I can’t vouch for the company, but knew some of my readers might be interested.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 26, 2008

Mr. Handyman wants to come into Rhode Island.

August 26, 2008 // Franchising.com // The franchised handyman service, which says it is the largest employer of handymen (and women) in the country, with more than 1,000 “technicians,” hopes to establish three franchises in Rhode Island over the next three years. The seven-year-old company, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., has 290 franchises around the country, including locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Todd Recknagel, president and CEO of Mr. Handyman, said the company is beginning its search for people interested in establishing Mr. Handyman franchises in the state. Although it’s possible that an existing New England franchise could expand into the state, Recknagel said he would prefer to find a Rhode Islander to establish the business. Average cost to open a Mr. Handyman franchise is $110,000. The company also gets a 7-percent cut of franchise sales. Recknagel estimated the Rhode Island franchises would each employ about four handymen (or women), not including the franchise owner.

Recknagel said the real estate slump actually helps Mr. Handyman franchises. Because people are not building new homes or funding major renovation projects, he said, they concentrate more on maintaining their existing property, which is where Mr. Handyman comes in. He said company sales are up 11 percent over the same period as last year.

“Demand is off the charts. Home maintenance, service and repair is a $40-billion [business] category,” he said. Recknagel said the company is designed to deal with all those to-do project lists that are taped onto so many refrigerators.

According to the company Web site mrhandyman.com, common jobs include tub and shower caulking, gutter cleaning, tile work, carpentry, weatherproofing homes, pressure cleaning, assembling household products, and repairs to walls, ceiling and decks. Recknagel said the company will work on some roofing projects, depending on the size of the job and how height of the structure.

Recknagel said the franchises do not undertake jobs that would require workers to be licensed by the state. In Rhode Island, that would mean Mr. Handyman employees could not undertake any major plumbing or electrical work.

Recknagel said cost for Mr. Handyman services averages about $80 an hour, which may seem like a lot. But Recknagel said Mr. Handyman employees are highly efficient, and might knock off 20 household projects in two or three hours. Recknagel said between 60 percent and 70 percent of Mr. Handyman’s clients are repeat customers. “Once people use us, they continue to use us,” he said.

The success of Mr. Handyman, Recknagel said, indicates that many people don’t have the time, or the expertise, for household projects. “A previous generation could fix things for themselves. Now they can’t do it, and what’s more, they don’t want to,” he said.

Besides homes, he said, Mr. Handyman is also available to perform maintenance and repair work for commercial clients, ranging from restaurants to doctor’s offices to strip malls.
ABOUT MR. HANDYMAN:

Mr. Handyman is a sibling brand within the Service Brands International, Inc., family of brands. M. Handyman is continually ranked among the Top 150 (128) concepts in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500Ò, and is ranked the number one handyman franchise in its category. Additionally, the brand is recognized as one of the top home-based businesses, and fastest growing for 2008. There are more than 300 Mr. Handyman territories in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Handyman recently signed an agreement to expand into China. Mr. Handyman world headquarters: 3948 Ranchero Dr., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48108. 1-800-886-6559. www.mrhandyman.com.

Here’s one customer whose excitement for the franchise has melted: Cold Stone Dead Creamery

She thinks the franchise is facing some tough times and mentions some statistics to prove it.

It’s a snide piece to be sure but asks an important point for business opportunity seekers… is this business based on solid long term fundamentals or short term fads?

Can this business survive an economic downturn or am I being taken in by their short term success?

In today’s language, will people bleeding at the price of $4 per gallon for gasoline still patronize a business like this?

I mention this one now because the company itself is saying “Hey, these rising gas prices mean people are driving less and will want to use services like ours!” At least that’s what their recent press release says.  Maybe so.

Basically  1-800-DRYCLEAN is a local dry cleaning franchise which can be operated as a home based business they say. They charge the same as the local cleaners but offer free pick up and delivery. The parent company describes the business as very “Family Friendly” because it’s not a 24 hour 7 day per week service. Undoubtedly they’re making their routes as fuel efficient as possible to conserve gas.

