If you’re looking at franchise opportunities right now, you’ve probably seen the shiny stuff first: boutique fitness, polished wellness studios, trendy food brands with Instagram-worthy aesthetics.here’s another side of franchising most people scroll past: the so-called “boring” or “dirty” businesses in home services – restoration, cleaning, pest control, HVAC and more. They’re not flashy, but they check the boxes that actually matter: demand, stability, margins and scalability.
There’s a reason the home service industry reached $870 billion in 2025, and Dan Claps, CEO of Voda Cleaning & Restoration, summed it up perfectly.
“Business is about the results, not the day-to-day of what you do,” he said. “The outcomes of the business are sexy.”
We’re talking about these outcomes and why home service franchises might be the smartest move you make when buying a business. And tune in to Dan’s full interview on “The Sidekick Life” podcast.
Because the most overlooked industries are the ones quietly driving the strongest demand, stability and profit.
We see it every day. Trends come and go, but pipes still burst, roofs get replaced and windows need to be upgraded.
Before Voda, Dan ran a franchise lead-generation company and watched buyers land in all kinds of industries. When he looked back at the people who chose home service franchises, one thing stood out – they barely flinched when the economy shifted.
From his vantage point, “They didn’t really experience the changes in the economy or the changes in buying habits. It just seemed like the most stable business of all the things.”
That’s the difference between a want-based concept and a need-based home service franchise. People may delay buying luxury services, but they’re not going to ignore a flooded kitchen.
If you zoom out, the macro trend lines heavily favor home services.
“Homes will continue to get older and need more repairs,” Dan said. “The average age will continue to go up and need more. Generations will want to delegate more of that.”
You can probably see that in your own life:
Layer on population growth and aging housing stock, and you start to see why home services are projected to reach massive market sizes over the next decade. These aren’t just businesses that survive, they’re businesses with a built-in tailwind.
One of the reasons Dan chose restoration as his “boring business” is because of how fragmented it is.
There are plenty of independent operators in home services, but many:
Dan noticed that in restoration, franchises still make up a small share of the total market, which means there’s plenty of room for organized, brand-driven, system-led franchisees to step in and dominate the competition.
That’s the pattern across many home service franchise brands. Enter a market where the work is essential, but the business sophistication is lagging, and then win with better branding, technology and processes.
After selling his previous business, Dan didn’t immediately know what his next move would be. He was honest about being nervous – “What if I was just lucky? What if I can’t do this again?” – so he went back to fundamentals.
A book called Enterprise Value by Peter Worrell shifted his thinking. It pushed him to choose the right industry first.
“I think 80% of business is picking the right industry,” Dan said.
If you pick the right industry, you can make some mistakes and still weather the storm.
He focused on spaces that:
Franchising + home services + restoration checked all those boxes.
As a franchise buyer, you don’t have to be a private-equity analyst to benefit from that logic. But you do want to be in an industry that smart money believes in because that usually mirrors strong fundamentals.
Because they offer need-based services with growing demand, operate in fragmented markets where better systems and branding can win, often have attractive unit economics without heavy real estate overhead and allow franchise owners to scale by leading teams rather than doing the trade work themselves.
Home service franchises are usually doing something very straightforward: Cleaning, restoring, repairing, hauling, treating, maintaining.
The opportunity isn’t in inventing something new, it’s in delivering it better, faster and more reliably than anyone else.
At Voda’s level, that looks like:
You’re not getting into a home service franchise to reinvent the wheel. You’re getting in to run the playbook, then scale it.
No franchise should be evaluated on story alone. The unit economics have to make sense.
Dan doesn’t sugarcoat it, “No one woke up one day wanting to own a home service business when they were six years old. They have to make money.”
Once Voda had enough franchise owners open, they were able to report average first-year numbers.
The average first-year franchisee hit around $500,000 in sales, with some topping $1 million and others below that. The specific numbers will always vary by brand, territory and execution, but that range is a good reminder that a “boring business” can still be a serious revenue engine.
And because many home service models:
There's real potential for healthy margins when run well.
One of the biggest myths about home services is that you have to be “the trade person.”
Dan is living proof that’s not true.
“I’m probably the least handy person you’ll meet in home services running a large home services company.”
What matters more is:
In restoration they want a labor pool where, “anyone with a good attitude that’s good with their hands, we could teach them the trade,” Dan said.
Many home service franchise owners never crawl under a house or tear up soaked carpet. They hire and lead technicians while they focus on growth, partnerships and team development.
Most of the time, people don’t come to brands like Voda saying, “I’ve always dreamed of owning a restoration company.”
They think they want something flashy until they see they can take the same investment and put it into marketing, hiring and scaling a home service business with stronger fundamentals.
The owners who thrive in home service franchises tend to:
Build a business with the right fundamentals … and learn to love the game of building it.
Focus on a need-based industry, strong brand and marketing support, transparent unit economics, clear operating systems, a realistic labor model, proven lead generation and room to scale through territory or service expansion. Use this practical checklist:
Choosing the right franchise shouldn’t feel overwhelming – and it doesn’t have to. At Franchise Sidekick, we guide you through the entire process, so you can confidently select a business that fits your goals, budget, lifestyle and strengths.
We break down the noise, compare top home service brands and help you understand the real day-to-day of each opportunity so you can make a smart, low-risk decision. Our advisors have helped entrepreneurs open more than 10,000 franchise locations, and our process is always 100% free to our clients.
Ready to explore the right “boring” business for you? Schedule a call with a Sidekick Advisor and get personalized guidance today.
No. Most home service franchise owners are not former technicians. They come from business, sales, corporate or leadership roles and focus on hiring, leading and growing a team while the franchisor provides technical training and systems.
They’re not immune to everything, but they’re about as close as you can get. Because they solve essential problems – water damage, broken systems, maintenance needs – demand doesn’t disappear just because the economy dips.
Earnings vary by brand, territory, execution and time in business. In Voda’s case, Dan shared that the average first-year franchisee hit around $500,000 in sales, with some reaching roughly $1 million and others below that. Your best source of truth is the FDD and speaking directly with existing franchisees.
Some models support semi-absentee ownership once the business is stable and has a solid team in place. Most owners should expect to be actively involved at the beginning, then gradually step back as systems and people mature.
Look for:
Working with Franchise Sidekick makes it much easier to sort serious, scalable brands from those that aren’t ready for your investment.