By Andrew Skehan, Home Franchise Concepts 

Following another successful year meeting the growing demands of the home services industry, Home Franchise Concepts, a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, is excited to reflect on its accomplishments of 2024 as the year comes to an end.

This year, Home Franchise Concepts surpassed growth targets by signing more than 175 new deals — with more growth in the pipeline before year-end — within our portfolio of brands, including AdvantaClean®, Aussie Pet Mobile®, Bath Tune-Up®, Budget Blinds®, Concrete Craft®, Kitchen Tune-Up®, Lightspeed Restoration™, PremierGarage®, The Tailored Closet®, and Two Maids®.

In 2024, new business in overall home services exceeded expectations, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers of openings across the industry. Home improvement trends such as the increase of time families are spending at home due to changing lifestyles and work from home jobs as well as higher interest rates encouraged homeowners to renovate their spaces and increased demand for these types of services. Being in franchising for nearly two decades, I am pleased to see the field evolve in such a healthy manner.

Innovation as a Focus

For Home Franchise Concepts, innovation was a key focus in 2024. We were pleased to see multiple brands recognized for their creativity in various awards throughout the year. Budget Blinds, the largest window coverings franchise in North America, was recognized for launching an outstanding paid social campaign on TikTok that gave a modern and personal touch to the traditional approach of creating brand awareness. Additionally, Budget Blinds remained committed to implementing automation and exceeding safety standards for its customers across the country. In compliance with the latest U.S. regulations, which state that all window covering products sold in the U.S. must be cordless or have inaccessible cords, Budget Blinds was already a leader in this field, as the brand prioritized safety and convenience well before the regulations were put into place. As a portfolio, we’re proud to stay ahead of the curve in each of our industry sectors.

Another growing segment within our family of brands is pet grooming. This year, Aussie Pet Mobile worked to significantly grow the number of grooming vans in service across the nation. Our innovative vans are custom built with air conditioning, heat, electricity, and water and do not require any outside electrical or water connections. While most competing grooming vehicles operate on generator power or by leaving their vehicles on while in service, our fleets run on lithium-ion batteries to provide more energy savings and an environmentally friendly approach to pet grooming. Aussie Pet Mobile also uses the latest marketing tools and technology to build clientele quickly, such as a best-in-class software that easily books appointments from a mobile device or desktop, prompts the client to upgrade their grooms with additional services, sends automated text reminders, and lets clients provide groomer reviews.

Similarly, multiple Home Franchise Concepts brands utilized technology to revolutionize the customer experience. Kitchen Tune-Up and Bath Tune-Up both integrated a new Online Design Tool where customers are now able to visualize their new kitchen or bathroom on the website. Kitchen Tune-Up’s new Augmented Reality App allows a client to select different countertops, cabinets styles, colors, and hardware, and have their kitchen transformed on an iPad during the in-home consultation.

Emerging Brand Growth

This year also marked the second year of operation for our newest brand, Lightspeed Restoration. This 24/7 water and fire restoration service brand has proved to be a beneficial addition to the Home Franchise Concepts family of brands, filling a gap in the industry for emergency repairs across key markets nationwide. This year, Lightspeed Restoration experienced aggressive growth, signing 17 development deals and representing 28 territories. With a goal to expand to additional markets including Miami, Tampa, Las Vegas and Phoenix by the end of the year, the brand pushed hard to open in these trending metropolitan areas in need of reliable restoration services.

Welcoming the Next Generation of Owners

It has also been a pleasure to see a wave of new generation owner-operators enter the business this year. At Home Franchise Concepts, we are known for creating an environment that truly resembles the concept of “home” and presents opportunities for entrepreneurs to create generational wealth. Through this we’ve had many franchisees build successful family businesses, passing down knowledge and experience to their children or family members who also find a passion in the industry. This type of community with genuine passion is something we’ve strived to build and hope to see more of in coming years.

Continued Commitment to Our Family of Brands

Being a part of such a trending industry, we’ve worked hard to stand apart from other parent companies and franchises by retaining our core values of building mutually rewarding relationships, while also leveraging modern consumer behavior. Capitalizing on these trends and creating effective solutions, many established franchisees at Home Franchise Concepts took the opportunity to tap into new markets, expanding brand awareness and aiding in reaching our expansion goals.

To close out the year, we remain committed to continued expansion in target markets, generating additional brand awareness, and working together to create a welcoming environment for all. As a family of 10 unified brands, we’ve created a solid foundation for continued growth and success in the years to come. Looking into 2025, we are excited for what lies ahead with the home service industry trending toward even further growth.

Andrew Skehan is the chief executive officer of Home Franchise Concepts.