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With a market size of $21 billion and industry-wide employment surpassing 330,000, interior and exterior painting companies provide services for single-family homes, multi-family dwellings like apartment and condominium buildings, and commercial customers like retail establishments. In addition to applying new coats of paint, industry operators also perform touch ups, alterations, maintenance and repair work on virtually every type of attached and free-standing structure.

With a market size of $21 billion and industry-wide employment surpassing 330,000, interior and exterior painting companies provide services for single-family homes, multi-family dwellings like apartment and condominium buildings, and commercial customers like retail establishments. In addition to applying new coats of paint, industry operators also perform touch ups, alterations, maintenance and repair work on virtually every type of attached and free-standing structure.

Childcare is a large and varied industry category with multiple sub segments. Day care alone generates $54 billion in activity and over 1.4 million jobs. It’s a must-have service and that has was never more obvious since March 2020 when parents and other caregivers scrambled to find reliable, licensed providers. Childcare businesses, including franchises, provide day care services for children, primarily those under the age of five. They also run preschool programs that prepare three- and four-year-old children for kindergarten.

Arguably the most essential of service sector categories, everyone needs water to drink, clean, wash and bathe. With a market size of $124 billion and job-creating engine responsible for over 560,000 U.S. jobs, plumbing offers consistent revenue during good and bad economic times and has increased with the rise of remote work. Plumbing businesses install and maintain plumbing fixtures, fittings and equipment. Industry activities include work on household pipes and drains, installation of gas cooking and heating appliances and work on bathroom and toilet fixtures and venting systems. Emergency repair work (e.g. unclogging drains or repairing burst water mains) makes up a significant source of industry revenue.

Residential cleaning services is a $12 billion industry experiencing steady growth and includes many well-established legacy brands some of which have been around for over 40 years. An uncomplicated industry (businesses clean residences including single-family homes and multi-unit buildings) franchise owners love this industry because the services generate predictable, recurring revenue with high customer retention rates. It’s common to find large, multi-million dollars franchise locations that dominate their local market.

The aging population is living longer and increasingly seeking to age in place, fueling growth for the in-home senior care industry. In fact, senior home care has been one of the fastest-growing franchise segments in recent years as the number of adults older than 65 has ballooned at an annualized rate of 2.9% over the five years to 2021. Services provided may be medical or non-medical and include skilled nursing care, personal care, homemaker and companion services, physical therapy and medical social services. Franchises continue to dominate this industry category. It is not uncommon to find franchise businesses that generate $2, $5 or event $20 million dollars in annual revenue. If you are an empire builder, this industry could be for you!

An increase in this target demographic, which is expected to reach 56.9 million people in 2021, combined with the fact that the average life expectancy is continuing to increase, has contributed to overall growth in demand for in-home senior care services.

Rising housing sales and residential construction are the twin forces fueling this $17 billion industry category. Is pest control glamorous? That depends entirely on who you ask (franchise business owners with million-dollar-plus revenue businesses would emphatically say YES), but it is an essential pillar of public health. Operating a pest control business means providing bird control and exterminating mosquitoes, rodents, termites and other insects and pests for residential, commercial clients and even government clients.

Pest control remains an in-demand service throughout recessions and pandemics because it provides protection (for properties and residents) and improved quality of life. For pest control business owners, the services provide steady recurring income and peace of mind that they will always be in demand no matter the season of the year.

Historically mortgage rates have helped propel this $29 billion industry especially during the last five years and brisk activity within the residential construction market is pushing up profitability for business owners. Businesses in this industry category install resilient flooring, carpeting, ceramic tile, linoleum and wood or other alternatives (like bamboo, laminates and vinyl) and ceramic tile as well as prepare interior and exterior surfaces for the installation of flooring and floor coverings. Services include new work, additions, alterations, maintenance and repairs.

Interestingly, this is an industry category that many would-be flooring company owners assume that they need hands-on installation experience, but that is far from accurate. In fact, the largest and most profitable flooring installation franchise owners have no direct flooring experience at all, which makes this an idea industry for someone with good management experience and customer service instincts.

This is a large, diversified industry that includes everything from dog obedience training, sitting, dog walking, transportation, waste removal, and boarding and grooming. Combined, these services generate just under $104 billion annually and it’s not hard to understand why – almost 70% of U.S. households own at least one pet, up from 56% in 1988. In this industry, the trend is your (the business owner’s) friend.

There is so much variety in this industry and owning a pet care franchise is a fun and rewarding (and lucrative!) way to earn a living and provide a first-rate customer experience.

At $58 billion of market size, the waste collection and management industry is expected to grow significantly over the next five years while introducing more environmentally friendly practices like recycling and green energy initiatives. This is about as straightforward an industry as they come; industry businesses collect hazardous and non-hazardous waste and recyclable materials, including municipal solid waste, household waste, and industrial and commercial waste. The trend of focusing on recycling and “upcycling” shows no signs of slowing down.

Franchises in this industry provide powerful competitive advantages, like trained in-house call centers that schedule waste collection as well as turnkey marketing programs, personalized support in operations, finance and business development. The best franchises combine old-fashioned customer service with state-of-the-art technology to provide customers with timely, professional, removal services

At a market size of over $4 billion, this industry category has no dominant players, the market size of handyman service franchises in the U.S. has increased faster than the economy overall. Handyman services businesses provide general maintenance and repair services to residential and commercial customers, including plumbing and electrical repairs, appliance installation and repair, painting and carpentry. Property owners always need “something done” around the house whether it is installing a ceiling fan or a full bathroom remodel, but either lack the necessary specialized training or desire to do it for themselves.