Franchise Anonymous #001: Bathroom remodeling

Hey folks!

Happy Sunday. I’m trying something new. Let me know what you think at the end!

As a franchise consultant, I have access to proprietary pitch decks from hundreds of different franchises. 

I’m taking the most interesting ones, and telling you: 

• What sets them apart

• One potential weakness

• Who the ideal buyer is

My promise: you’ll learn something about franchising every time. 

Today’s mystery franchise: A bathroom remodeling brand that actually makes sense.

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Let’s face it—most home service franchises sound like a headache: expensive equipment, long project timelines, and a thousand moving parts. But this one? It’s refreshingly simple.

What they do differently

1. Remodels in 1–2 days
The typical bathroom remodel drags on for a couple of weeks. There's demo, delays, and the contractor ghosting you midway through.

These guys skip the drama. With a proprietary panel system, they knock out most jobs in under two days.

That speed’s not just for show—it keeps customers happy and lets franchisees churn more jobs.

2. Start from home, grow as you go
Most franchises require you to sign a lease, buy a truck, and fill it with equipment before dollar one.

This one? You can launch from your living room. No retail space. No van. You hire a couple folks and get going.

That’s rare—and it keeps the overhead low while you’re figuring things out.

3. They close more deals (thanks to visualizer tech)
Usually, remodeling sales are a bit of a guessing game. “Imagine it like this, but...nicer.”

Here, the customer gets a live visual of the remodel before they sign.

It takes the pressure off and makes it a lot easier for people to say yes. More deals, less selling.

4. Higher-than-average ticket size
The average job here is over $12K. That’s definitely above average for this vertical.

You’re not chasing tiny jobs. A few solid closes each month and you’re in good shape.

5. Potential weakness: You still need to hire and manage tradespeople

This isn’t totally hands-off. You’ll need to find, train, and retain a reliable installer or two.

They do offer recruiting support and training, but let’s be real—good tradespeople aren’t just waiting around for you to call.

If managing blue-collar labor stresses you out, this might not be your game.

The breakdown

Let’s break this business down with my proprietary GROCE framework (modest, I know).

Geography
Solid fit for suburban and metro areas with at least 150,000 households. Not a rural play. You want density.

Real Estate
Home-based to start. No showroom, no lease. Eventually, maybe a small office—but that’s optional.

Ops / Sales
You’re not swinging hammers. Ideal owner is a people manager or a sales-minded operator. Most franchisees have zero remodeling experience (and they’re doing fine).

Capital
Total investment runs $125K–$270K. You’ll need $100K liquid, $250K net worth. SBA-friendly. 

Expansion
Most start with 1–2 territories. Top operators scale into multiple crews and step back. There’s a clear playbook to grow past $1M in sales—and some have gone way beyond that.

Final take:
This isn’t a passion project. 

It’s a straightforward, operationally-light business with strong unit economics and room to grow. 

So, if you want something that feels more like running a team and less like running a job site, it’s worth a look.

Want the name? Let’s talk.

If you’ve got feedback I’d love to hear it. Hit reply!

— Connor

P.S. I’ve got a webinar coming up on June 12: the 3 hottest franchise models of 2025, with Michael Girdley. RSVP now so you don’t miss it!

Ready for the next step? Here are 3 ways I can help you: