Franchise choice yields handsome returns
When Vancouver resident Kenny Fritzler decided to buy into a business franchise in 2003, he shopped around. He looked at lube and oil shops, pizza restaurants and other ideas. All of these seemed either too limited or too saturated in terms of competition. Then, he ran across an interesting one. It required a comprehensive collection of home improvement tools, and he would have to buy them all. And a truck. He would have to buy that too. The only thing he would get would be the name and its alleged good reputation, and a territory in which to do business. Everything else was up to him.
He picked that one, and today he’s a happy man.
Handyman Matters is a nine-year-old national company with 130 franchises.
"I had the feeling that all (Handyman Matters) wanted to do was to perform a good, honest service," Fritzler said of his decision. "That’s probably something that isn’t rampant in this industry."
Handyman Matters Vancouver offers standard home repair, remodeling and finish carpentry, specializing in kitchen and bath remodels. Three years into the game, Fritzer’s client base is close to 1,000, ranging from Vancouver and Clark County all the way down to Wilsonville in Oregon.
"We service about forty to fifty clients a week," he said.
Fritzler has to hold his 20 employees to a high standard.
"The fact that we’re a national franchise makes us a higher profile company," he said. Because of this, hiring has become Fritzler’s biggest challenge.
"I actually had one guy quit, and his words to me were, ‘I don’t think I can live up to your standards," Fritzler said. "I applauded him for that."
Fritzler said hiring quality people seems to attract or at least create other quality workers. Still, he says once in a while a "tradesman" who clearly bought his tools the day before will slip under the radar, but it doesn’t take long to notice.
"Those are always very short relationships," he said. "I have a field superintendent that does quality control. A new person can come in as a trainee, and that’s a chance for him to show what he can do. We choose to put them doing what they are good at."
Fritzler started out with four guys and an ad in the Yellow Pages. His first job was a $15,000 kitchen remodel. It was show time, and he had a brand-new crew of strangers.
"It was interesting," he said. "There was a little work that we had to do over, and I really didn’t make any money on that job, but I earned the trust of the client and I got more business because of it. To this date, after that one, I’ve never walked away from any job where I had to return and lose money."
Fritzler netted $200,000 in that first year. This year, he’s on track to make $2 million, and will branch out to commercial contracts. He said he’s also in the process of implementing a profit-sharing program for his employees.
"I actually feel that I have a responsibility to the guys that work for me," he said. "It’s a huge challenge. It’s a complicated picture, but it’s where my heart is."
