Speedy Patch Drywall Repair Launches Franchise Opportunity Amid Home-Services Boom

The home services industry is booming, and Speedy Patch Drywall Repair is gearing up to capture an outsized share of that market with the launch of its new franchise opportunity, which will expand the brand out from its corporate location in Columbus, Ohio, to markets across the country. 

T??he $506 billion home services industry had been growing year over year even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced people around the world to transform their homes into offices, classrooms, gyms and a host of other functions. Since then, homeowners have been reinvesting in home repairs and renovations. And according to Christian Cagle, Speedy Patch’s CEO and co-founder, the home services industry has received yet another shot in the arm from the current tumultuous housing market. 

“Homeownership is extremely high right now, but fewer and fewer people are purchasing in this real estate market,” he said. “Those two factors in combination create the perfect conditions for home services to thrive because you’ve got more homeowners than ever before who, rather than seeking an upgrade by purchasing new homes, are reinvesting in their existing homes. They also want to ensure that their home retains their value as interest rates increase, so they have a vested financial interest in repairing leaks, damages and other issues. As a result, we see a huge spike in demand.”

Cagle, a former public school educator, co-founded Speedy Patch with his son Evan just over four years ago, continuing the family’s four-generation-long history in drywall repair. At first, the two-person operation primarily serviced family and friends around their home in Columbus. But once they started posting ads online, Cagle says business quickly took off.

“We were genuinely surprised to see just how much demand there was for drywall services and that demand has only grown over the years,” he said. “We made a name for ourselves just by being trustworthy and doing what we said we would do. Too often in this industry, people don’t show up on time, their final bill doesn't match the quote, or they just do shoddy work. So we found a major opportunity for ourselves just by showing some integrity.”

Speedy Patch found another critical advantage by keeping its overhead low, something Cagle says is built into the brand’s newly launched franchise model.

“Drywall repair is a decidedly low-cost operation to begin with, and we’ve built our model around keeping costs as low as possible,” he said. “All you really need is a truck to get to your customers. No brick-and-mortar shop, very little equipment — we don’t even spend a lot of money on branding. That has helped us maintain a large and growing customer base because our pricing is so competitive, and it will allow our franchise owners to quickly recoup their investment and then reinvest in their own growth.”

Cagle says that the speedy promise of the brand’s name is no empty marketing ploy. In fact, speed is central to the brand’s value proposition to consumers and a key factor in its ability to keep costs low.

“One thing we found early on when studying our competition is that most drywall repair brands will complete a job over multiple trips when that’s really not necessary,” Cagle said. “We saw that as a major opportunity to differentiate ourselves and reduce the amount of labor required for any given job. Not only do we complete nearly all jobs in a single visit, but we will also schedule jobs so they can be completed back-to-back in a single trip.”

As Speedy Patch prepares to launch its first franchise locations, Cagle says early investors will get up and running quickly thanks to the family’s other business, Artisan Trades Consulting, which coaches tradespeople in various skill sets. 

“Every new franchise owner will get comprehensive training before opening, including hands-on experience at our corporate-owned locations. But they will also benefit from ongoing support through Artisan, which will teach them everything they need to know about the trade.”

That comprehensive training means that Speedy Patch franchise owners require little prior experience in-home services, which Cagle says will allow his team to focus solely on finding prospective franchisees who align with the brand’s mission and values.

“Because our operational model is so simple and our training is so effective, you don’t need to be a career drywall repair professional to be successful with our brand,” he said. “You need to be smart, you need to work hard, and most importantly, you need to be laser-focused on customer satisfaction. We built our brand on delivering a better service and customer experience than our competitors, so our franchise owners must live up to that. If they do, this is absolutely one of the most valuable franchise opportunities available.”