Text: Rachel Spaul

The US market for professional home repair and remodelling totals over US$150 billion, and is rated as one of the hottest trends in franchising (by Entrepreneur magazine). Providing a simple and reliable home repair service, Maintenance Made Simple was created in response to the founders' frustrations with the home repair industry, which they found to be dominated by lateness and overcharging. The offering is simple: to greet customers over the phone with a warm, professional voice; to provide specific appointment times, consistent pricing structure, and professional, licensed and insured craftsmen. "We have raised the standards of home repair and remodelling services in the US and are currently searching for Master Franchisees to partner with us in taking the brand forward internationally," says Maintenance Made Simple President Michael McNinch.

"Europe is our number one target market and the UK is top of the list. We know that this concept will work well in Europe. The demographics, concentrated population, and socioeconomics provide an ideal environment to offer Maintenance Made Simple Services."

With high levels of interest from prospective single unit franchisees around the world, Maintenance Made Simple is eager to expand quickly, but assures that this will be in a controlled and manageable fashion. "We offer Master Franchisees a turnkey package, a developed brand and a proven business system," McNinch explains. "We've developed a comprehensive training programme delivered at our head office in Arizona, with existing US franchisees and at the Master Franchisee's office. Master Franchisees spend considerable time with all the Maintenance Made Simple management team developing the skills necessary to launch the business successfully.

"We're primarily concerned that the Master Franchisee shares our passion for the industry, that they are motivated to develop new franchises and to drive the brand in new markets. Sales and business development experience would be helpful, but is not essential. A Master Franchisee could hire a person to fill the development role and another person to fill the operations role."

This is backed up by ongoing support from the Director of Operations, Chief Operating Officer, the Sales Development team and call centre staff, dedicated general operations manual, jumpstart, contractor and estimating, dispatcher/call centre, and marketing manuals. "We're committed to the success of our Master Franchisees," McNinch adds. "We're continuing to develop numerous marketing materials, new services and product offerings, and new methods for delivering our services more efficiently. Master Franchisees will benefit from our desire to develop the best home repair and remodelling service available.

"For example, our proprietary Contractor Relationship Management System allows you to find, identify, recruit and maintain top home repair specialists in your market that will make you proud to say they represent you and your franchise. We also provide a Proprietary Database system which handles scheduling and accounting, plus a full suite of over 150 marketing tools. Maintenance Made Simple is expanding, and we're offering Master Franchisees the opportunity to grow the brand while enjoying a great lifestyle."