---
title: "YouTube: 10 Boring Businesses I'd Put Money Into -- Franchise Category Pools"
type: research
created: 2026-08-23
channel: thedanlorenz (personal, feeds Zorzee + GF)
status: data-draft-for-review
---

# 10 Boring Businesses -- Franchise Category Pools

Data spine for the video where Dan ranks 10 boring businesses he would put money into, giving each a real entry cost, a real margin/revenue range, and the one thing that kills first-time buyers, then names the one he would commit to most. Category numbers below are pooled across the actual franchise brands in each space, not a single brand.

## Sources and rules

- Live pages on zorzee.com/franchise/<brand> (verified, FDD-sourced) for portal brands.
- The six brand FDD recruiting sheets Dan supplied (Appell, Conserva, Mold Medics, Techtron, Zoom Drain, True North).
- Vault FDD-verify data for a handful of Item 19 figures.
- Anything cited to a third party (sharpsheets, vettedbiz, FranchiseDirect) is a fallback for brands not on zorzee and is flagged.

Item 19 discipline: numbers below are gross sales / gross revenue / AUV unless the row says gross profit. They are specific franchisee cohorts, not averages of the whole system and not guarantees. Verify every on-screen number against the current live FDD before broadcast, and carry the "specific cohort, results vary, read the FDD" caveat. No number here is invented; gaps are marked "needs FDD."

## The one stat that carries the whole video

Every category has a brutal spread between the top and bottom franchisee. Same brand, same playbook.

- Irrigation (Conserva): $78,605 low to $5,445,439 high, median $543,386, average $773,337, across 66 franchisees. 32% beat the average.
- Restoration: medians land near half the averages (right-skewed). Rainbow average $1,063,348, median $601,671.
- Mold (Mold Medics): $231,477 to $1,424,442 across 3 franchises.
- Junk (Junk King): average $551,635, median $449,606, 160 of 171 reporting.

The ranking tells you the average. The FDD tells you the range. The wrong territory or the wrong operator lands at the bottom of it. That is the through-line for all ten.

---

## The ranked ten (with category pools)

Order is Dan's current call. Each entry leads with two standard lines: Real Entry Cost (Item 7, the category average spread low to high as one range) and Item 19 and margin (category). Then the data pool, the blind spot (the one thing that kills first-timers), and the independent-vs-franchise call.

The Blind Spot is one cause, not a list: the single most common reason a first-time buyer loses money in that category. Everything else (capital notes, brand age, data caveats) lives in the other lines.

Brands stay off-camera by default. The video ranks categories, not brands. The brand names below are the data pool behind each category's pooled range, and internal only. On screen you show the category and the range; you name a brand only when you deliberately use it as an example (Appell as the commitment pick, or a brand to illustrate a point). The "Brands" line in each entry is the pool, not the thing being ranked.

### 1. Parking lot striping and pavement marking (commitment pick)

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $246,036 to $451,775 (full span $183,544 to $558,835). Royalty 2.5% to 8%.
- Item 19 and margin (category): about $672,000 average, but only 1 of the 3 brands discloses an average, so treat it as thin. Margin not disclosed in Item 19; striping runs low overhead and high gross (paint and labor are cheap against the ticket).
- Data pool (internal, not on-screen): Appell (Item 7 $224,907-$477,178, $55K fee, 8% + 1%, young system since 2023, no Item 19), EverLine Coatings ($183,544-$319,312, 2.5-6%, Item 19 gross sales average $671,949 / median $570,517, 54 units), 1-800-Striper ($329,656-$558,835, 7%, Item 19 range only).
- The Blind Spot (killer): it is a B2B sales business, not an equipment business. First-timers buy the striper and the truck and wait for the phone, when the money was always in landing commercial accounts (property managers, retail, municipal). The gear is the easy part; the relationships are the business.
- Ind vs franchise: franchise buys national commercial accounts and estimating; independent works if you can win property managers yourself. None of the three viral creators even mentioned this category, which is the whole reason it is number 1.

