In 1989, I decided to jump head-first into the painting business for the same reason I would today. You can build as large a business as you want, and the competition is not very sophisticated compared to other industries.
When I started, there were no painting or handyman franchises. It was mostly just two guys and a truck. It is still that way today. I was at a painting convention, and I believe I heard that the average size of a painting in the US is 1.8 people. I guess that’s two people, but the helper is a no-show on Monday.
Other industries had similar margins but were more competitive and sophisticated. I choose the path of least resistance.
There are now about a dozen painting franchises, but they still make up a small total percentage of all painting businesses. And the same is true for handyman services.
Franchises in the home service industry are increasing because of a huge need. The industry is one of the least organized, with prices and services all over the spectrum.