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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of American Leak Detection vs The BrickKicker Home Inspection including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $76,755 - $259,550 | $16,750 - $44,550 |
Franchise Fee | $29,500 - $120,000 | $12,000 - $27,000 |
Royalty Fee | 6-10% | 6% |
Advertising Fee | - | 2% |
Year Founded | 1974 | 1989 |
Year Franchised | 1984 | 1994 |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 7 years |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 7 years |
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/Yes | Yes/No |
Start-up Costs | No/Yes | No/No |
Equipment | No/Yes | No/No |
Inventory | No/No | No/No |
Receivables | No/No | No/No |
Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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Training | On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours Additional Training: Annual convention | Continuing education On-The-Job Training: up to 2 days Classroom Training: up to 10 days |
Support | Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Online Support Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform | Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations |
Marketing | Co-op Advertising National Media Regional Advertising SEO Website development | Co-op Advertising Ad Templates |
Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 7% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2 - 3
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)
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Franchise can be run from home. 75% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 1 - 2
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 | Yes | No |
International Expansion | Yes | No |
Len Franckowiak founded the Home Building Institute (HBI), a school that taught about the different facets and trades of home building. One of the courses at HBI, Old House Rehab, dealt with the inspection and analysis of old houses. Realtors would take the class to learn about older homes and would often call on Franckowiak for his insight into the condition of a property. Through these consultations, Franckowiak saw the need for a home inspection service and, with the help of Ronald Ewald, started BrickKicker in 1992.
#129 on Entrepreneur's ranking of the top 150 franchises offering incentives and other programs to help veterans become franchisees