Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Rob_Mac on March 21, 2012, 02:44:22 pm
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I would be interested to know who are the people on the forum who have successfully franchised their business, or those that are in the process.
Many thanks
Rob ;D
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Hi Rob,
That's SPOOKY :o
I've just booked some advertising on here for my franchising system.
Should be going live in a day or so - watch for the top banner and my locked sticky topic
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Ian
I will be honest, I want to franchise my model but probably want to pick the brains of someone who has gone through the process.
What do I need to do, paperwork, legalities, pitfalls etc
Rob ;D
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You could try clicking on the link at the bottom of my posts (Jolisian)
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Ian
I have looked over your website in the past and knew you had a successful model but it doesn't give me the how and that is what I am stuck on.
Should I go and see a professional, is it information I can get for nothing or is it something else?
Rob ;D
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Sorry Ian
I clicked on the wrong link
Rob ;D
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
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Would you not be better reading up on franchising all you can and then hiring a solicitor to do your contract rob? like you say your franchise model seems like it would be less straight forward than just cleaning windows !
My friend has just took out a green thumb franchise and there is alot involved
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Sean
I know at some point I am going to have to get professional advice but wouldn't mind a start in knowing what I really have to pay for and what is freely available.
Do you mind me asking what the model cost, what they got for the money etc?
Rob ;D
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Sean
I know at some point I am going to have to get professional advice but wouldn't mind a start in knowing what I really have to pay for and what is freely available.
Do you mind me asking what the model cost, what they got for the money etc?
Rob ;D
Rob I would go to a franchise show, there is also free advice freely available on franchises, fair play for ian trying to sell his info for £1500 a pop
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Hi Rob,
My system will suit any 'repeat visit' type of business. The reason my franchise fee is low is I don't provide the van - the incoming franchisee pays a fee from which I buy all the equipment, signwriting, uniform etc and he provides his own van.
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Hi Rob,
My system will suit any 'repeat visit' type of business. The reason my franchise fee is low is I don't provide the van - the incoming franchisee pays a fee from which I buy all the equipment, signwriting, uniform etc and he provides his own van.
Ian what cost is one of your franchises ?
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Hi Rob,
My system will suit any 'repeat visit' type of business. The reason my franchise fee is low is I don't provide the van - the incoming franchisee pays a fee from which I buy all the equipment, signwriting, uniform etc and he provides his own van.
Ian what cost is one of your franchises ?
£8950.00
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Hi Rob,
My system will suit any 'repeat visit' type of business. The reason my franchise fee is low is I don't provide the van - the incoming franchisee pays a fee from which I buy all the equipment, signwriting, uniform etc and he provides his own van.
Ian what cost is one of your franchises ?
£8950.00
what amount of work do they get with this ?
thats seems a resonable price
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Hi Rob,
My system will suit any 'repeat visit' type of business. The reason my franchise fee is low is I don't provide the van - the incoming franchisee pays a fee from which I buy all the equipment, signwriting, uniform etc and he provides his own van.
Ian what cost is one of your franchises ?
£8950.00
what amount of work do they get with this ?
thats seems a resonable price
As much as they want ;D
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Hi Rob,
My system will suit any 'repeat visit' type of business. The reason my franchise fee is low is I don't provide the van - the incoming franchisee pays a fee from which I buy all the equipment, signwriting, uniform etc and he provides his own van.
Ian what cost is one of your franchises ?
£8950.00
what amount of work do they get with this ?
thats seems a resonable price
As much as they want ;D
;D
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Am i right in thinking that they would then pay a monthly or yearly fee on top of the first payment of £8950 ?
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Am i right in thinking that they would then pay a monthly or yearly fee on top of the first payment of £8950 ?
Of course!!
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what i dont understand is for 8000 you could buy a good round witch would belong to yourself and you would nt have to pay any more fees , why bother paying for something that would never be your own or am i missing something ??? ???
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Sorry Ian & Ian
I have been looking at the cost of protection of the branding. Ian L I wasn't having a dig about the cost of the franchise paperwork - I have no idea what it should cost!
My business is not repeat - so I guess your paperwork kit is not right for me?
What does the figure you have given to Ian get from your model?
Rob ;D
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Ian this looks good to me ;) the time and cost to write up one would be alot more.
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Rob,
I'm already in possession of Ian's package; I'm going to be franchising this year.
I genuinely feel that if you're thinking of franchising a repeat business like window cleaning, you could do no better than speak to Ian. Assuming it's a similar deal to the one I undertook, it's worth every penny.
