70 Business Franchise Australia

Owning your own home is one of the biggest Australian dreams. We aspire to it, plan for it, save

for it. Then, once we have our own home, we take a great amount of pride, and spend a significant amount of money, on maintaining and improving our most prized possession.

Whether it is putting in the new pool, trimming the lawn, fixing the cracks in the garden path or adding the much sought after tool shed or cubby – our homes are in constant need of attention. Luckily, for the home owner and the vast number of franchises that service these homes and gardens, we often turn to professionals to help us maintain our properties.

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BUILDING A DREAMAUSTRALIANS LOVE OF BEAUTIFUL HOMES AND GARDENS MEANS BIG BUSINESS FOR THE FRANCHISE INDUSTRY

Business Franchise Australia 71

offer these services are thriving. If working with your hands appeals to you and you have background in building, construction, gardening or other trade related skills, or you have just decided it is time for a change, the opportunities available in this sector of franchising are nearly limitless.

There is a franchise system to cover nearly every area of the building and landscape industry. Specific franchise systems include, but are certainly not limited to, kerb installation, building maintenance, home

waterproofing, shed construction, pavement crack repair, antenna installation, mowing, fencing, roofing and landscape maintenance. Add to this the professional services of mortgage brokers, real estate agents and property inspectors and there is certainly a wide market appeal.

One of the biggest appeals toward this type of franchise for many new and potential franchisees is the fact that you get to enjoy the flexibility of making your own hours and you spend a great deal of your time outdoors.

The domestic and commercial building, maintenance and landscape industry has adapted to consumer demand. People are busier today. They have less time for small projects around the home. It is better for people to contract out the jobs to capable businesses than spend the time and money trying to do it themselves. This has resulted in huge market potential for small business owners, including franchisees, to step in and complete these tasks once done by homeowners themselves.

Build relationshipsIt is also about relationships. As the building and landscape jobs required usually take place on our property and in our home, we want someone we know and can trust. A franchisee who lives locally and works for a well-respected brand appeals to us. We know the name of the franchise, it has most likely been recommended by a neighbour or friend, and once we take the first step and call the local franchisee to install our kerbs or repair our roof, chances are we put their business card on our fridge and call them every time we have a similar project or repair. This is assuming they deliver a high quality product with the best customer service.

Make the changeWith so much money being spent in home renovation and maintenance, as well as garden and landscaping, the franchises that

BUILDINGBillings Long Shopfitters

Crackmasters

GroutPro

Independent Property Inspections

James’ Home Services

Jims Mowing

Kwik Kerb

Luxaflex Window Fashions

PoolWerx

SOL Home Improvements

Spraypave Australia

THE Shed Company

Wet-seal

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Certainly there is the administration side of things. Bills must be paid, marketing strategies must be implemented and business plans must be reviewed. But the great majority of your time will be spent on location, helping people to enhance and maintain their homes and their property.

With initial investments of around $15,000 to $25,000 dollars, this is an affordable avenue for people who are seeking a change of lifestyle.

Trust the systemIn buying a franchise, the difficult side of establishing the business and developing operational procedures has already been done for you.

This allows you to get straight to work finding your customers and then delivering top quality products and excellent customer service.

This allows you to choose the franchise system that most aligns with your passions, knowing that the demand for your product exists and the tools necessary to find, generate and keep your customers are already in place.

So in considering a career in the building and landscape sector of franchising...remember it is just as important to build relationships, build trust with your customers and build your business with the assistance of the franchisor.

72 Business Franchise Australia