Common Misconceptions About Buying a Blue-Collar Franchise

So-called “blue-collar” businesses used to be defined a little bit differently than they are today. The term originally came from the color of the shirt collar worn by manual laborers, but over the years the term has evolved. Now, instead of just mine workers, plumbers and electricians, it’s come to include delivery services employees, taxi drivers, house cleaners and more.

Blue collar businesses make our everyday lives a little bit easier and better, which in a time when everything is about convenience and increasing productivity is extremely important. It’s partly because of this that blue-collar businesses have soared in recent months. The higher demand for their services has helped them make a killing and set the sector on fire. Still, even with all these opportunities, some executives overlook these types of businesses when searching for a franchise to transition their career to, not recognizing their potential value. While they might have their reasons not to look at blue-collar franchises, some of their logic is outdated and simply not true. Here are some of them.

“Owning a blue collar franchise won’t take advantage of my education.” It’s long been a myth that people who own blue collar franchises aren’t as formally educated as intelligent as those who own white collar franchises. The reason for this is simple, originally blue-collar workers came from low-income backgrounds, which meant they had no formal education. This has changed over the years, but still people hold onto the old assumption. In reality, blue-collar business owners and their employees are equally capable of attaining the same knowledge and education as white-collar business owners.

“The competition is too steep.” While it’s true that there is a lot of competition in blue-collar industries, no matter what type of business you open, there’s plenty of business to go around. If they are good at what they do, entrepreneurs will find that they might even have too much business and not enough employees. After all, many of their services are considered essential, and cannot be replaced by computers or other means. The demand for blue-collar services is consistently rising thanks to an ever-increasing population and will continue to do so.

“Blue–collar franchises aren’t as prominent as in other industries.” Many people who have never worked a blue-collar job look down at the sector simply because they can’t see the big picture. In reality, though, without the blue-collar sector the infrastructure of society would fall apart. Blue-collar franchises are a cog in the system that allow everything else to be done more easily. They act as the foundation that society works on. Think about it for a moment: where would we be without buildings being constructed, garbage being removed, or leaky pipes being fixed?

“It’s an all boys club.” There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding the blue-collar sector, but this is perhaps the biggest one. The fact is that women entrepreneurs can and are as effective as men when it comes to blue-collar franchise ownership. While it’s true that blue-collar industries have been dominated by men in the past, more and more women have started entering the arena while showcasing their own unique twist to the jobs.

At the end of the day, blue collar franchises are the same as any other type of business, on many levels. They fill a need and get paid well to do it. In fact, the sector may even be more lucrative now because while the demand is high, the supply, including the numbers of available employees, is low. They fill an essential gap that continues to get wider that no other business can fill. Now is the right time to consider taking the leap and transitioning to blue collar franchise ownership, if for no other reason, than because it’s an industry in demand.