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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Visual Image vs Future Stars including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $37,300 - $37,500 | $195,000 |
Franchise Fee | $23,500 | N/A |
Royalty Fee | 0 | - |
Advertising Fee | - | - |
Year Founded | 1984 | 1987 |
Year Franchised | 1994 | 1999 |
Term Of Agreement | 3 years | - |
Term Of Agreement | 3 years | - |
Renewal Fee | $2K | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | Yes/No | -/- |
Start-up Costs | No/No | -/- |
Equipment | Yes/No | -/- |
Inventory | No/No | -/- |
Receivables | No/No | -/- |
Payroll | No/No | -/- |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | - |
Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | - |
Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | - |
Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. 20% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 1 - 2
Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | - |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | - | - |
Canada Expansion | No | - |
International Expansion | No | - |
Paul Holman founded Visual Image in 1984 after leaving his job as a photographer with a small portrait company. Intent on building a business that would give him the creative freedom he wanted, Paul joined forces with his brother, Donald, and formed the Visual Image Inc. franchise company in 1994. The private company has more than 17 locations throughout the United States and is based in Maryville, Tennessee.
Since 1987, Future Stars has been operating as North America’s premier sports photography firm.
Future Stars has become the most successful youth sports photography company operating today with over a quarter-million children receiving great sports photo products each year!
We have worked extremely hard to build a brand and reputation that can be trusted by all levels of sports organizations, ranging from the youngest tykes to premier adult programs. When we began servicing amateur sports organizations, we quickly became familiar with the needs of various sports clubs and have grown into a full-service company that can provide your club with fully customized apparel as well as a vast array of branded spirit wear, photography, and promotional items.
A Future of Success in Sports Photography. Includes: Exclusive sales territories based on geographic boundaries Year round centralized 800 customer service support Complete production facility encompassing all aspects of production Customized training programs as well as on-site training On-going sales and photography support Professionally designed presentation kits at no charge On-line business management system Full color customer order envelopes Business cards, stationary and business forms In house graphic arts and product development departments Annual busness development meetings Excellent sales growth incentive and bonus programs Centralized bookkeeping and customized reporting systems Door to door deliveries Customer satisfaction is always guaranteed 100% Great Selling Feature "No Hassle Guarantee" Promotes higher sales through customer confidence Customer service responsibility shifts from your hands to ours Eliminates third party inquiries Ensures superior customer service implementation and effectiveness Professional customer service equals greater customer satisfaction Faster product turn-around times Assists in your ability to retain customers