Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: purekleen on June 12, 2008, 05:06:08 pm
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Just had a few customers contact me about the company in the title mass flyering where i work then my neighbour delivered me there leaflet, had a look at there website and nearly laughed my pants off they want close to £40000 to set you up and then they take regular fees for giving you a post code area so im off to solictor on monday to go franchise and sell my company name for money like that who needs to go work cant believe anyone would pay such money for nothing but a kitted van and a post code anyone else come across this or better still anyone taken out the franchise cant wait to meet the man that could have had my company trading with two vans staff and customers coming out of his jax for a few quid more.
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£40K for this?
h ttp://www.myhome.com/windowcleaning/faqs.htm
Has anyone here ever bought a window cleaning franchise? How did it turn out?
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www.myhome.com/windowcleaning/index.htm
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iv thought about franchisin but if i was to franchise i would make sure i had work within the cost so they didnt just start with no income, i think this would be betta for both prties and more appealing to the buyer.
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my home are around my way so far its just the domestic cleaning but to pay£40000 for a business plan is madness, looked at buying a franchise non w/c and they wanted 17% of turnover not profit as a management fee, you had to pay your own yellow pages ad that they hold nationally. told them to poke it
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40k!!!!
Got a sneaky suspcion these people make their money selling franchises....not providing a w/c service.
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Been reading your posts Dave, very impressed.
The franchising thing isn't as bad as it sounds. A guy on here does it and he also provides the work, and you start at 600-800 pw. The cost is no where near 40k.
However he picks who is suitable, and he wont have just anyone. He has a clause where he guarantees to buy the franchise back off you.
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Been reading your posts Dave, very impressed.
The franchising thing isn't as bad as it sounds. A guy on here does it and he also provides the work, and you start at 600-800 pw. The cost is no where near 40k.
However he picks who is suitable, and he wont have just anyone. He has a clause where he guarantees to buy the franchise back off you.
sounds like a responsible franchise that one most arent i researched it for non w/c and the dustry is plagued by rogue franchises thats not to say they all are
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Been reading your posts Dave, very impressed.
The franchising thing isn't as bad as it sounds. A guy on here does it and he also provides the work, and you start at 600-800 pw. The cost is no where near 40k.
However he picks who is suitable, and he wont have just anyone. He has a clause where he guarantees to buy the franchise back off you.
Thank you :)
Obviously, i cant comment on the franchise the guy on here is selling (not knowing the finer details) although a 'buy back' does seem more than fair and shows he has a good deal of faith in his model.
The 'My Home' franchise seems a little rich to me. I wouldnt want to comment further as I have heard large franchise groups tend to be very litigious and I'd hate to get Site Admin into trouble!....draw your own conclusions from that ;)
I can see positive benefits for buying a franchise from companies such as Dominoes pizza, McDonalds, KFC, Hertz, etc etc etc...
They advertise heavily and the names are well known, trusted and respected. They are usually the leader in their field. You are buying the 'name' more than the business model with these companies and personally, I reckon they're worth every penny.
How many of us drive past the local pizza house or burger shop looking for a Maccy D's or Pizza Hut?
Do your kids pester you for 'a burger' or more specifically, a 'Happy Meal' ?
How many people here know what a Maccy D's logo looks like? or a Dominoes logo or Hertz?...that sort of exposure and trust is worth its weight in gold.
Who knows what a My Home logo looks like? Do your customers know the name or brand? is it an industry leader? is it respected by customers and suppliers?
In my humble opinion My Home appear to be selling you the 'know how' of how to be a window cleaner and not a well respected and trusted brand. For 40k I would expect a little bit more than what seems to be on offer.
One franchise that does spring to mind is Chipsaway. They have been operating for quite some years in the UK, they reckon they have a 90%+ franchisee success rate and have large protected franchise areas..
If its so successful how are they able to keep selling franchises ???
Wouldnt they all have been sold by now? Or is the success rate worked out using a selective formula?
NOTE - My Home and Chipsaway are part of the same group.
