Hire A Hubby’s Enterprise franchises offer career changers a chance to swap corporate life for running a team, winning customers and building something they own.
Leaving a salaried job to start a business can be exciting. It can also mean confronting a daunting list of things you have never done before.
Finding customers. Pricing jobs. Hiring people. Keeping the invoices moving.
Hire A Hubby general manager Jason Hill says its Enterprise franchise model offers a way into business ownership with support behind you, and room to build beyond a one-person operation.
The familiar image of a handyman arriving in a van tells only part of the story.
“Enterprise owners run teams, coordinate jobs and develop customer relationships,” Hill says.
“They don’t necessarily need a trade qualification themselves. Management experience, practical interests and an ability to organise people are key to a successful Hire A Hubby Enterprise franchise.”
From finance to fixing things
The backgrounds of existing Hire A Hubby owners show there is no single route into the business.
One Auckland operator came from corporate finance, bringing experience running teams alongside hands-on skills developed outside work. Another had owned a store and a Fonterra distribution business. Others brought experience in arboriculture and panel beating.
A long-serving husband-and-wife team, whose backgrounds included newspaper work, built their operation from a Kāpiti Coast territory into a business spanning much of the Wellington region.
Hire A Hubby has operated in New Zealand for nearly 30 years and currently has 48 franchise owners, including five Enterprise operators. Those five all started in its Foundation model, essentially as an owner and sole operator, before expanding.
Hill now wants to attract people directly into Enterprise ownership. Existing businesses have between three and eight employees, with the largest turning over about $2 million in revenue annually.
A market beyond odd jobs
The opportunity ranges from household repairs and kitchen or bathroom remodels to renovations and ongoing total property maintenance for commercial businesses, real estate and rental companies.
For customers, the attraction is having someone organise the entire project end to end, including specialist contractors, rather than juggling separate tradespeople and timetables.
Enterprise owners can employ capable maintenance staff and bring in plumbers, electricians and other specialists as required, building a business that has value beyond the owner’s daily labour.
“You don’t need to hold the hammer, but you do need great people around you who can. When your team executes the work in the field, your job as CEO is strategic growth – winning commercial accounts, developing regional contracts, and expanding your footprint.”
Growth also extends beyond individual households. Property managers, body corporates and commercial customers need reliable maintenance providers. An owner with staff handling the work has more time to develop those relationships.
Enterprise operators are not constrained by territory boundary lines, and collaboration between Hire A Hubby franchisees is common. Hill sees substantial room to grow across the country.
Renovation work starts returning
Trading conditions have been challenging in recent years. Hill says homeowners have deferred discretionary projects, leaving maintenance operators doing smaller, essential repairs.
The construction slowdown also brought more competitors into that market.
“Over the past three months, however, the network has begun seeing higher-value work return, including more quotes for bathrooms, kitchens, gates and outdoor entertaining areas,” Hill says.
As one of New Zealand’s largest property maintenance brands, Hire A Hubby has developed a reputation for quality and excellence that is backed by robust insurance and health and safety systems.
Support, without surrendering control
Franchisees receive training in quoting and customer service, access to health and safety systems, invoicing software and national and local marketing support.
“Every business owner has their own dedicated business adviser,” Hill says.
That adviser provides coaching, regular check-ins and accountability. Support can include benchmarking, margin growth, and helping owners reconnect with previous customers rather than constantly chasing new ones.
Owners retain responsibility for their customer accounts and pricing, with guidance and benchmarking available from the network.
“We provide the systems, national purchasing power, and pricing frameworks, but the franchisee has total financial control of their revenue”
Alliance arrangements also provide access to discounted fuel, supplies and other services that lower the overall operating costs below the level of a comparable independent business. Finance partner MTF offers preferential lending rates, making it easier to get into a Hire A Hubby franchise.
Building an asset
The Enterprise franchise fee starts at $125,000. Vehicles, tools and working capital come on top, with the total depending on how the owner plans to launch and grow.
The longer-term ambition is to scale and lead a team, allowing the owner to capture higher-revenue projects and run multiple jobs at the same time – thereby creating a valuable asset.
Prospective buyers can review the franchise agreement and systems before committing and speak directly with existing franchisees.
“Don’t just take our word for it,” says Hill.
“Our best ambassadors are the Hubbies themselves, so I encourage prospective buyers to connect with our network and hear first-hand about what it takes to run a multi-million-dollar business”.
Those conversations offer a grounded view of both the opportunities and the demands. An established brand and support network do not remove the work involved in building a business.
“A proven blueprint eliminates trial and error, but it doesn’t replace drive,” says Hill.
“Building a high-performing enterprise takes grit and leadership, but for the right person, the reward is total financial independence and an asset you are proud to own.”
For career changers, that balance is the proposition – ownership and independence, without having to figure everything out alone.
To find out more about Hire A Hubby Enterprise franchise opportunities, visit https://hireahubby.co.nz/franchise