For background, I've been to the franchise exhibitions and they are full of people who will tell you that you have the best idea since sliced bread and if you give them £33K (I kid you not!) they will get you franchising. It's almost as if they have a vested interest in telling you your idea's perfect. Ian does things differently; you pay a lot less for a service that will get you a long way to where you need to be. It isn't all bells and whistles, but then it isn't £33K either.
One caveat, Ian's system relies, to a large extent, on your having a long-term view of your business. As it happens, that fits in nicely with the way I look at the world. If you're looking to make a quick buck out of franchisees (and there are plenty of franchises out there based upon that premise) it's possibly not for you.
I don't think I'm speaking out of turn when I say that Ian's always good for a chat about this.
Vin
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Vin
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks for that (I also knew you were at this stage as well (remembered a previous post))
My question now is it right for my business model (not being repeat)?
Rob ;D
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Vin
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks for that (I also knew you were at this stage as well (remembered a previous post))
My question now is it right for my business model (not being repeat)?
Rob ;D
I don't think I know enough about your business to comment, really.
Vin
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My business has successfully worked on the Sainsbury's refurb, extension, new build, refresh programmes now for the last five years and is looking to develop further into retail cleaning. These are one off cleans but there is plenty of work and I cannot 100% guarantee work but I have enough work every year to share that work out and to move sideways to other avenues within the programmes.
The only thing that has stopped this is client confidence in how many places I can be at any given time and there is massive scope for my work - across the supermarkets.
Rob ;D
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From that I read that you have put together a start up in franchise package that costs £1500.00. Is that package set up transferable to any franchise model?
Your franchise is low cost, mine will have reasonably high initial investment because of the van & equipment, could the paperwork if bought fit my model?
Rob;D
Rob,
I'm already in possession of Ian's package; I'm going to be franchising this year.
I genuinely feel that if you're thinking of franchising a repeat business like window cleaning, you could do no better than speak to Ian. Assuming it's a similar deal to the one I undertook, it's worth every penny.
For background, I've been to the franchise exhibitions and they are full of people who will tell you that you have the best idea since sliced bread and if you give them £33K (I kid you not!) they will get you franchising. It's almost as if they have a vested interest in telling you your idea's perfect. Ian does things differently; you pay a lot less for a service that will get you a long way to where you need to be. It isn't all bells and whistles, but then it isn't £33K either.
One caveat, Ian's system relies, to a large extent, on your having a long-term view of your business. As it happens, that fits in nicely with the way I look at the world. If you're looking to make a quick buck out of franchisees (and there are plenty of franchises out there based upon that premise) it's possibly not for you.
I don't think I'm speaking out of turn when I say that Ian's always good for a chat about this.
Vin
Thank you Vin ;)
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Why dont you take on the repeat work after the first cleans?
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I really can't say too much about the business moving forward but that has been noticed and has and is being worked on as well. The continuity of work is not an issue, far from it.
Rob ;D
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Excellent advice from Mr. Lancaster. One thing you have to remember, is that you need to make sure you sell your franchisee to the right person. That’s the key to successful franchisee. :)
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My business has successfully worked on the Sainsbury's refurb, extension, new build, refresh programmes now for the last five years and is looking to develop further into retail cleaning. These are one off cleans but there is plenty of work and I cannot 100% guarantee work but I have enough work every year to share that work out and to move sideways to other avenues within the programmes.
The only thing that has stopped this is client confidence in how many places I can be at any given time and there is massive scope for my work - across the supermarkets.
Rob ;D
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Ian ,
who provides the franchisees with the work , and how are they paid?
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Ian ,
who provides the franchisees with the work , and how are they paid?
Most franchises require the franchisee to find his/her own work. In our system we guarantee the franchisees as much work as they can handle, and develop it for them over a non-specified period of time (usually 6-10 months for £900 per week). As with all franchises, the franchisees are running their own businesses so they collect the money and then pay the franchisor a royalty.
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It looks like we are all at it!
We have been developing our franchise idea for quite some time and are almost ready.
I think it is of vital importance to be able to provide the franchisee with a lot of work.
Our model will include providing work in the following areas to keep the franchisee extremely busy. We started our business in March 2010 and are now buying our 4th Van - we have 7 employees and Me!
We will encourage our franchisees to take on board most of the following services as this will guarantee them lots of work within their chosen areas.
Commercial Window Cleaning
Gutter Cleaning
Builders Cleaning
Cladding Cleaning
Pressure Washing
Floor Cleaning
& many more "one off" cleaning services.
