A customer who recommends your business to a friend has done something no marketing budget can guarantee: they've put their own reputation behind your work.
On a recent episode of Franchise Focus with host Laura Blackmore, TruBlue Home Service Ally President Sean Fitzgerald, CFE, explained how TruBlue owners earn that kind of trust and what it takes to build a home service business customers recommend.
A Holistic Approach to the Home
Sean joined TruBlue in 2020 after leading a senior care franchise and after his family lost his father-in-law following a fall at home. Since then, TruBlue has grown to 185 operating locations. That personal loss shaped TruBlue's approach. Most falls aren't caused by a missing grab bar. They come from clutter, deferred maintenance, and seniors taking on jobs they shouldn't.
So TruBlue combines senior home safety assessments, safety modifications, and recurring maintenance packages. Owners are Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists (CAPS), and team members are screened, background-checked, and insured, the same standards you'd expect from a caregiver. Those standards appeal to every customer, including the many active adults 55 and older who simply don't want to do repairs themselves anymore.
Owners lead, technicians do the work
Candidates often worry that they don't know home repair. Sean's answer: "Good. That's who we want as operators."
Senior care owners aren't doctors or nurses, and TruBlue owners don't need to be tradespeople. They focus on sales, marketing, and building teams, while lead technicians and technicians handle the work. TruBlue's iCare referral program gives owners a detailed playbook for building relationships with the medical and senior communities, where fall prevention is already a priority.
The mission helps with hiring too. Technicians have aging parents and grandparents, so the work means something to them. That sense of purpose, along with clear paths to lead technician and general manager roles, helps owners become the employer of choice in their markets.
From one-time jobs to lifelong relationships
Sean wants TruBlue to be "the Jiffy Lube to the home." Maintenance packages turn occasional repairs into scheduled service and give owners a reason to see customers every quarter. They also lift a burden from adult children who are arranging help for aging parents.
Over time, owners become each customer's home ally, the first call for anything. They also become trusted connectors who trade referrals with local plumbers, HVAC companies, and other trades.
A simple model, with time on your side
Technicians are TruBlue's cost of goods sold, so growth comes down to keeping enough technicians busy to reach your goals. Most owners start out home-based, and technicians bring their own tools. A detailed two-year roadmap and a dedicated scaling coach guide owners as they grow.
Demand keeps rising as people live longer and more of them age in place. In retail, the first month is often the best one. A home service business that delivers a great experience tends to keep growing as referrals build. In Sean's words: "This is one industry where time is on your side."
Is TruBlue right for you?
Sean says the biggest variable is the owner. Owners who succeed are proactive networkers who stay visible in their communities, build strong teams, and treat every customer as a relationship. Do that well, and customers will recommend you to the people they care about.
