The Moss Man

Home Improvement Franchises

The UK DIY market alone was forecast to be worth over £8.3bn in 2017 so the home improvement market in the UK is a huge opportunity for anyone interested in the sector.

So what sort of home improvement franchises are available? Some of the different types of home improvement franchises include;

• Granite worktops and other granite sheets for kitchen and bathroom renovations
• Locksmith franchises
• Guttering & roofing
• Disaster recover, fire, flood etc
• Drive way construction and cleaning

As more and more pressure is put on governments and local authority to build more new homes this will no doubt increase demand for the above for both the new home build market and ongoing for renovation and repair works. Many people seeking this sort of opportunity may already have a trade and industry experience and wish to work for themselves but with the backing of a franchise brand to help with new business generation and any existing contractual business locally but all franchises usually offer full training and support so dependant on the home improvement franchise this could be a way for someone to change direction.

As with any business opportunity or business purchase you need to take professional advice and carry out due diligence before you invest.

Van based Franchises

Van based franchises are a popular choice for many people seeking a new career opportunity. With a van based franchise there is a huge variety of options available offering freedom to run your business without necessarily needing to employ any staff or allow incur large overheads connected to commercial premises, shops etc. So what types of van based franchises are available?

Home Improvement & Disaster Recovery 

These services are at the top of the list of insurance companies & homeowners in a time of crisis, when there is a disaster at home, such as a fire or flood and many several franchise networks have been grown into national networks just supplying major insurers.

Courier 

This type of van franchise is an attractive option for many franchise seekers, who like to be out and about dropping off parcels to businesses and homeowners. Courier franchises can be flexible and some are low or even no investment and sometimes can even be run alongside an existing business or full or part-time job to create even more flexibility.

Oven Cleaning 

Many homeowners and businesses recognise the efficiency of professional oven cleaning. This business is a great source of repeat business as well as of course the oven will need to be cleaned on a regular basis.

Mobile Coffee Shop 

Coffee shops have grown to a huge size in the UK and is worth billions to the UK economy but there are now mobile coffee shop franchises that can tap into this growing market. The beauty of this sort of franchise is that you can take a quality product to areas that may not have had a major coffee brand nearby such as offices or industrial premises in retail and/or industrial estates. They also benefit from far lower overheads compared to retail coffee shops which are usually in expensive, prime retail locations.

Auto Car Repair 

Car scratch, bump and windscreen repairs have become increasingly popular with car owners wanting to keep their vehicles looking good. These automotive franchises specialise in many automotive services including alloy wheel repair, dent and scratch removal, windscreen repair & mobile tyre replacement.

Cleaning 

Both commercial cleaning & domestic cleaning are services often contracted by businesses and homeowners. These franchises can provide specialist cleaning services such as carpet and rug cleaning, as well as regular household and contract office cleaning.

Gardening 

Us Brits love our gardens and are prepared to spend, spend, spend to keep them looking good, there are many different type of gardening van based franchises available.  The specialist services provided include professional lawn care and maintenance, fencing, garden design and landscaping. If you enjoy working outdoors gardening franchises could be a viable business option.

Low Cost Franchises

So what is a low cost franchise? Well I suppose everyone will have a different definition of what they think a low cost opportunity is but for these purposes we will use an investment level of £15,000 or less as the guide price for a low cost franchise.

So does low cost therefore mean low earnings or profit? No, some low or even no upfront investment franchise or business opportunities can represent very high earnings potential. So why would a franchise business sell it a low cost even if the earnings potential was high? Well the initial franchise is generally determined by the cost to set-up which includes training, equipment, product and premises not the actual earnings potential. Sure sometimes with a recognized brand just the area alone will have a impact on the price as the largest the franchise area or territory, the more business will be obtained. That said that’s generally not the case for less known brands or new brands and if a franchise requires a lot of franchisees to provide national coverage and set-up costs are quite low then many will have an initial fee of under £15,000 to try to recruit as many franchisees as quickly as possible to grow their brand and provide a better service to their customers.

Some of the low cost franchises for sale under £15,000 include product distribution, pet related, children fitness and swimming, travel agency and even financial and business advice franchises so there is a huge choice of opportunity even if you are seeking a lower initial investment. The main thing to consider if the “overall” investment, just because a franchise has a low initial fee doesnt mean you won’t need to invest additional funds so when choosing a low cost franchise opportunity make sure you find out about all costs involved before you invest and as always seek professional advice.

Just because a franchise investment is low cost doesnt mean you should not carry out thorough research before you make any commitment. Regardless of initial investment check out the business and seek professional advice.

Home Based Franchises

Home based franchises, a business run from home have steadily risen over recent years, why? Home based franchises offer many opportunities, some of the include;

• More family friendly
• Better work & home life balance
• Increased earning potential, work when you want and potentially outside usual business hours
• Reduced child care costs
• Reduced overheads, less travel time, fuel and travelling expenses

Home based franchises have also steadily grown. Many so called white collar franchises are home based and include areas such as business consultancy, accountancy and bookkeeping, business training and coaching and internet businesses. In addition to these white collar home based franchises there has also been a steady rise is so called “Mumpreneurs”, mums that instead of seeking full or part-time employment around family life decide to set-up their own business on their own or via a home based franchise. Some of the businesses popular with Mumpreneurs include;

• Child care
• Childrens fitness such as football, swimming, dancing
• Beauty including hair & nail salons, tanning
• Fitness
• Cosmetics

Home based franchises can provide such great flexibility for men and women along with improved technology are surely set to continue to rise in the UK and therefore could provide a great opportunity for anyone seeking greater flexibility and a work life balance. That said always find out everything about the investment and business and seek professional advice before any investment.

Cleaning Franchises

The domestic cleaning industry alone in the UK is worth over £4.7 billion according to the Office of National Statistics. Commercial cleaning according to Facilities Management Journal ( FMJ ) the contract cleaning sector is set to grow by £100 million and the total contract cleaning market to rise by £500 million . The cleaning sector and therefore cleaning franchise businesses represents a great potential investment as the commercial sector grow and increase in older people in our communities will mean more people will seek the assistance from local companies to provide domestic cleaning to enable them to remain in their homes.

A cleaning franchise is usually what is called a white collar franchise. That is that the franchisee, the business owner tends not to actually carry out the physical cleaning but manage staff and the overall business including potentially new customer acquisition and general day to day management duties. Because of this management style and that most franchises provide such thorough operational training & support many successful franchisees have  come from management backgrounds from completely different industries.