Name: Andy OnCall
Location: 921 E. Main St.
Products/services: Andy OnCall is a handyman service employing more than a dozen craftsmen with at least 10 years of experience. The company works on small- to medium-size jobs, including bathrooms and kitchen remodeling, carpentry, painting, drywall, plumbing, electrical, floors, decks, gutters and other repairs. The company guarantees its labor for one year, except in certain circumstances.
Age: The business is 17 years old.
Startup investment: The Chattanooga office of Andy OnCall was the first in a 52-franchise nationwide network, though it remains independently operated. It costs roughly $26,000 to start a franchise.
Annual sales: The Chattanooga office brings in $400,000 to $600,000 per year, depending on economic conditions, according to Barry Frizzell, general manager.
Target market: Women typically oversee the upkeep of a household, Frizzell said.
Biggest hurdle: Getting leads is the hardest thing right now, while keeping talented craftsmen is easier than it used to be because customers are pinching pennies, he said. In good times the situation is reversed, with jobs easier to find but craftsmen more difficult to retain.
Biggest reward: Happy customers, who typically refer others to the business, help make up 60 percent of revenue.
Challenges in the future: Effective advertising in the Internet age is a difficult challenge, he said.
Lesson learned: Hiring service-oriented craftsmen is more important than ever, as competition heats up for an ever-shrinking customer base.
Five-year goal: Frizzell would like to see sales back in the upper range they hit from 2005 to 2007, he said, and has gotten more involved in marketing outreach and sales calls to achieve his goal.
- Compiled by staff writer Ellis Smith