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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Around Town Community Magazine vs Welcomemat Services including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $37,600 - $54,800 | $60,960 - $89,710 |
Franchise Fee | $25,000 | $47,000 |
Royalty Fee | 5% | 6% |
Advertising Fee | - | 2% |
Year Founded | 1996 | 2003 |
Year Franchised | 2003 | 2010 |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 7Years+5+5+5 |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 7Years+5+5+5 |
Renewal Fee | - | - |
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 |
Start-up Costs | No/No | -/Yes |
Equipment | No/No | -/Yes |
Inventory | No/No | -/Yes |
Receivables | No/No | -/Yes |
Payroll | No/No | -/Yes |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | As with any good business model, an in depth training program is critical. The Welcomemat Services' training program has been designed by Welcomemat Services sales professionals and is based on 8 years of direct "field" selling and customer feedback. The Welcomemat Services in-depth training platform includes: An online-initial home study course Access to an online training portal for continuing education Up to one week of training at our corporate support center A step-by-step sales process Ample coverage of proper sales techniques designed to help you rapidly build a client base Our exclusive software selling platform, already pre-populated with targeted prospects within your territory Access to a copy of our confidential operations manual to help you run your business properly on a day-to-day basis. On-The-Job Training: 16 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours Additional Training: Home study course |
Support | Meetings, Internet, Field operations/evaluations | The Welcomemat Services support platform was built by sales professionals for sales professionals. Great sales professionals prefer selling and customer interaction over back-office and administrative work. It is for that reason that Welcomemat Services has built a comprehensive and highly sophisticated support platform that's simple to use. The Welcomemat Services team's expertise and understanding in technology, software and sales allowed us to construct a training and support platform that: -Supports business ownership opportunities focused on revenue generation -Allows sales professionals to spend the majority of their time on selling and growing customer relationships -Allows simple access to online order, billing, and CRM software -Creates a simplified selling opportunity with recurring revenues -Provides access to integrated, patent-pending technologies for local marketing -Provides access to Welcomemat Services trademarks -Creates an incredible business opportunity for sales minded individuals Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform |
Marketing | - | Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app |
Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. 100% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | Absentee Ownership Allowed |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | Yes | Yes |
Canada Expansion | No | - |
International Expansion | No | - |
Around Town Community Magazine, Inc. ("Around Town") began franchise operations in September 2002 in Woodstock, Georgia. Around Town franchises niche community magazines, each has a goal of "strengthening communities."Around Town was founded by Gina Carr and Don Kyle. Gina has a BA from Georgia Tech in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from Harvard. Don has a BS in Accounting from Florida State University and also is a CPA. Together they started The TowneLaker magazine in June 1996 and Sixes Living magazine in June 2000. After many years of practice, they decided to franchise the niche community magazine concept through Around Town Community Magazine, Inc.
The next revolution in local marketing is different from online group deal buying, coupons or online discounts --- join the revolution!
Welcomemat Services has been a force in the local loyalty marketing space since 2003. Recognized by dozens of local, regional and vertical publications and media outlets for its success in helping small businesses grow loyal customers, Welcomemat Services differentiates itself through its combined digital, print and online marketing solution.
The desire to build a network of successful Welcomemat Services business owners who share the same vision and passion as the Welcomemat Services founders and employees is strengthened by:
- A tested business model currently serving many local, regional and national brands ranging from Coca-Cola to Chick-fil-a, Ace Hardware, and many more.
-A management team with over 60 years of experience in sales, digital technology, local marketing, print, franchising and enterprise software.
-Unmatched Patent-Pending software and technology platforms designed for local businesses
-A CEO that has been nominated for Ernst and Young's Entreprenuer of the Year - an award honoring outstanding successful and growing businesses.
-And the Business Journal's 40 under 40.
-A company that has been recognized by the Stevie Awards for Most Innovative Company
We will always devote our time and resources to helping all stakeholders at Welcomemat succeed and prosper.
This includes our internal team members, our clients, our franchisees, our vendors, partners and the consumers we touch with aall of our offerings.