Franchises

What are you looking for? Do you want to know the pros and cons? Are you interested in buying a franchise? Contact me via email and I can tell you about the FCI family, Deck the Walls and Great Frame Up if you are interested.
 
I am a former deck the walls owner... I would be happy to give you another persective on the franchise.
 
Hmmmm... Since I'm in the process of purchasing a franchise myself, I can't help noticing that no one has been willing to share any "pros" with the general audience. You're making me nervous, Gang!
 
Hi tjay. I resonded to Goldfinger back in April when he posted this question; we had several emails back & forth. Would be glad to talk with you as well...contact me directly at thegreatframeup@msn.com
 
Give me a holler ... I'll be glad to share my experience of acquiring and operating a franchise.
 
I'm claiming ignorance on most of the franchise thing here, but I've never seen much of a long term benefit. It's not like people are going to come to you because they are in the mood for the equivalent of a Subway(tm) sandwich above all others.

Once every 6 months or so on average someone will ask if they can buy a franchise from me. My response, "Ummm, no you live too close." Maybe I should look into them.
 
when buying a franchise first you need to have actually been in the framing industry for a while(know a little of the ins and outs) maybe work for someone else for atleast a year. ran into too many franchisees who have never been in framing and some who have never even had something framed. you can learn as you go along, but what if your competition is someone with 30 yrs experience? you do get some good discounts sometimes- learned that a supplier was giving better discounts to others, who were not franchises.
 
tjay,

I emailed back and forth with Goldfinger myself as well. The problem is that there are so many reasons to buy a franchise and just as many to not buy a franchise. It really depends on your situation and what you are looking for in a business.

The franchise obviously did not work for Billie Bob and others here but that does not mean it won't work for you. I would guess that 95+% of the people registered on The Grumble are not franchises and they do good business yet some might do better if they had some of the resources that a franchise can offer.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
 
Having a franchise is much the same as having a partner who has a whole lot of experience. There is an old adage in business, " Having a partner is the cowards way of going into business". That is true in the sense that it is a whole lot safer to go into business with a knowledgeable partner than it is going it alone.

Going it alone is a whole lot riskier, but if you succeed, the rewards will be a whole lot greater. Partners do not work for free, nor do they invest money without expecting renumeration that would be much greater than bank interest on their money. Franchise operators are the same way except they have to be paid just like your rent. You can lose the whole thing, including your up front money if they do not get paid, profit or not. That of course, is based on your franchise agreement. That alone can make buying a franchise just as risky as opening an independent, assuming you are a knowledgeable framer and businessperson. If you are weak in either area, a franchise may be just what you need.

Long term, an independent who is successful, will earn more money on their own. A franchise, however, can lessen the risk considerably. I think it is a toss up if you have limited experience in the craft and in business. If you are a very experienced framer and businessperson and you start your business with the same funding a franchise would expect, your better off going it alone. Just my opinion, I know in a franchise you will get company support and encouragement as you go, you can also get that for free, on The Grumble.

John
 
Well, we've discussed this before and I am certain you can find a number of threads if you do a search on "franchises."

I have been open almost two years. I looked at franchises before I opened. I talked to most of the suppliers to the franchise I was most interested in and wrote a business plan with and without the franchise. I have an MBA and felt comfortable with my framing skills, so general business and technical skills were not an issue for me.

What I felt the franchise would give me is a strong start-up knowledge and specific industry, marketing and merchandising experience. I felt the initial fee and their royalty was a good deal for "hiring" a consultant. It was a close call before I decided to "go it on my own."

I met a number of "non-framers" and/or "non-business" people who started franchises. I would say that if you feel particularly weak in either area a franchise is a strong possibility. For a three year period it looked better than independent in most of the scenarios I ran.

My analysis supported John's points exactly. I am a bit of a risk taker, and my wife says she thinks I took an extra share of self confidence when it was being handed out,
so I opened an independent shop.

I would not rule out either possibility if you are thinking about opening a shop. What I WOULD DO is write a business plan BOTH ways, have an independent person go over both with you, and think HARDand objectively about your personality, skills and experience.
 
I dont mean to talk down deck the walls.. I made some great friends and had alot of fun.. and I still think it has some great people runing it.
 
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