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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Helpful Heroes Franchise

Helpful Heroes is a handyman and property maintenance franchise with an unusual labor model: jobs go to off-duty firefighters, EMTs and other vetted service providers. It began in 2019 as Hidrent, an app linking homeowners with off-duty firefighters that won a Shark Tank deal in Season 13. The brand is now part of BELFOR Franchise Group, began franchising in 2025, and founder Dave Heimbuch remains its president.

Franchisees run a home-based business inside a defined territory. Typical jobs include general repairs, fixture and TV installation, furniture moving and assembly, gutter cleaning, hauling and holiday lighting. Customers are homeowners (many of them seniors), landlords, property managers and light commercial clients. They book through the Helpful Heroes app or a live call-in line, get upfront pricing and pay through the platform once the job is done.

The owner does not usually do the work. The role is local marketing, scheduling, customer relationships and recruiting the off-duty first responders and contractors who complete each job.

Latest Resales

  • There are currently no Helpful Heroes resales available
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Why buy a Helpful Heroes Franchise?

The firefighter-and-EMT story gives the brand a head start on trust, which most handyman businesses have to earn job by job. Customers letting someone into their home, older homeowners in particular, respond well to hiring an off-duty first responder, and the Shark Tank history gives the name more consumer recognition than most franchise systems this young.

The owner-led, home-based model keeps overhead modest and puts the owner’s time into growth rather than tools. BELFOR Franchise Group, whose portfolio spans restoration, cleaning, plumbing and other property services, gives a newer brand established franchise infrastructure and potential referral ties with sister-brand owners in the same markets. Anyone who buys a Helpful Heroes franchise also gets a working consumer app and booking platform rather than having to build one.

Helpful Heroes Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      2019

    • Franchising Since

      2025

    • New Startup Cost

      $74,564 – $139,609

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $49,999

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      20%

      of the then-current Initial Franchise Fee

    • Royalty Fee

      5–8%

      of Gross Sales (tiered structure)

    • Marketing Fee

      2%

      of Gross Sales (+$2,000/month local ad spend)

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      2

    • New Units Opened *

      1

    • Units Transferred *

      0

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      Not disclosed

    * Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

Helpful Heroes – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    New owners complete JumpStart, a two-to-four-week preparation program run from home, then up to five days of Initial Training at the brand's Ann Arbor, Michigan headquarters, led by founder Dave Heimbuch. Training includes an estimated 22 classroom and 22 on-the-job hours covering the apps, customer and firefighter recruitment and retention, operations software and royalty reporting. Ongoing support includes a Franchise Business Coach, a Helpful Heroes convention and a technology package for job matching, CRM and invoicing. Resale buyers should confirm that JumpStart and Initial Training are provided to incoming owners.

  2. Ideal Owner

    Helpful Heroes suits an operations- and relationship-focused owner rather than a hands-on tradesperson. Day to day, the owner markets locally, takes customer calls, schedules jobs and recruits and retains a pool of off-duty first responders and contractors, which is the part of the job that most shapes capacity. Handyman experience is not required, and neither is a first-responder background, although some early franchisees are firefighters or paramedics who draw on their own station networks. A Managing Owner, or an approved Designated Manager, must run the business full-time, so it is not a semi-absentee model.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    The brand's best-known credential is its Shark Tank history: as Hidrent, the company secured a deal with Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec in Season 13. Its parent, BELFOR Franchise Group, had five brands named to Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 for 2025. At territory level, Helpful Heroes of Lake Norman and Concord in North Carolina holds BBB accreditation. For a system that began franchising in 2025, the strongest reputation signals are local, so resale buyers should weigh the specific territory's customer reviews, BBB standing and referral relationships.

  4. Industry / Market

    IBISWorld estimates US handyman services revenue at $365.4 billion in 2026, after growth averaging 2.6% a year over the past five years, with a slight dip forecast this year. Housing age is a steady driver: the median owner-occupied US home was 42 years old in 2024, up from 31 in 2005 (NAHB analysis of Census ACS data). Older homes and aging homeowners create a constant flow of small repair and upkeep jobs. Buyers can use local housing age, senior population and rental density as territory demand signals.

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