### 2. Irrigation (Conserva)

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $125,800 to $159,500 (one brand in the portal; lowest capital on the list, home-based).
- Item 19 and margin (category): $773,337 average, $543,386 median, range $78,605 to $5,445,439 across 66 franchisees. Margin about 55% gross (top-performer median); the disclosed corporate location nets about 21% after expenses.
- Royalty range: 8% declining to 5%, plus 1.5% brand fund.
- Brand: Conserva Irrigation (Empower Brands, 200+ locations).
- The Blind Spot (killer): chasing installs instead of building the recurring annual-service book. Installs are lumpy bids against every landscaper; the margin and the stickiness live in the service plans, and first-timers never load them.
- Ind vs franchise: franchise is the clear winner. Most validated system on the list (200 units, established parent, supply-chain cost edge). The de-risked entry.

### 3. Mold remediation and environmental testing

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $149,975 to $207,388.
- Item 19 and margin (category): $708,411 average / $469,316 median, range $231,477 to $1,424,442 (Mold Medics; Techtron discloses none yet). Margin 65% to 72% gross.
- Royalty range: 7% (Mold Medics) to 8% (Techtron).
- Brands: Mold Medics (remediation, Threshold Brands), Techtron (environmental testing: asbestos, mold, lead, mobile ISO labs, sells to restoration and insurance).
- The Blind Spot (killer): job flow is decided by your referral network (realtors, plumbers, restoration crews) and local search, not the brand. No referral pipeline, no phone calls, which is why one owner does $1.4M and another $231K on the same system.
- Ind vs franchise: remediation (Mold Medics) is the proven, referable pick with a real Item 19. Testing (Techtron) is the pioneer's bet.

### 4. Restoration (water, fire, storm)

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $182,364 to $414,050 (full span $126,525 to $804,900). Royalty 4% to 7%.
- Item 19 and margin (category): $2,178,138 average, skewed by one national brand at $4.84M; without it the typical operators average $848,544. Margin about 65% gross.
- Data pool (internal, the four in this group per Dan): RestoPros (Item 7 $157,100-$298,000, fee $60K, 7% + 2%, Item 19 gross volume average $878,673 / median $573,019 / range $23,207-$7,943,069, 81 franchises, ~65% gross margin), Paul Davis (Item 7 $298,800-$804,900, 4%, Item 19 gross sales average $4,837,325 / median $3,008,596, 231 offices; the $4.84M outlier), True North (Item 7 $147,030-$243,800, 7% + 1-2%, no Item 19 average), Restoration 1 (Item 7 $126,525-$309,500, 7%, Item 19 gross collected revenue average $818,415 / median $526,145, 59 franchisees).
- The Blind Spot (killer): it is an insurance-billing business, not a repair business. First-timers underestimate the claims process and the carrier and adjuster relationships that feed the work, and they starve on billing timelines before the high-margin reconstruction ever turns on.
- Ind vs franchise: this is where a brand genuinely blocks competition, because carriers route work to known names. Strong, but read the FDD first.

### 5. Drain and sewer (Zoom Drain, Mr Rooter)

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $273,575 to $501,088 (full span $152,900 to $703,500, using the specialist brand's newest live FDD). Royalty 6%.
- Item 19 and margin (category): about $1,188,888 average, but that blends a mature brand ($2,093,531 / median $1,257,146, 193 businesses) with an early-ramp specialist (~$284,000 annualized, sub-12-month, 5 franchisees); the mature read is $2,093,531. Margin not disclosed.
- Data pool (internal): Zoom Drain (drain and sewer only, $54,500 fee, Item 7 $394,250-$703,500), Mr Rooter (full plumbing, Item 7 $152,900-$298,675, larger AUV).
- The Blind Spot (killer): front-loaded capital. You buy the specialized trucks and equipment before you have the volume to justify them, on a $150K-liquid gate, and the ramp to steady state takes longer than the pitch implies.
- Ind vs franchise: franchise buys the specialization and dispatch; the barrier keeps casual competitors out. Only if you can fund the ramp.

### 6. HVAC

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $233,807 to $347,416 (full span $113,809 to $483,837). Royalty 5% to 7%.
- Item 19 and margin (category): $2,822,007 average, but One Hour ($4.08M, multi-territory) inflates it; the single-unit read is Aire Serv's $1,561,361 average / $944,801 median (172 franchises). Margin not disclosed.
- Data pool (internal): Aire Serv (Item 7 $113,809-$271,709, fee $45K, 5-7%, Item 19 gross sales average $1,561,361 / median $944,801, 172 franchises), One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning (Item 7 $143,273-$286,702, fee $43K+, 6%, Item 19 gross revenue average $4,082,652 / median $2,217,669, 88 franchisees across 364 territories, multi-territory), TemperaturePro (Item 7 $444,338-$483,837, fee $147,500, 6%, Item 19 tercile bands only, no combined average).
- The Blind Spot (killer): the deal you can afford is usually the one private equity did not want. The good independents are bid up out of reach, and service-business non-competes barely hold, so a cheap buy is often a warning, not a bargain.
- Ind vs franchise: franchising in fresh beats overpaying for a PE-bid-up independent; the recurring maintenance-contract book is the prize.

