Michael Craig and Kathia Perez are leveraging their experience in business and construction to launch their TruBlue franchise in Claremont, California. Craig, a business owner for nearly 20 years, and Perez, with extensive experience in construction management and sales, found that their combined expertise aligned perfectly with TruBlue’s mission of providing home modifications and handyman services, particularly for seniors. 

Set to open in fall 2024, Michael and Kathia are excited to bring high-quality, customer service-oriented home services to their community, with a focus on safety and reliability.

1851 Franchise spoke with Perez and Craig to learn more about their journey to TruBlue and their plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Michael Craig: I’ve been a business owner in Claremont for about 19-and-a-half years. I was already part of the senior community, so TruBlue felt like a great opportunity to continue expanding my reach.

Kathia Perez: I’ve worked in construction as an office manager and in sales, dealing with everything from city planning to permits. While we didn’t initially plan this, it made sense — he was involved with seniors and I had experience in construction. Focusing on seniors felt like the natural next step for us.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Craig: You can either build a business from scratch or take the franchising route, which gives you the benefit of working with other franchisees and learning from their experiences. With a franchise, you don’t have to recreate the wheel.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Craig: TruBlue appealed to me because of their unique approach to handyman services — it’s very customer-service oriented. Their technicians are background-screened and they focus on protecting clients’ homes. As someone with franchising experience, I found that TruBlue made things easier compared to other handyman services.

Perez: I’m particularly excited about the safety modification aspect of the business. It’s something that hasn’t been approached before in home care, and being able to help with that is ideal.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?

Perez: We hope to have a group of five to 10 technicians and start duplicating those teams to grow the business.

Craig: Our focus is on small jobs, especially as they pertain to seniors. Contractors often avoid smaller jobs, but those are our priority, and we plan to cater to the needs of our community.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Craig: There’s a program called MediCal (Medicare) here, which is working to assist Medicaid clients with home modifications. We’ll be involved in helping those clients. We are also a Black-owned business and I am an Army veteran, which we are proud of.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Craig: Trust the process of franchising, especially if you’re getting into a specific line of business. Find a franchisor that has a strong process and consistently delivers on it. Look for a good culture, and TruBlue certainly has that.

For more information, please visit https://1851franchise.com/trubluehousecare/info.

About TruBlue Home Service Ally:

TruBlue Home Service Ally® provides a unique and affordable approach to helping busy adults and seniors live a worry-free life by offering trustworthy handyman, home maintenance and senior modification services. Helping you maintain your home both inside and out, TruBlue’s services include handyman projects and to-do list chores, preventative home maintenance programs, kitchen and bath remodels, seasonal work, and senior modification services, all handled by professional, bonded and insured Tru-Pro® Technicians. TruBlue franchise owners are required to complete senior home safety certification programs through the NAHB and Age Safe America. As certified specialists, TruBlue franchisees are able to perform aging in place home safety assessments and can make recommended safety modifications as needed.