Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires destroy homes and business every year. The homes and businesses affected need to be cleaned up and restored back to their original condition. Did you know that there are franchise businesses that specialize in disaster cleanup and restoration?
Opportunities That Are Under the Radar
Before I entered the world of franchising, I had no idea that disaster cleanup and restoration businesses even existed. And, I really didn't know that a lot of them were franchise businesses. Did you?
Franchise opportunities like the ones I'm referring to, are off the radar of most of today's franchise-seekers. For instance, what opportunities are you investigating? Are any of them franchise opportunities that most people don't think of looking into? Or, do they fall under the more popular categories like food and retail?
It's perfectly all right to look at popular categories in franchising. You may find one that's perfect for you. But, are you looking at all the available options?
Disaster Cleanup & Restoration Businesses
Seeing a Servpro truck on your street is never a good sign–especially for the homeowner or business that the vehicle is in front of; it means that something happened; something requiring professional cleanup services.
FYI: Franchise businesses in this category don't only appear after major disasters affect entire neighborhoods. They deal with matters such as:
- Fire/smoke damage
- Water heater leaks
- Black mold removal
- Odor removal
- Crime scene cleanup
A Specialized Field. Recession-Proof, Too?
This is a highly specialized field. There are specific solvents and equipment that need to be used to properly cleanup and repair damage to homes and businesses. It takes time to learn how to provide these services. Franchisors in this category provide the specialized training needed by franchisees to do this type of work.
Not only is this a very specialized field to be in, it's also pretty recession proof. Here's why:
Think about how a potential customer appears. Think about how you would go about trying to cleanup your home if your water heater blew.
Would you go online and try to find a company that handles floods? Maybe. And, if you used that technique, you would try to find one that could come to your home quickly. It wouldn't be about price at that point; it would be about speed. You need your flooded family room fixed–and fast!
Fact: Disasters happen in good times and bad times. They're not affected by the ups and downs of the economy. People can't and don't price-shop when they need their flooded or burned out homes repaired.
My bet is that after you calmed down-after working through the fact that your carpeting and or hard surface flooring would need to be repaired or replaced, you would call your insurance company for help. And guess what? Your insurance person has a list of companies that are ready and willing to quickly be of service. And, a lot of them are franchise companies. Local franchisees in your area.
The Owner's Role
Your role as the owner of a disaster cleanup and restoration franchise, is two-fold.
- You'll be doing some of the cleaning and repair at first. You'll need to know what you're talking about when potential customers ask questions. The best way to do that is to actually do the work.
- You'll also be in charge of new business development. Can you guess who you'll be calling on?
If you guessed that you'd be contacting every insurance company in your territory you'd be right. Your business is one that depends heavily on referrals, not just insurance companies and insurance adjusters.
For example, you'll want to get to know the people who work at city hall, and the local fire department and police departments in your area. And, there are plenty of other referral sources you'll learn about if you become the owner of a franchise business in disaster cleanup and restoration.
Now You Know
I gave you a brief overview of a franchise business type that you may not have been aware of. I'm not trying to sell you on the idea of buying a franchise like this but disaster cleanup and restoration is just one of them.
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