Here’s how they describe themselves:

1-800-DryClean is an affordable dry-cleaning and laundry pick-up and delivery service franchise, and a member of the Service Brands International family of brands. 1-800-DryClean is ranked number one in its category and a “Top Home-Based Business” among Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500(R). The company has franchised since 2000, and currently has more than 130 franchise units across the United States. 1-800-DryClean, 3948 Ranchero Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

FETCH! Pet Care ( www.fetchpetcare.com), the nation’s largest pet care brand offering professional pet sitting and dog walking services, with locations in 34 states across the U.S., today announced it has established its initial presence in New York City, and is currently operating numerous flagship franchise locations in New York State’s Westchester, Orange, Suffolk and Monroe Counties.

The company offers a turnkey, home-based professional pet care franchise system developed specifically for full-time, serious business operators in the fun, rewarding and proven “recession proof” pet care industry. The franchise fee to open a FETCH! Pet Care location is $12,000 for a protected territory of 50,000 households. Additional first year investment costs range from $8,000 to $24,000. A typical location employs about 35 pet sitters on staff, which varies based on the concentration of pets within each market.

Bookkeeping Express (bookkeepingexpress.us) has launched a national franchising system which makes it easy to work at home. With a Bookkeeping Express franchise and a standard home office set-up, a bookkeeper can become a business owner. The initial franchise fee is $20,000.

“Bookkeeping Express is set up to operate as a virtual business,” says CEO Greg Jones. “In developing our franchise system, we are taking advantage of the Internet and the latest technology to develop this home-based business concept. Plus, with gas prices on the rise, the timing couldn’t be better to start a home-based business.”

“We have an Intranet set up for all franchisees to communicate with each other and with the corporate office. All of our forms and materials are available online, including a list of potential vendors and other resources.”

May 28, 2008 (FPRC) — NiteLites Outdoor Lighting, the architectural and landscape lighting professionals, has appointed Mitch Balazs to the position of warehouse manager in the NiteLites corporate office located at 6107 Market Avenue in Franklin, Ohio. In his new position, Mr. Balazs will also be responsible for quality control for NiteLites products. Mr. Balazs has worked a variety of warehouse positions in his career, including shipping/receiving, parts and service, and warehouse management.

Mr. Balazs joined NiteLites because he was looking for a growing and respected company with a bright future. He was also looking for a position that allowed him to assume a large amount of responsibility for the assigned duties. He feels his experience and talents will allow him to have an impact on NiteLites and that he will be able to provide a number of benefits to NiteLites, and to the NiteLites franchisees.

When he is not managing the NiteLites warehouse, Mr. Balazs enjoys outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, and sailing his 1968 redbird sailboat. He is also a trained motorcycle mechanic and enjoys racing in amateur AMA events. In addition, he plays guitar and harmonica in a blues jam band, loves the Ohio State Buckeyes, and is a diehard Jimmy Buffett fan.

NiteLites has been in business since 1998, and its sole business is providing professionally designed, installed, and serviced outdoor lighting systems for residential and commercial properties. This lighting company only installs high quality, energy efficient, low voltage fixtures and transformers which are manufactured to their exact specifications. The company’s lighting fixtures are both attractive and rugged as they are cast of brass and copper with acid-etched finishes that will not crack or peel. This national outdoor lighting franchise also provides an industry leading warranty on its outdoor lighting systems for both commercial and residential lighting applications.

For more information on NiteLites Architectural and Landscape Lighting, call 1-866-NITELITES (1-866-648-3548), or visit www.nitelites.com. NiteLites outdoor lighting franchise opportunities are available in many major cities including Las Vegas, Dallas, Fort Worth, Phoenix, San Antonio, Memphis, Boston, New Orleans, Miami, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Seattle, Hartford, Tucson, Denver, Lexington, and San Jose. Entrepreneurs looking for an opportunity that will provide independence and freedom, and an opportunity to gain more control over their lives should look closely at a NiteLites home based franchise. NiteLites is a leader in the booming outdoor lighting industry with a proven business plan and an affordable entry price. For more information, contact Mr. Carl Frederick, Vice President of Franchise Development at 1-877-821-4148, or visit www.nitelites.com/outdoor_lighting_franchise.

But whether the economy in general is “in recession” when companies are laying off – people see their own recession looming.

Many are turning to franchises and increasingly some of those are low overhead and home based.

From the Kansas City Business Journal

A slowing economy — and looming job instability — can provide the final push for employees to explore becoming employers. Franchising or licensing become appealing vehicles for those who have an entrepreneurial spirit but lack a new business idea or the grit to risk investing in a startup.

Franchising has fared well in past recessions, said Terry Hill, a spokesman for the International Franchise Association.

After a whirlwind trip around Australia speaking the principles behind Travel Counsellors, Founder and Chairman David Speakman just wants to emphasize that the franchise is more than just a ‘home-based agency’.

Since the launch of Travel Counsellors into Australia late last year, 12 Australian members have been recruited. Looking ahead Mr Speakman is confident that some 50 Counsellors will be operating in Australia by the end of the year – if not September.

“Because we were the first to do home-based, the way we did it, we got labelled as home-based agents. And we get labelled as a home-based agent with every other man and his dog that do home-based agencies,” said Mr Speakman.

“But they don’t do what we do,” he adds. “It’s about people, it’s not about home-working!”

Travel Counsellors offers members a range of support and tools, from helpdesk, ticketing, marketing, training and a specialised dynamic booking engine, which takes all administration issues out of the equation so agents can just sell, sell, sell.

With no costs to join, Travel Counsellors will set the agent up the agent with a computer, printer/fax, and a suite of Travel Counsellor additions, such as the company’s in-house Phenix dynamic packaging software.

There is a slight catch, potential Counsellors first have to pass a test and prove that they have experience in selling travel products.

After which Travel Counsellors will pay for the agent to be flown down to Melbourne for an intensive three-day training program before being given the tools to set up their own offices.

But the support doesn’t end there; the help desk is always on hand to help agents with questions and needs. Simply put, globally there are 204 staffers to support the 882 Travel Counsellors around the world – nearly a 1:4 ratio.

And the company continues to grow, with record sales of AUD61.8 million in January 2008 alone, this international travel company is hoping to brand Australia with their unique brand of travel philosophy.

For more information visit www.travelhomeworking.com.au, or email them at recruitment@travelcounsellors.com.au

The concept is sound, but you must do your own due diligence. This isn’t a recommendation or endorsement. This type of advertising is similar to Val Pak in the USA.

If the offer is good, usually this type of advertising brings results. If the offer comes across as “pain, misery and drudgery if you call” or “hey fool, spend money with me”, you won’t get called!

Here’s their pitch…

For an investment of only £12,500 you have the opportunity to own your own successful co-operative, offer base direct mail media business.

An advertising vehicle which
- Is unique in the UK
- Delivers tangible results
- Irresistibly cost effective to advertisers
- Works in partnership with the Royal Mail
- Backed up by our bespoke ‘Voucher Packs Online’ website

You can work from home or an office.
You need no technical know how – we take care of all production matters.
Initial appointments supplied.
Comprehensive training & support by qualified professionals.

Your role?
To develop long lasting relationships with your delighted customers and become financially independent.

For more information please visit www.voucherpacksfranchising.co.uk
or call Andrew or Richard on 01253 892814

Update: This post was based on a press release. From the reader comments below there are very negative opinions about this company you may wish to consider.

Currently Friendly Computers has 60 home based franchisees. Long term they want to be 100% “retail” oriented. But perhaps you can get in before that happens if you’re looking for a home based franchise? Interesting.

Founded in 1992, Friendly Computers is now the largest on-site and retail computer repair chain in the country. The company, which began out of a college dorm, provides quick, affordable, and no-hassle computer repair services. In addition to repairing, maintaining and upgrading computer systems, the acquisition of Computer Renaissance better equipped Friendly Computers to offer new, refurbished, and custom-built computers. For more information on Friendly Computers, please visit www.friendlycomputers.com or call 1-888-PCFRIEND (723-7436).