ABOUT US
Relief from the Burdens of Home Maintenance
Channeling Experience into Opportunity
After gutting and renovating four houses with his wife Ursula, all while raising three children, a couple of cats, multiple dogs, and building a successful career in higher education and publishing, Matt Woolman was ready for a new challenge.
Matt teaches courses in innovation, design and entrepreneurship to undergraduate and graduate students. The singular message he imparts to all of his students is this:
Look around your immediate context, and you will discover opportunities that are in plain sight. These opportunities often present the most important problems to solve for yourself and others. The best way to solve an old problem is through a new lens.
In Matt’s case, it was the challenge of maintaining his meticulously renovated home at the level he and Ursula envisioned, while juggling their family, personal and professional commitments.
Several years ago, Ursula’s aging mother, Jane, was slowly declining in health no longer able to maintain her farm house where she lived for more than 20 years. Known as Sunnyside, Jane’s house was her pride and joy.
Matt’s and Ursula’s children and their cousins grew up visiting “Gaggy” and have fond memories of her home. But it was an old house and needed constant attention. Fiercely independent, Jane insisted on aging where she was most comfortable. Matt’s experience and skills made it easy for him to perform regular maintenance, occasional repairs, and renovations. However, certain challenges persisted: time (not enough!) and distance (Jane’s house was a 25-minute drive each way!).
Designing a Unique Business Model
Matt seized an opportunity: to design a business model that provides a unique kind of home maintenance for homeowners who are too busy, do not have the desire, or no longer have the ability. While there are a wide range of companies small and large that provide trade-specific home improvement services, Matt wanted to provide a value proposition that differentiated from the status quo:
- Single point of contact for all home care needs
- Scheduled monthly routine maintenance
- Dedicated maintenance technician
- Robust technology platform that tracks a detailed home maintenance history
- Network of service partners for major repairs and improvements
If Matt could provide all of the above for a monthly fee — like a subscription — then the desired outcome is not only regained time, but peace of mind, for the homeowner!
Matt established Mantel Home Services not only as a subscription home maintenance company, but a technology company that provides back-end support and scheduling for all data and information related to each homeowners’ unique needs.
Defining the Meaning of the Name Mantel Home Services
If you have a fireplace in your home, it most likely has a mantel: an ornamental shelf above the hearth. Historically, the mantel was considered a shrine for the home, and was a place to display idols or images of deities. In some cases, personal possessions or trinkets were burned in offering.
Today, the mantel still serves as a focal point in the home. It is place to display photos of family and friends; and to showcase seasonal changes, traditions and holidays.
Most importantly, the mantel is a place of gathering and support. This is why we chose the name Mantel for our company.
Your home is your refuge, and should bring you stability, safety and happy memories. Not the stresses of ongoing maintenance and repairs.
