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Mr. Handyman Franchise Review

Mr. Handyman Franchise Review

About.com Rating 4 Star Rating
User Rating 3 Star Rating (4 Reviews) Write a review

By , About.com Guide

Homeowners in America spend close to $200 billion a year in home improvements. Do you think there is enough work out there for a handyman?

If you don’t consider yourself handy around the house, don’t worry. To own a Mr. Handyman franchise you need to be an experienced hand-on manager at the office. Your handyman technicians will do the work; you'll just manage your business.

About Mr. Handyman

Mr. Handyman is a member of Service Brands International (SBI), which is a multi-brand franchisor that offers a variety of franchise systems, including Molly Maid, DUCTZ and 1-800-Dry-Clean. Mr. Handyman has been ranked #1 among handyman services on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2007 Franchise 500.

Mr. Handyman is a professional handyman company servicing both residential and commercial properties. They offer every service from hanging curtains to tile work and repairing decks. Their slogan is, “No job is too small for us.”

Being a Mr. Handyman Franchisee

If you do not know how to hang a picture or even hammer a nail, don’t worry. Mr. Handyman franchisees are not expected to do any of the handy work. The company claims, “That's exactly what we train you not to do.” As an owner of a Mr. Handyman franchise, you will be responsible for hiring and managing handyman technicians, marketing, and scheduling jobs for your employees.

The company offers a 4-6 week training program in Ann Arbor, Michigan that covers setting up your business, hiring technicians, marketing and using Mr. Handyman’s custom-designed software.

What We Like

In most cases, when you buy a franchise you are buying yourself a job, working 50-60 hours a week. As a franchisee, Mr. Handyman encourages you to manage and run a successful operation and leave all the hard work to your employees.

In addition, Mr. Handyman is owned by Service Brands International (SBI), which has been franchising since 1984. SBI is a multi-concept franchise system that has about 25 years experience in the franchise world. Having an experienced company behind you will always help you improve your business.

Mr. Handyman Franchise Information

Business Established: 1996
Franchising Since: 2000
Start-up Cost: $40,000 to $54,400
Total Investment: $91,200 to $132,300

User Reviews

 1 out of 5
run for your life, Member tdog5641

If you want to lose your investment and associate with a miserable bunch of unhappy owners - then Mr Handyman is the opportunity you are looking for! You show up at the home office for your discovery day and every employee in the company is at the front door smiling ready to shake your hand. BUT the truth that they somehow forget to tell you is that only a few owners in the entire system ever make a profit and about an owner a week has been closing for the past 6 to 9 months. The whole program is crazy: open a contracting business with no experience, charge twice as much as most of your competitors, have 4-5 times more overhead than your competitors, pay a 7% royalty off the top, spend 4-5 times more in advertising than your competitors, and try to break even. It is a hopeless pipe dream. Here in Florida and California they even have a guy who will let you use his contractors license for a monthly fee. And they also don't mention what everyone should know but somehow forget, the housing improvement business is at an all time low and construction/remodeling spending is dead.

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