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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Image Sun Tanning Centers vs Intelligent Tanning System including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
| Start-Up Costs and Fees | ||
| Investment | $295,000 - $395,000 | N/A | 
| Franchise Fee | $24,000 | N/A | 
| Royalty Fee | 6% | - | 
| Advertising Fee | - | - | 
| Year Founded | 1994 | - | 
| Year Franchised | 2000 | - | 
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - | 
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - | 
| Renewal Fee | 10% of fee | - | 
| 
 Business Experience Requirements | ||
| Experience | - | |
| Financing Options | ||
| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/Yes | -/- | 
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | -/- | 
| Equipment | No/Yes | -/- | 
| Inventory | No/Yes | -/- | 
| Receivables | No/No | -/- | 
| Payroll | No/Yes | -/- | 
| Training & Support | ||
| Training | One week at our support center office in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Then another week of on-site assistance will be provided at your location as we deem necessary. We offer unlimited additional training and support at our support center office. | - | 
| Support | Newsletter, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | - | 
| Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | - | 
| Operations | 0% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | - | 
| Expansion Plans | ||
| US Expansion | Yes | - | 
| Canada Expansion | No | - | 
| International Expansion | Yes | - | 
Since opening our first tanning center in 1994, Image Sun has continuously developed and refined our business model to 
	meet current customer demands.  Today we have what many consider as the  LEAST COSTLY and MOST EFFICIENT tanning salon model in the industry.  
			
			As far as we are concerned, life is too short for spending 5+ years 
building a successful business. We prefer to be successful in YEAR ONE!
With two decades of tanning industry experience we've discovered that 
while "bigger is better” may be true in some aspects of life, it's 
certainly NOT true when it comes to tanning and Business Expenses. 
			
			Image Sun salons are extremely efficient. They are also incredibly EASY TO OPERATE. Our business model is ideal for small communities and suburbs. The fact is that our salons COST FAR LESS to BUILD and OPERATE  than other tanning salon models.
					
					 
The result... The unique Image Sun positioning allows our salon owners to INVEST LESS, MAXIMIZE REVENUES and produce a FASTER and BETTER RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT! 
							
							 
We invite you to contact us today and learn more about our business model and find out 
if you and your community are good candidates for our truly unique business opportunity.
The primary growth engine in the indoor tanning industry consists of the
 niche areas of sunless and specialized UV. This is where we focus our 
business. Our current product line offers three automated sunless 
machines. Of the more than 25,000 businesses in the United States that 
offer tanning services, which generate more than $5 billion in sales 
annually, estimates show less than 15% offer automated sunless services 
(because the technology is still relatively new). This is why the 
automated sunless industry is the fastest growing segment of the indoor 
tanning business. In addition to our state-of-the-art sunless systems, 
we hold the pioneering patent on UV light emitting diode (LED) tanning 
devices, which are currently under development. For efficacy and 
efficiency reasons, UV LED tanning devices will ultimately entirely 
replace the standard UV bulb technology that has been in use for the 
past 15 years. This is truly cutting-edge technology.