Happy Sunday, folks.
As a franchise consultant, I hear pitches from hundreds of different franchise concepts every year.
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 franchises: holiday lighting installs & men’s hormone clinics.
The business: Holiday lighting installs
The first franchise I owned offered window cleaning, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, and holiday lighting services. To be candid, I hated the first three. I LOVED the holiday lighting business and wished I could stick with that.
This franchise would’ve been the answer to my prayers. It’s all lighting with no cleaning.
The lighting niche is mostly a mess of local one-man bands with ladders, janky websites, and a love of being “fully booked” by mid-November. What sets this one apart: a polished, franchise-first approach that adds structure to a seasonal chaos machine.
What they do differently
Optional year-round play. Most holiday lighting outfits do one thing: cram all their work into Q4, disappear in January, and maybe reemerge next fall. This model adds permanent lighting installs into the mix—adjustable-color lights that stay up year-round. It turns what’s usually a 3-month side hustle into a potential full-time gig.
Centralized marketing and recruiting support. Most small ops rely on Facebook posts and whoever responds to a Craigslist ad. Here, you get agency-grade marketing run by the franchisor, plus real systems to help you hire seasonal installers without losing your mind.
Launch from home. You don’t need a storefront or warehouse to get started. One manager (usually you), a few seasonal installers, and you’re in business. That keeps startup costs and complexity way down.
🚩Potential weakness: It’s still seasonal-heavy. Yes, they pitch a year-round model, but let’s not kid ourselves—the core of the business revolves around November and December. Expect an intense peak season with lots of prep, weather delays, and managing stressed-out clients who want it “just like last year.”
The takeaway:
If you're organized, decent with customers, and fine working like crazy for a few months, this could be a low-risk entry into business ownership. You don’t need a trades background. But you do need to be okay with managing logistics, a crew, and a seasonal rollercoaster. The back-end support is real, and the permanent lighting adds a nice growth lever.
Interested? Let's talk holiday lighting.
The business: Men's hormone clinic
The average men’s health clinic feels like a mini hospital—cold, slow, and generally not built for guys who hate going to the doctor. This brand flips that. Think ESPN on the TV, snacks on the counter, and testosterone results in 15 minutes.
What they do differently
It’s a man-cave with lab results. Traditional clinics are sterile and slow. These feel more like a lounge—big chairs, sports on TV, snacks—and they run your lab work in-house. No third-party labs, no waiting a week for results.
Recurring revenue with real loyalty. Men's hormone therapy isn’t a one-and-done service. Once you’ve got a guy feeling like he’s 35 again, he tends to stick around. Add in a membership model and you’ve got predictability most clinics only dream about.
No MD required. You don’t need to be a doctor—or even have medical experience—to open one. The model lets you hire a small medical team (think NP + assistant) and run the business from the front.
🚩Potential weakness: Regulatory complexity. Healthcare always comes with strings attached. Even though you’re not practicing medicine, you’ll need to navigate state-specific rules and work closely with your contracted medical director. It's all doable—but not totally hands-off.
The takeaway:
This is for the operator who’s into health, likes the idea of semi-absentee ownership, and doesn’t mind hiring licensed talent. You don’t need to know a thing about testosterone—but you do need to understand customer service and team-building. Big opportunity in an underserved, fast-growing niche.
Interested? Let’s talk testosterone clinics.
If these aren’t doing it for you, I work with hundreds of other brands. Get in touch and we can find something that scratches the itch.
Thanks for reading!
Connor
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