3 minute read
14/07/2017
Heroes4Hire Handymen is a unique business that recruits, retrains and employs veterans and gives them a new start in life. This is how Founder and CEO Nigel Blanchard does it.
Nigel Blanchard is a proud veteran of the Royal Airforce. He’s also the Owner & CEO of Heroes4Hire Handymen. Unfortunately, not all veterans had the same positive experience as Nigel once leaving the Armed Forces but he understands their struggle of adapting to civilian life.
Research from the Royal British Legion shows that there are hundreds of ex-servicemen and women currently living rough in the UK. Veterans often experience many challenging situations while serving and the impact of these can change the course of their lives once they leave the armed forces.
“I’ve always wanted to do something for my fellow veterans. When the guys/girls are leaving the forces, they leave the camp gate and there is little help in finding employment. And that’s why I set up Heroes4Hire Handymen.”
“I decided to partner with the Building Heroes charity and fund practical skill courses for veterans at Reaseheath College in Nantwich and Chichester College, West Sussex. I currently train 12 veterans every six weeks and have 32 in the workplace at the moment.”
This kind of investment doesn’t come cheap, with Nigel personally paying the bill of £3,500 per veteran, every six weeks. With a training budget of £42,000 to cover, there’s a continual drive to find funding.
Technology plays a huge part in my business. All my veterans use an app, so each veteran logs in to see where the next job is and what tools are needed for that job.
Nigel Blanchard, CEO of Heroes4Hire Handymen
Once Nigel’s veterans are trained up in essential skills like bricklaying, plastering, rendering, tiling, painting & decorating, carpentry and plumbing, he gives them a job – often having them booked to begin work straight after graduating their courses.
“Technology plays a huge part in my business. All my veterans use an app, so each veteran logs in to see where the next job is and what tools are needed for that job. And once they’ve completed the job, they take a picture and we can then forward it on to the client so they can see the quality of the work.”
By using a smartphone no one needs to come into the office to collect their assignments. They just log in, check the details and off they go. With information stored in the cloud and accessed via smartphones, non-office based staff like the handymen have an easier, more streamlined day.
One of the best things about being an agile business that embraces technology is how it becomes easier to scale and grow your business. “My plan is to recruit, train and fully employ 1,000 veterans within the next four years.” Said Nigel. He’s ambitious and pushing hard to expand all over the UK, branching out from the north of England and going nationwide. It helps when you’ve got access to a scalable business contract with the largest mobile network in the UK.
Initiatives like Nigel’s are so fantastic because not only are they providing a valuable service to customers, they are also providing a helping hand to people who deserve a new start in life.
If you’d like to book Heroes4Hire Handymen to work on your property then please don’t hesitate to contact the team. For funding and corporate contracts, you can get in touch with Nigel directly. Remember, you’re not just helping out a small business, you’re helping to support a social movement.