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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Icebox/Soupbox vs Shakes Alive including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $69,500 - $174,500 | N/A |
Franchise Fee | $14,000 - $20,000 | N/A |
Royalty Fee | 4% | - |
Advertising Fee | - | - |
Year Founded | 1995 | - |
Year Franchised | 1998 | - |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
Renewal Fee | Negotiable | - |
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 | -/- |
Start-up Costs | No/No | -/- |
Equipment | No/No | -/- |
Inventory | No/No | -/- |
Receivables | No/No | -/- |
Payroll | No/No | -/- |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | Covers the areas of administration, operations, customer service and more. Valuable, hands-on experience will be gained through on-the-job training at an existing Shakes Alive! location. Shortly before your location opens, an experienced trainer will attend your grand opening in order to help assure that things start as smooth as possible. |
Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | We are eager to share our expertise with you, and will be available to answer your questions by phone or email at any time. Plus, you will be periodically visited by a Shakes Alive! representative who can provide assistance and insight. |
Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | Includes marketing plans in advertising materials for use in your own local market. |
Operations |
0% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | - |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | - | - |
Canada Expansion | No | - |
International Expansion | Yes | - |
Before opening his first store, Jamie Taerbaum stood outside a Baskin-Robbins store to figure out how many customers an ice cream store could expect at different times of day, on different days of the week, and in different weather conditions. Armed with this research, the young business school graduate opened the original Icebox/Soupbox store in 1995 in Chicago.
In the spring and summer, Icebox operates as a retailer of Icyfruit, a mixture of fruit juice, sugar, water and chunks of fruit that comes in 20 flavors. Throughout the fall and winter, it becomes a Soupbox store, offering a wide variety of soups.