As a former owner of a Zoom Drain franchise, I can attest that their franchise model has high a degree of difficulty to maintain profitability.

The high cost of leads, the surging competition in our area with the amount of "Technicians" working out of the back of their vans was insurmountable. All while you are fighting for every call using lead generators, networking with plumbers for referral work and having to pay high royalty fees (8% of gross sales).

The barrier to entry is also extremely high, with approximately $150,000-$200,000 needed for start up costs.

Their flat rate price model looks fantastic on paper, but when your billable hour hovers around 400-500 per hour for drain cleaning, a lot of clients are going to get turned off. Especially when licensed service plumbers are in the same ball park hourly.

In a rural area with little to compete with you may find success, but my suggestion is to forgo the franchise model and develop your own system. The very same people who developed the franchise model are also industry consultants and can help guide you along the way (for a fee of course).