TruBlue Home Ally, a franchise specializing in handyman services and home maintenance, boasts nearly 100 territories and is committed to facilitating aging-in-place by ensuring homes are safe for the elderly. The company extends continuous support for home maintenance and modifications to assist seniors in staying in their residences for an extended period. The franchise's robust growth is attributed to its uniquely scalable business model. Here's the rationale behind it.
Advantages of a Non-Physical Location Business Model
"The great part about a service brand like this is that we are not limited to brick-and-mortar locations," said TruBlue President Sean Fitzgerald. "With a retail or restaurant business, for example, there is only so much you can do in that location. In order to double a mature business, you need to double your costs by opening another physical store. Because physical locations don’t limit us and our home technicians are billable hours and variable costs, you can scale and grow your business with minimal investment. It allows you to grow exponentially."
Flexibility and Adaptability of the Home-Based Franchise Model
This home-based franchise model provides added flexibility, allowing adjustments without being tied to leases or long-term expenses. Fitzgerald emphasizes, "Scaling up and adapting to market conditions is easily achievable. The risk associated with growth is minimalized with a service brand like ours."
Unique Recurring-Subscription Services Offered by TruBlue
Recognizing that seniors continually require assistance around the house, TruBlue sets itself apart from other home service brands through its recurring- subscription service offerings, namely the Home Ally Maintenance & VIP programs. These programs offer a lucrative recurring revenue model by providing regular maintenance services and reminders throughout the year.
"People sometimes don’t realize how much routine maintenance needs to be done around the home," said Fitzgerald. "If neglected, it leads to major and costly repairs. It is the Jiffy Lube mentality — look at your car, for example; people are conditioned to get routine maintenance. Everyone knows it. You don’t drive until it breaks down. You must think about your home similarly, but most people don’t realize that."
TruBlue's subscription services ensure that homeowners, specifically busy adults and seniors, can ensure their home maintenance is consistently addressed, from mulching to fixing a sink.
"We are much more than a handyman business," said Fitzgerald. "The ultimate goal is to be our customers’ home service ally, their first call when something goes wrong with their home. Our second goal is to get our customers on one of our subscription-based home maintenance service programs, which gives the franchisee consistent, reliable business and lends itself to scalability for the franchise owner. So much of our business is repeat clientele naturally — these are reoccurring clients calling us every quarter or so to fix something or upgrade something in their home. Our goal is to turn them into subscription-based customers so we can truly help them manage the maintenance and maintain the value of their most valuable asset: their homes."
This subscription model ensures strong cash flow for owners. "It is predictable income coming in every single month," said Fitzgerald. "It also gives us permission to check in with clients and ask if there is anything else they need us to do, which can lead to more business and revenue. It allows us to maintain that communication."
Comprehensive Training and Support for Franchise Owners
To support the scalability inherent in the TruBlue business model, franchise owners receive comprehensive training from day one. Fitzgerald emphasizes the standardized structure with consistent roles, responsibilities, and teams, making it easily replicable for subsequent expansions. These factors contributed to TruBlue's remarkable 26% increase in systemwide revenue at the close of 2022.
"Overall, if you are following the model, take care of customers, and bring in referrals, you will be able to scale your business without too much marketing," said Fitzgerald. "That organic growth is the beauty of TruBlue, and we are excited to share that with more and more entrepreneurs."
