Why These Longstanding TruBlue Total House Care Franchisees Continue to Grow With the Brand 10 Years Later

TruBlue Total House Care, the 80-unit home maintenance franchise, has carved out a lucrative niche as the only franchise brand focused on providing maintenance services for seniors aging in place and busy families. TruBlue believes that aging in place starts with a safe home, and the company offers ongoing in-home support to help seniors remain at home for as long as possible. 

With this winning business model in place, the TruBlue franchise opportunity has appealed to savvy entrepreneurs for nearly a decade. Tim and Kay Diemont, the local owners and operators of TruBlue of Yorktown, for example, have been with the brand since 2013. 

The Road to TruBlue Total House Care

Before franchising, Kay was an administrative assistant for the mayor of a nearby city, then an administrative assistant for an architectural firm, where she spent 20 years. Her husband, Tim, spent four years in the Air Force, then over 25 years in the retail industry as a regional director. When his company needed him to relocate to another part of the country, Tim says he knew that wasn’t the right move and it was a sign that it was time for something new.

“We were looking for a new opportunity that would allow us to stay in our hometown of Yorktown, and we weren’t ready to retire,” said Tim. “We wanted a second career, which is how we decided to franchise.”

But Tim says they weren’t looking for just any opportunity — they wanted something that would be fulfilling and particularly wanted to serve seniors and the veteran community. “That is what we were looking for when we found TruBlue,” he said. “We were actually looking at another brand, Home Helpers, which was part of their franchise group at the time, but that was more of a senior care concept. When I talked to the team, they mentioned that they were just starting up this new franchise called TruBlue. They ran through the concept, and the more we heard about it, the more we loved it.”

In addition to the meaningful service, Kay says the duo loved the scalability of the business model. “We had a lifestyle that we didn’t want to change,” she said. “We knew we needed a good business model, and this checked all the boxes. We were one of the first franchisees to invest in the brand, but we were confident that we would be a success.”

Without the need for a brick-and-mortar location, TruBlue’s startup costs stay considerably low, ranging from just $65,000 to $91,000. The business is significantly easier to run than other senior care or home maintenance concepts.

Tim says a big part of their confidence also came from the leadership team. “We knew we would have all the corporate support we needed,” he said. “We took our 401K retirement money to start this business, so it was a big investment for us.” 

10 Years of Success

Since opening TruBlue of Yorktown in March of 2013, the Diemonts have grown the business by about 25% each year. Today, in addition to working with residents and property owners, the Diemonts also work with military housing departments, senior apartment complexes and apartment buildings. They currently have about 20 employees and serve Yorktown, Poquoson, Newport News and properties on the Peninsula.

“The great thing about this business model is that everyone inside a certain territory is a potential customer,” said Tim. “We are attractive to people who rent apartments, military veterans, seniors, homeowners — there isn’t anybody out there who can’t use our service. We’ve never had to beat the doors down to find customers. We don’t even advertise anymore. It is all word-of-mouth marketing.”

Over the years, the Diemonts say they’ve been happy to grow alongside the TruBlue brand and watch the franchise concept evolve. “We were one of the first franchisees and came in on the ground floor, so we really helped the team develop the concept, the marketing, etc.,” said Kay. “Our neighbors would always tell us about how they were struggling with handyman services or routine home maintenance, and they were really quick to fall in love with the idea of TruBlue.”

And Tim says the ability to serve their community has been the most fulfilling part of TruBlue ownership. “It is really amazing to help the homeowners of our community and make a living while doing it,” he said. “Just today, we were working with a senior lady who lost her husband a few months ago. She is downsizing to a small retirement village, and we had to put in a step-in shower instead of the bathtub. We did it, and we cut her some slack on the price, and that kind of service is incredibly rewarding. We are actually doing something for the community, which is what we wanted from day one. And we get to do it for ourselves as business owners. That is the American Dream.”

The Future

Now, Tim says the couple is signing on for another 10-year franchise agreement with TruBlue and are excited to continue growing in their community. The couple also has two sons in their 40s and hopes to pass the business down to the next generation one day.

Sean Fitzgerald, TruBlue’s president, says the Diemonts have been an essential part of the TruBlue story, and he is excited to see them continue their longstanding partnership with the brand.

“Tim and Kay are not only smart business owners but also amazing people,” said Fitzgerald. “In addition to their work locally with TruBlue, they are active in the franchise system — talking to potential franchisees, participating in training and even helping us to develop new systems  — and they give back to their community. They are a powerful team, and I’m looking forward to watching them continue to grow TruBlue of Yorktown.”

The total investment estimate for a TruBlue Total House Care franchise ranges from $65,050–$91,400. To learn more about franchising with TruBlue, please visit https://trubluefranchise.com/.