Happinest Brands Focusing on Vertical Growth Strategy with Centralized Model

As multi-brand franchisor Happinest Brands looks ahead toward 2023, the new year is expected to be full of milestones. The parent company is slated to reach 900 units in total in the coming months and as operations grow, the franchise must remain resolute in its thoughtful and responsible scaling strategies for home services companies Lawn Doctor*, Mosquito Hunters* and ecomaids.

“We're very proud of our growth strategy. We call it ‘building a house out of bricks,’ and do so by adding one egg at a time to the Happinest nest,” explained Eric Martin, senior vice president of franchise development. “We've learned over decades of doing this that the right way to build density and efficiency, especially in a route-based business, is with a vertical mentality. Growing upwards is much more conducive to our type of model, and we really want to build an ecosystem around the country of brands and owners that work together.” 

Happinest’s vertical growth strategy also allows business owners to scale in a way that is cost-effective to them, streamlining operations along the way. The model encompasses a solid foundation of shared resources, infrastructure and customer bases between franchises. 

“We have designed a model of vertical growth for our franchises, because growing outward and having to cover more miles is not in their favor. Clusters of customers are more efficient, and ultimately more profitable,” said Sharon Cupach, vice president of franchise development.

With more than 200 years of combined experience in franchising, the Leadership Team at Happinest knows exactly what kind of businesses will thrive under its umbrella. When looking at potential concepts to add as another “egg to its nest,” Happinest identifies emerging home service brands with plenty of whitespace and opportunity for growth.

“We're focused on partnering with smaller companies with unique technology and approaches to the market that can grow with Happinest,” explained Ronald Ens, franchise development manager for Mosquito Hunters and ecomaids.

Prioritizing newer brands with a long runway of opportunity for development and growth in strategic steps is a major differentiator. While other parent companies look to acquire big-name businesses, Happinest seeks potential, aiming to help build and accelerate concepts instead.  

“We're very selective on brands that we pick out; we have a very detailed matrix on how we score businesses we're going after. They have to fit into our culture and be the right egg for our nest,” said Martin. “Our strategy is to go after brands that have great leaders and teams in place that can really plug into what we bring in terms of value at Happinest, which is centralization.”

The franchisor’s infrastructure of system-wide support includes a sales call center, a centralized media program, software platforms, comparative financial statements, infrastructure capital, insurance benefits and more. Sharing these resources between brands helps drive down the cost of customer acquisition, labor and operations.

“We've gotten savvier in utilizing technology and shared systems in our company. We have different peer groups and are benchmarking more than we ever have,” said Martin. “Being able to track everything we do gives our owners optics into what success looks like and what can move the needle.”

Having access to a nearly 900-unit network of support to hang their hats on is a huge business owner benefit for Lawn Doctor, Mosquito Hunters and ecomaids franchisees, and will continue to be for new owners and brands that enter the system. Happinest Brands plans to add new eggs to its nest soon, further building its house of bricks. 

“These companies we partner with in the future have access to a great central program and great team with a lot of experience,” said Martin. “They can feel confident in our nest because they know they will get that same value and resources as our other brands, which are proven cases of success.”

The startup costs for a Lawn Doctor franchise range from $116,465-$141,815. To learn more about franchising with Lawn Doctor, visit https://lawndoctorfranchise.com/

The total investment necessary to open a Mosquito Hunters franchise ranges from $89,187-$116,187. For more information on franchising opportunities with Mosquito Hunters, visit https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com

The total investment necessary to open an ecomaids franchise ranges from $110,990-$136,379. For more information on franchising opportunities with ecomaids, visit https://ecomaidsfranchise.com/