Top 6 Handyman Franchises in the UK
Becky Martin, writer
If you think you’d make a great handyman, why not explore some of our fantastic handyman franchises? We provide our top six below.
When we think about skilled jobs that bring in a healthy income, our minds tend to wander away from a handyman franchise to professions like doctors, lawyers and teachers, which require years of training at university. So, it might shock you to discover that the average tradesperson takes home £10,000 more than the average UK graduate, at around £42,000 per year. And, considering we spend around £16 billion every year fixing things around our homes (Aviva), it’s no wonder that tradespeople and handymen have the potential to earn such healthy incomes.
Before we kick off with our top six handyman franchises in the UK, let’s explore why now is the ideal time to join the home improvement industry.
Reasons why starting a handyman franchise is a great idea
1. Handyman services are in high demand
According to insurance company Aviva, more than one in five of us have had to call in a professional to fix a dodgy bit of DIY. An unlucky 9 percent of us have had to do this more than once during our lives, showing that some of us really just don’t have the knack for fixing things around the house.
2. The British public experiences its fair share of bad DIY jobs
Three of the UK’s top bodged jobs were cited as:
- Toilet unblocking
- Unblocking a drain
- Fixing electrical sockets and switches
Tricky for your average homeowner, but if you’re great at sorting out some of the most common problems around the house, you could command a healthy income fixing relatively minor problems like these in your local area.
3. Learn valuable skills
Becoming part of a skilled ‘trade’ is also highly valuable, with businessadvice.co.uk calling these roles ‘the holy grail’, as you’ll be virtually guaranteed a job for life with constant demand wherever you’re based.
4. Recession-proof industry
What’s more, handyman businesses are more recession-proof than other trades, as the diversity of their services means work comes from many sources and ensures a constant flow of jobs is heading their way. If one industry like plumbing, dives, you’ll still be able to fall back on something else, like gardening, home repair or drainage services.
>> Read more:
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- Top 5 home improvement franchises
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- Top 8 Construction Businesses in the UK
- Day in the Life: What It Takes to Run a Successful Construction Business
Top handyman franchises in the UK
The safest way to start your own business is to join a franchise. Here at Point Franchise, we have plenty of opportunities on offer for those who are interested in starting a handyman business. Whatever your trade, becoming a franchisee in this industry can breathe a new lease of life into your career.
1. Metro Plumb
For many customers across with the UK with a plumbing problem, Metro Plumb is their first port of call. There are over thirty local centres that operate 24/7, tackling plumbing emergencies quickly and efficiently.
- Becoming a Metro Plumb franchisee: If you’re a hard-working and organised individual with practical plumbing experience or have had NVQ Level 2 training, Metro Rod encourages you to apply.
- How much you need to invest: Metro Plumb asks for a minimum investment of £17,000.
- What you get for your investment: You’ll receive full training so you know everything you need to operate your own successful franchise unit.
2. Metro Rod
This drainage franchise operates in a multi-billion-pound sector that suffers no shortage of demand. Metro Rod franchisees enjoy a generous stream of work that emanates from the 1,500 calls and 8,000 emails a day that are received by Metro Rod’s customer services.
- Becoming a Metro Rod franchisee: You don’t need any previous experience of drainage to apply. But it is important that you are highly committed and have management or small business operation experience.
- How much you need to invest: For a minimum investment of £50,000, you can join 40 other Metro Rod franchisees that are feeling the benefits of becoming their own boss with the backing of a nationally recognised brand.
- What you get for your investment: By becoming a Metro Rod franchisee, you gain access to an established customer base, trained staff and a vehicle fleet.
3. ChipsAway
The ChipsAway franchise specialises in SMART (small to medium area repair technology) processes. Having operated in the automotive sector for around 20 years, the franchise is now the most extensive network of car repair specialists in the UK.
- Becoming a ChipsAway franchisee: ChipsAway provides franchisees with a ‘ready-to-go’ turn-key business. As a result, this is an excellent investment opportunity if you’d like to join the automotive industry but have limited expertise. As a franchisee with this van-based business, you’ll take your mobile workshop wherever your customers are, and you can open a dedicated car care centre in the future.
- How much you need to invest: Franchisees need to raise an initial investment of £29,995, but this can be reduced to just £15,000 through various funding arrangements.
- What you get for your investment: You’ll receive training in technical skills, business management, marketing and sales, as well as ongoing support and marketing materials. You’ll also be put in touch with the UK call centre that’s open 24/7 and directs business your way when you’re not able to get to the phone. What’s more, ChipsAway guarantees that all new franchisees will be given £80,000 worth of customer enquiries in their first year of trade.
4. Lawnkeeper
When a franchise has been in business for over 20 years, it’s fair to say that they know their market. Lawnkeeper has built a diverse portfolio of services, including moss control, feed and weed treatments and pest control, that caters to all homeowners’ needs.
- Becoming a Lawnkeeper franchisee: The franchise asks that candidates have an eye for success and buckets of self-determination.
- How much you need to invest: With the total investment standing at around £25,000, you can be confident that your business will be delivering a return in a short timescale.
- What you get for your investment: To help you set down your roots, this gardening franchise will supervise you in all areas of your business from sales techniques to business monitoring. Lawnkeeper franchisees have access to an exclusive territory that contains on average around 100,000 households.
5. Lockforce
Lockforce is a fairly young business and belongs to the highly respected Forces Group of franchises. Now, it’s looking for budding entrepreneurs to take its business model across the country.
- Becoming a Lockforce franchisee: You don’t need any previous experience in the industry to be accepted onto the franchise programme.
- How much you need to invest: You must be prepared to put just under £15,000 towards your new venture.
- What you get for your investment: Franchisees benefit from a fully equipped toolkit, stock and staff uniforms, as well as support in all areas, including marketing, contract management, business development and technical training.
>> Read more:
- 8 Advantages of Owning a Construction Business
- Day in the Life: What It Takes to Run a Successful Construction Business
6. Pestforce
Running a pest control business may not be the most glamorous of jobs, but you can almost guarantee always being in demand. Pest Force is the largest and most successful pest control franchise in the UK.
- Becoming a Pestforce franchisee: This part-time franchise offers you complete flexibility over when and where you choose to work. You don't need to have a background in pest control; you just need to be self-motived, energetic and hardworking.
- How much you need to invest: You need to make a minimum investment of £16,600 to be accepted onto the franchise programme.
- What you get for your investment: Pestforce will teach you everything you need to know to run your business during a two-week intensive training course as well as ongoing support and guidance.
Start a handyman franchise today
It’s clear that there’s a demand for quality handymen and women all across the UK and that if you can hone your trade skills, you’re likely to find that work comes your way without any real effort from you. Becoming part of a franchise takes the stress and financial burden out of setting up as a handyman and allows you to reap the rewards of your success much sooner. Interested? Explore even more of our handyman franchise opportunities today.
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Becky Martin, writer