### 7. Painting

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $182,179 to $289,358 (full span $105,200 to $518,230). Royalty 4% to 6%.
- Item 19 and margin (category): $1,248,997 average, skewed high by CertaPro ($2.1M average, one unit $15.7M); the smaller brands sit nearer $600,000. Margin about 50% gross, 15% to 30% net (industry).
- Data pool (internal): Paint EZ (Item 7 $105,200-$189,200, fee $50K, 6% to 4.5% tiered, Item 19 quartiles only, no unit average), Painter Bros (Item 7 $295,685-$518,230, fee $75K, 5%, Item 19 gross sales average $614,148 / median $788,392, 12 outlets), Groovy Hues (Item 7 $156,829-$204,001, fee $59,500, 6% to 5% tiered, Item 19 gross sales average $1,030,828 / median $595,969, 9 operators across 33 territories, operator-level not single-unit), CertaPro (Item 7 $171,000-$246,000, fee $65K, 6% to 4% tiered, Item 19 gross sales average $2,102,015 / median $1,294,333, 291 franchisees, range $75,389-$15,731,772). Note: "Sortapro" confirmed as CertaPro.
- The Blind Spot (killer): it is a marketing and crew-management business, not a painting business. Your subs are your product, and bad subs torch the reviews that are the only thing bringing the next job.
- Ind vs franchise: franchise buys lead flow and estimating systems; independent works if you are a real marketer. Codie rates this S-tier and owns one.

### 8. Pool cleaning and maintenance

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $95,389 to $156,265 (full span $88,695 to $213,171; one retail format to $350,500). Royalty 5% to 8%.
- Item 19 and margin (category): $647,420 average across the two disclosing brands ($911,000 and $384,000, so the ~$400,000 to $594,000 median is the honest read). Margin not disclosed.
- Revenue detail: the two disclosing brands are $910,643 average / $594,460 median (127 territories, 2026 FDD) and $384,197 average / $226,801 median (34 outlets). The other two disclose a single-unit example or nothing.
- Data pool (internal): ASP America's Swimming Pool (Item 7 $88,695-$213,171, fee $40K-$90K, royalty 7% to 5% tiered, Item 19 gross revenue average $910,643 / median $594,460, 127 territories, 2026 FDD), Pool Scouts (Item 7 $96,662-$133,787, Item 19 gross revenue average $384,197 / median $226,801, 34 outlets), Poolwerx (Item 7 $94,400-$142,400 mobile, to $350,500 retail, no Item 19), Puddle Pools (Item 7 $101,800-$135,700, single-unit example only).
- The Blind Spot (killer): no route density. First-timers buy a "route" that is really scattered stops across a metro, and the drive time between them eats the margin. The whole game is packing clients tight.
- Ind vs franchise: franchise gives chemistry systems; independent is fine if you buy density, not a customer list.

### 9. Commercial and residential cleaning

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $120,512 to $182,150 (full span $92,850 to $273,200).
- Item 19 and margin (category): $459,220 average (Merry Maids and MaidPro; The Cleaning Authority's ~$1.4M is a multi-territory outlier; Molly Maid and Surface Experts publish ratio-only tables). Margin not disclosed; the remote model nets about 46% (operator example).
- Royalty range: 3% to 8%.
- Brands: Molly Maid, Surface Experts (the two Dan flagged), plus Merry Maids, MaidPro, The Cleaning Authority, Two Maids for the pool.
- The Blind Spot (killer): self-performing the labor. The money is in the remote model connecting reliable cleaners to customers; the owner who scrubs floors owns a job, not a business.
- Note: Molly Maid and Surface Experts publish ratio-only Item 19s with no clean average, itself a red flag worth teaching on camera.
- Ind vs franchise: one of the few where independent (the cheap remote model) often beats the janitorial franchise.

