sign your franchise agreement

Once you’ve navigated some of the tricker aspects of getting a franchise business set up, you will finally be in a position to sign your franchise agreement. Franchise agreements are legally binding documents that set out the commitments of both you and your franchisor. It’s important that you understand the details of your agreements, as there can be consequences for breaching this agreement.

Franchising opportunities in the home improvement sector

If running your own business sounds good, and working in the home improvement industry is right for you, you could consider any of the below franchises as a potential option.


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1. Access4lofts

Access4lofts is a profitable van-based business opportunity helping customers use wasted space by providing quick, easy and affordable loft access and storage solutions through installing loft ladders, hatches and boarding.

  • How to become an Access4lofts franchisee: To run your own Access4lofts franchisee business, you will be ambitious, be great with customers, and have some basic DIY competence. If you want to run a management franchise, you will ideally have some previous management experience.
  • How much do you need to invest: You will need to make a total investment of £29,950 + VAT. After two years, you can target an expected revenue of around £210,000.
  • What you get for your investment: You’ll benefit from a dedicated 5 day training programme at one our specialist training centres. You’ll learn everything you need to make your home improvement business a success.

2. Drain Doctor

Running a Drain Doctor franchise business means you’ll be running a low risk, high reward drainage and plumbing franchise. For the right franchisee, you could earn profits of £1 million pounds over 10 years.

  • How to become a Drain Doctor franchisee: You don’t need specific plumbing experience to become a franchisee, as you’ll benefit from specific training and be able to count on the support of well-experienced franchisees.
  • How much do you need to invest: You’ll need to make a total investment of £85,000 with franchising fees of £35,000 in order to start your business.
  • What you get for your investment: You’ll receive comprehensive training, ongoing support, bespoke technology and marketing expertise, all designed to help drive your future business forward.

Make a career change with a handyman franchise today

Making a career change with a handyman franchise is an exciting and profitable change to make. But, if this isn’t quite right for you, consult the UK franchise directory for a full list of franchising opportunities.

Elliott Fudge, writer

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