This Couple Leverages Their Corporate Backgrounds to Run Their Home Improvement Franchise
Tony and Daniela Bianchi channeled their big-business experience into their franchise, House Doctors of Strongsville, Ohio. “We both come from corporate backgrounds,” Daniela says. “Tony was in sales, and I was in marketing and human resources.”
The Bianchis use their corporate skills in networking, hiring and branding for their suburban Cleveland franchise, which tackles all sizes of handyman jobs. Their technicians handle carpentry and plumbing, install doors and windows, do full or partial kitchen and bathroom renovations, and even room additions. They also repair drywall, remove popcorn ceilings and wallpaper, paint indoors and out, and install and repair flooring. The Bianchis opened their House Doctors franchise in August 2021, when the pandemic was still raging. “During Covid, we saw an opportunity as more people reinvested into their homes,” Tony says.
Premium Service Brands encompasses a lot of our core values.
House Doctors franchisee Tony Bianchi
That observation piqued their interest in home services, and House Doctors, part of the Premium Service Brands franchise family, was a perfect fit. “Premium Service Brands encompasses a lot of our core values,” Tony says. “Our main business mission was to provide quality employment– we currently have one office coordinator, a lead manager and six techs – and to give back to the community through employment and the services we provide to our customers.”
Kids-Lift Program
Premium Service Brands’ support of the Kids-Lift nonprofit organization was a key reason we selected them over other franchises.” The Bianchis, parents to a young daughter, “are big supporters of Kids-Lift. In addition, we have sponsored several local events, specifically Littlest Heroes, which provides emergency financial support for families battling pediatric cancer and other childhood illnesses.”
As part of their assistance to Kids-Lift, they help two of its partner organizations. One is the Stuff the Bus program that provides school supplies for local kids in need; the second is Camp Cheerful in Strongsville, which has recreation programs for children with disabilities. “We plan to take a few days a quarter to help Camp Cheerful on-site with repairs, painting and maintenance needs,” Tony says. “We also partnered with a local 360 ̊ Painting franchise, another company with Premium Service Brands, to sponsor the Rotary Club Duck Race,” he adds.
The Bianchis believe community activism is good business. “It’s important for brand recognition and for creating a culture among our employees. In every situation, we try to instill the notion of putting ourselves in the shoes of the consumer,” Daniela says.
Rewards and Challenges
Owning their House Doctors franchise has been both rewarding and challenging. “We have worked to ease our customers’ concerns and possible negativity toward the home services industry by communicating clearly, doing top-quality work and being punctual at all times,” Tony says. “The biggest challenge has been finding quality employees. We have worked hand in hand with trade schools to recruit right after high school or college.”
House Doctors of Strongsville is only one of the Bianchis’ entrepreneurial pursuits. “Daniela owns a restaurant with family members,” Tony says, “and we recently bought into a physical therapy clinic that is a franchise as well.”
Premium Service Brands
House Doctors is a franchise with Premium Service Brands (PSB), a leading franchisor of home services brands. Since its inception, PSB has grown to a network of more than 1,100 locations across North America. Other franchises under the PSB umbrella include ProLift Garage Doors, 360 ̊ Painting, RooterMan, Maid Right, The Grout Medic, Window Gang, and Rubbish Works Junk Removal. Franchisees benefit from being part of the $506 billion home services industry.
Home Improvement Demand
Over the last three years, there has been a resurgence of interest among homeowners in home renovation projects. According to the Joint Center for Housing Centers of Harvard University (JCHS), U.S. home improvement project spending increased from $328 billion in 2019 to $472 billion in 2022, with an estimated 2023 spending of $485 billion. Todayshomeowner.com reports that American homeowners spent $337 billion in new home improvements and repairs in 2020, $368 billion in 2021, and an estimated $427 billion in 2022.
House Doctors Helping Seniors
House Doctors franchisees offer a suite of aging-in-place services so that older Americans can remain in their homes and live independently. House Doctors technicians can handle projects that improve safety and functionality relating to everyday activities such as bathing, cooking, stair climbing, general mobility and more. Examples include the installation of:
- Grab bars
- Easy-opening cabinet and drawer hardware
- Lever faucets and lever doorhandles
- Wider doorways
- Push-button (rather than key-operated) door locks
- Walk-in bathtubs, showers and bathing seats
- Ramps and bridges
- Handrails
- Nonslip flooring
- Level thresholds
For more information about the House Doctors franchise, visit https://housedoctors.com/.