### 10. Junk removal and trash

- Real Entry Cost (Item 7, category average spread): $190,965 to $327,065 (full span $121,200 to $480,500).
- Item 19 and margin (category): $1,043,805 average, but skewed by multi-territory owners; the single-territory read is $551,635 (Junk King). Margin not disclosed.
- Royalty range: 4% to 8%.
- Brands: Junk King, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, College Hunks, JunkCo+ (Dan flagged), Junk Shot (Dan flagged, needs FDD).
- The Blind Spot (killer): reading a multi-territory owner's revenue as a single-unit number. The disclosed averages are inflated by big operators, so you buy expecting $1M-plus when a single-territory junk business is really $450K to $550K.
- Ind vs franchise: franchise buys brand, dispatch, and a call center; independent works if you grind recurring routes.

---

## Category pool summary table

Entry cost = Item 7 all-in. Revenue = Item 19 gross sales/AUV average unless noted. All ranges are across the brands pooled above.

| # | Category | Entry cost low | Entry cost high | Revenue (avg) | Revenue read | Royalty |
|---|----------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|--------------|---------|
| 1 | Striping | $183,544 | $558,835 | ~$672,000 | 1 of 3 discloses an average | 2.5-8% |
| 2 | Irrigation | $125,800 | $159,500 | $773,337 | median $543K, range $79K-$5.4M | 5-8% |
| 3 | Mold / testing | $148,400 | $211,725 | $708,411 (Mold Medics) | Techtron no Item 19 | 7-8% |
| 4 | Restoration | $126,525 | $804,900 | $848,544 (ex outlier) | 4-brand group; one brand skews avg to $2.18M; ~65% margin | 4-7% |
| 5 | Drain / sewer | $152,900 | $703,500 | $2,093,531 (mature brand) | specialist brand early-ramp only; newest FDD | 6% |
| 6 | HVAC | $113,809 | $483,837 | $2,822,007 | One Hour multi-territory skews; Aire Serv $1.56M is the unit read | 5-7% |
| 7 | Painting | $105,200 | $518,230 | $1,248,997 | 3 of 4 disclose; CertaPro skews high | 4-6% |
| 8 | Pool | $88,695 | $350,500 | $647,420 | ASP $911K + Pool Scouts $384K; median is honest read | 5-8% |
| 9 | Cleaning | $92,850 | $273,200 | $459,220 | Merry Maids + MaidPro | 3-8% |
| 10 | Junk | $121,200 | $480,500 | $551,635 (single-territory) | multi-territory skews avg up | 4-8% |

## What the data changes about the rank

- Restoration, drain, HVAC, and painting are the biggest earners (roughly $900K to $2.8M average AUV), yet they sit at 4, 5, 6, and 7. If the video ranks by money-on-the-table they move up. If it ranks by "best first-timer entry," the capital and complexity keep them mid-pack. Your call.
- Irrigation (Conserva) is the strongest risk-adjusted pick: lowest capital ($126K-$160K), most validation (200 units), and a real system-wide Item 19. On the numbers it outranks striping. Striping stays at 1 only as your conviction pick.
- Cleaning and junk (single-territory) are the low-revenue tail (~$450K to $550K), which supports keeping them at 9 and 10. Pool sits a notch up once ASP is in (category average ~$647K, honest median read ~$400K to $594K).
- Painting is now a real, big-revenue category (~$1.25M average, though CertaPro skews it; the smaller brands sit nearer $600K). On money-on-the-table it could argue for moving painting up from 7.
- Two brands you flagged, Molly Maid and Surface Experts, publish ratio-only Item 19s with no clean average. That is a teachable red flag on camera.

## Gaps to have Tony pull from the Mini (or the FDDs)

Resolved this pass: Appell confirmed no Item 19 exists (Dan); ASP resolved to the 2026 FDD ($910,643 average / $594,460 median, 127 territories); Zoom Drain set to the newest live FDD ($394,250-$703,500); painting sourced (Paint EZ, Painter Bros, Groovy Hues, CertaPro).

Still open:
1. Junk Shot: only an approximate Item 7 range and no Item 19. Dan accepts the range for now.
2. Poolwerx and Puddle Pools system Item 19 (still only a single-unit example or none). The pool pool leans on ASP and Pool Scouts.
3. Verify before broadcast: ASP 2026 Item 19 came from aggregators citing the 2026 FDD, not the primary PDF; confirm against the FDD. Painter Bros reports median ($788,392) above average ($614,148), worth a second look.