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david have to agree with what you say ive seen other forums having to delete posts for the reasons you mention, they had no choice. i know of one franchise that went under leaving all its franchisees with no support after they invested thousands. and is now trading from same address with different family member as director and under differnt name
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I saw one of these in Fleet, Hants.
I'm quite sure he was driving an Astra Van, so he wouldn't be carrying that much water to do enough work to justify the turnover needed to meet repayments.
Nice clean van with signwriting though.
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I often use circumlocution when i want to name an individual or firm, likewise with anything that might be construed as advice where gas is concerned. (for legal reasons even beyond libel etc).
There are things I sometimes want to say but can't.
I looked at franchises dominoes you get a turnkey for 270k but need extra to buy the cars and mopeds. The figures and projections are very good though, and by law have to be true.(they give you actual top and bottom figures of existing businesses)
For me it mean't selling my current house and buying an ex council. I looked at signs express papa johns and others. In the end I started wc because I was too much of a coward to walk away from my existing business (market trader) even though it has been in decline for a few years.
I was, and still am, very attached to being a market trader.
The service sector is now the only viable business opp that can be expanded.
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circumlocution
gies a clue what does it mean.
so i can use it
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cammy D's - Mc Donalds
dodos zippa - Dominoes Pizza
Mix up the words just enough to avoid libel, but still clear enough for other readers to 'untangle' the letters ;)
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This is a really good biz (the one we're in), but i find no one comes into it by choice.
(sorry guys but it's just too hard an option).
So what I would like to know is David, what nasty turn did life take to push you into it?
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BEWARE !!!!!!!!!!
i worked for these guys a few years back they were offering jobs for carpet cleaning in the paper 400 per week at the interview they came with the thing that you had to purchase a franchise and carpet cleaning equipment for 8000.
then the guy said i would be more suited to a sales job with them 20% comission garunteed 6 leads a day of which every one was crap!
i worked there for two weeks sold 4000 worth of cleaning and never got paid a penny used my own money for fuel. never recieved a penny towards that.
but the horror stories when i worked there with just selling mass franchises , and not really care about aftersales care.
also they told you how you should be decieving in order to make sales...bit like those rogue trader shows!!! lol
also the company was 4 different names before and they all went bust. this is there current guise!
they also use to have adverts in the paper with contact mr craig mith or mr donald james or whatever but these people did not exist and you would have to lie and say they were not in the office and they would ring you later..
just total cons ...if you are a honest business you would be honest wiyh customers and staff!
shawn
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cammy D's - Mc Donalds
dodos zippa - Dominoes Pizza
Mix up the words just enough to avoid libel, but still clear enough for other readers to 'untangle' the letters ;)
got it unfortunately the site i was getting some interesting facts off has deleted all posts. no surprise there. but i suppose the point is if your going to invest in a franchise do some research a lot of research. just one example is l okc riet check it out. they went bust and set up again leaving hundreds in the lurch
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This is a really good biz (the one we're in), but i find no one comes into it by choice.
(sorry guys but it's just too hard an option).
So what I would like to know is David, what nasty turn did life take to push you into it?
;D ;D ;D
I'm on the dole and I do it for beer money...Only joking!
As you've probably guessed by my post count I'm new around these parts.
I used to work for a large promotional company.
A few years ago, my girlfriend set up a small cleaning company doing a few local houses. I gave her some hints and tricks on marketing and it expanded rapidly (VERY rapidly!).....but I wouldnt like to take all the credit *ahem* ::)
I gave up my job and came into the business full time. More on the paperwork side of things if I'm honest. Its a boring thankless task but someones got to do it.
Anyway, she recently secured a contract for a large car dealership and they enquired about getting the windows cleaned as well. She told me and I said I'd look into it. My first thought was to sub it out but this dealership has 'issues' over security and wanted the job done in-house. i spoke to them and found out they have another dealership so I asked what they were paying for the windows to be cleaned at that one. They told me....when I picked myself up off the floor :o I began looking into wfp and costs etc. etc.
