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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Blind Man of America vs Furniture Medic including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $45,500 - $69,100 | $80,799 - $90,136 |
Franchise Fee | $15,000 | $33,000 |
Royalty Fee | 4.3% | 7% |
Advertising Fee | - | 2% |
Year Founded | 1991 | 1992 |
Year Franchised | 1996 | 1992 |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 5 years |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 5 years |
Renewal Fee | $1K | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | No/No | Yes/No |
Start-up Costs | No/No | Yes/No |
Equipment | No/No | Yes/No |
Inventory | No/No | Yes/No |
Receivables | No/No | No/No |
Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | On-The-Job Training: 97-101 hours Classroom Training: 61 hours Additional Training: Home study/mentor program |
Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line | Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform |
Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks | Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development |
Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. 0% of all franchisees own more than one unit
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Franchise can be run from home. International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 40% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 1 Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | Yes | Yes |
Canada Expansion | No | No |
International Expansion | No | Yes |
The Blind Man of America is a home-based business providing customers with in-home selection of custom-made blinds, shades, shutters and more. We work from home and travel in the "blind mobile", our full-service vans containing everything we need to provide our customers with an unsurpassed selection of products with professional installation.
Our concept is framed in its simplicity. The idea is this - most of today's home owners know what they want in window coverings, but they want someone else to do the critical measuring and installation. That's where Blind Man of America comes in. We provide a huge selection of quality products, provide expert measuring and installation, and guarantee it all!
We provide this service to our customers in the comfort of their own home and all with unmatched customer service. It's a concept that consumers love and a system that's easy to implement for our franchisees. But, does it work? Judge for yourself. As a whole, our company averaged a 59% closing ratio in 2004 which means 6 out of every 10 estimates we've converted to sales. Our franchisees in business three years or more averaged a 55% repeat and referral business as well.
Joseph Lunsford wasn't looking to start a business when he moved into a new home and realized that several pieces of his furniture had been damaged in transit, but start one he did. He founded Furniture Medic in 1992 in response to his dissatisfaction with the long turnaround time that was common with most refurnishing shops. In 1996 Furniture Medic was acquired by ServiceMaster and has since grown to more than 600 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.