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Ian ,
who provides the franchisees with the work , and how are they paid?
Most franchises require the franchisee to find his/her own work. In our system we guarantee the franchisees as much work as they can handle, and develop it for them over a non-specified period of time (usually 6-10 months for £900 per week). As with all franchises, the franchisees are running their own businesses so they collect the money and then pay the franchisor a royalty.
£900 a week .... is that correct or did u mean a month ?? ... works out to £46800 a year ??
unless thats work level and not franchise fee of course.
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Sean
I know at some point I am going to have to get professional advice but wouldn't mind a start in knowing what I really have to pay for and what is freely available.
Do you mind me asking what the model cost, what they got for the money etc?
Rob ;D
Rob I would go to a franchise show, there is also free advice freely available on franchises, fair play for ian trying to sell his info for £1500 a pop
The Franchise show was last weekend at Olympia.
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Sean
I know at some point I am going to have to get professional advice but wouldn't mind a start in knowing what I really have to pay for and what is freely available.
Do you mind me asking what the model cost, what they got for the money etc?
Rob ;D
Rob I would go to a franchise show, there is also free advice freely available on franchises, fair play for ian trying to sell his info for £1500 a pop
The Franchise show was last weekend at Olympia.
I know ;)
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It looks like we are all at it!
We have been developing our franchise idea for quite some time and are almost ready.
I think it is of vital importance to be able to provide the franchisee with a lot of work.
There do seem to be a few people cracking this particular whip. However, I know it's been tried before and failed, which is why advice is so useful. I do think that this business of ours is well-suited to franchising and that we're present at the start of a sea-change in how it's run, possibly nationally, but it needs to be done with the interests of the franchisee at heart or it'll fail.
Yes, you need to be able to give the franchisee the work they want. Not necessarily "a lot" but as much as they want. We're looking for people who want to do three hard days a week or four easy ones for a good net salary after all costs. Plenty of people seem to be looking for an easier life rather than more money.
Gaining customers is the difficult part of this job if you don't know what you're doing (witness a post on here every other day about canvassing or leafletting), so I see that as a crucial benefit of franchising.
Onwards and upwards!
Vin
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Ian,
are you saying that the franchisee pays £900 per week to you to canvass for him on top of his initial £9k outlay?
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Ian,
are you saying that the franchisee pays £900 per week to you to canvass for him on top of his initial £9k outlay?
No ::)
That's the value of work we find him! Our franchisees could have £900 per week turnover on the work we get for them, and yes, Ian - they can turn over £46,800 a year if they want to. Most people have their comfort level though - provided they do at least 85% of their "round valuation" as an average and pay us 20% we're happy :)
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i remember from an old post that you and your wife were leafletting/canvassing for each franchisee , is this still the model or are you using other canvassers?
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i remember from an old post that you and your wife were leafletting/canvassing for each franchisee , is this still the model or are you using other canvassers?
Yes, but only for 'topping up' I'm supposed to be retired ::). The business is still developing though, through the efforts of our Master Franchisee who runs the Medway Towns area. He does his own canvassing as he found the same as us: nobody does it as well as you can do it yourself. Our business model allows for unlimited expansion regardless of the actual canvassing/marketing strategy.
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How do you stop them picking up there own work and not paying 20% to you ?
This is some thing i have been wondering for a while.
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i imagine he can view thier returns or something like that
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Ian lancaster, I would love to have a chat with you about something that may benifit us both at some point. great to see you growing from the back seat :)
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How do you stop them picking up there own work and not paying 20% to you ?
This is some thing i have been wondering for a while.
That's where the contract comes in. Doing 'foreigners' is specifically banned in the contract, along with hundreds of other things, many of which I'd never thought of till I went to a Franchise Solicitor. Apart from the fact that you can cancel their contract, their vans all have the company signwriting and company telephone numbers on them and they have to wear their company uniform while working. It only takes one call: "you're man xxxxx did my windows today and ......." I have caught the odd one trying to slip a sly one in - all it takes is a gentle reminder that it could cost him his entire business.
On the subject of contracts: The reason I paid for a proper contract instead of relying on the one I wrote myself is that should I have to take a franchisee to court, a judge would scrutinise my entire contract and if he deemed any part of it to be unfair or unenforceable, the whole contract would be declared invalid.
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Ian lancaster, I would love to have a chat with you about something that may benifit us both at some point. great to see you growing from the back seat :)
Hi Ian,
Any time, either phone or e-mail
01795 430208 07952 813636 ianlancaster@blueyonder.co.uk