I have now made the decision that we shall add wfp window cleaning as a standalone company and I shall run it. I will train up to use the equipment and start the ball rolling. The long term plan is staff and a small fleet....but lets see how things go ;)
So maybe I'm unique. I am freely and knowingly entering the lions den!!
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BEWARE !!!!!!!!!!
i worked for these guys a few years back they were offering jobs for carpet cleaning in the paper 400 per week at the interview they came with the thing that you had to purchase a franchise and carpet cleaning equipment for 8000.
then the guy said i would be more suited to a sales job with them 20% comission garunteed 6 leads a day of which every one was crap!
i worked there for two weeks sold 4000 worth of cleaning and never got paid a penny used my own money for fuel. never recieved a penny towards that.
but the horror stories when i worked there with just selling mass franchises , and not really care about aftersales care.
also they told you how you should be decieving in order to make sales...bit like those rogue trader shows!!! lol
also the company was 4 different names before and they all went bust. this is there current guise!
they also use to have adverts in the paper with contact mr craig mith or mr donald james or whatever but these people did not exist and you would have to lie and say they were not in the office and they would ring you later..
just total cons ...if you are a honest business you would be honest wiyh customers and staff!
shawn
Shawn,
Its a good job you DIDNT mention which one of the many companies that have been discussed in this post you are referring to, otherwise I would expect the whole thread would be deleted once that party finds it (and I expect they might!).
I wonder...could you have meant Mc Donalds or Pizza Hut or is it one of the other companies mentioned?
I suppose I'll have to keep guessing because we wouldnt want the thread to disappear would we? ;)
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i was careful ...lol
one guy remortgaged his house and he split up with the missus cos they lost there home buying into this company saw him 1 year after i left and he was a wreck ...lost everything
shawn
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if you lose your house because you've bought into a franchise then it's your own fault.
The whole point of a franchise is that it is a proven business model that works in a variety of areas. Starting/buying a franchise that is only operating in one area is very foolish. Any viable franchisie would have a few operations working before they 'sold' themselves on to be credible. It's laughable to see window cleaning companies say 'i'm starting a franchise' when they are the only one working it, and if you buy into anyone who does that without a proven record you are really not suitable to be in business!!
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I guessed something of the sort david.
There's not much training needed. Vivaro's are the van of choice although I drive a scudo.
You want something to take a min 650l (650kg) tank, but a 800 would be better.
Get designing your leaflet and signwriting.
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he didnt buy a franchise he invested money into the actual business ...this was when they first started selling franchises .
just a little warning to people not to part with there hard earned cash .. some companies are just dodgey!
shawn
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very interesting post
Do not visit this section often
But when I left Retailing 20 years ago I saw an advert for a Home Cleaning Company
Budget for Little Cars Charging I think £15 an hour that time ago
I think eventually they were taken over by this company which I thought at one time was a division of a large PLC
One of the Guys said they lie on Sales Calls what sort of lies.?
As far as the Window Cleaning side is concerned ,, the question to ask would be what can they do for you that you cannot do for yourself
Traing opportunties appear good in Water Fed Poles etc
As I see it the hard bit is finding customers at an economical cost.
The contract cleaning franchises get mentioned a lot in The General Cleaning Section.
Most post warn people away. Just to avoid confusion I am a Moderator on the Carpet Cleaning Section
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My neigbours got a chemdry, he's happy.
On your side of things(general) molly maid etc sell themselves as management franchises. I don't know how true that is, but there are a lot of very smart wc's on this section who operate several vans and employ, but they still have to get their hands dirty.
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My home are very heavy into passive marketing. They have only been trading for 4 years and are a plc.
Cant tell you much more as we are going to see a regional director soon under the pretense of being interested. I want to know as much as |I can mainly for curiosity.
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In the jims mowing book (see ww if you want a copy) he was on the stand at the exhibition getting all the info, methodolgy, leaflets etc, and asking all the stupid questions when the big boss came back and did recognise and threw him off the stand.
He put many of these ideas to good use.
Similarly Felix Dennis tells the story of meeting and trying to sell to his hero, spider man creator stan Lee, and he too got thrown out of the building.
Let us know how you get on.