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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Little Gym vs The Mad Science Group including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $174,900 - $456,500 | $74,050 - $110,459 |
Franchise Fee | $39,500 - $59,500 | $25,000 |
Royalty Fee | 8% | 8% |
Advertising Fee | 1% | - |
Year Founded | 1976 | 1985 |
Year Franchised | 1992 | 1995 |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 25 years |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 25 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/No | No/Yes |
Start-up Costs | No/Yes | No/Yes |
Equipment | No/Yes | No/Yes |
Inventory | No/Yes | No/No |
Receivables | No/No | No/No |
Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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Training | On-The-Job Training: 55 hours Classroom Training: 100 hours Additional Training: At existing franchise location | - |
Support | Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations |
Marketing | Ad Templates National Media Social media SEO Website development Email marketing | Co-op advertising, Regional advertising |
Operations |
International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5 - 7
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Franchise can be run from home. 5% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 3 - 30
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (95% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | Yes | - |
Canada Expansion | No | No |
International Expansion | Yes | Yes |
As children, brothers Ariel and Ron Shlien loved to create crazy science experiments. As adults, they realized that kids like fun, cool science. So in 1985 they started Mad Science by hosting 'edu-taining' birthday parties featuring scienctific demonstrations.
Franchising began in 1995, with initial franchises in Florida and Toronto, and now has franchises worldwide offering educational demonstrations to preschools, in-class and afterschool programs, community centers and scout programs. The company also provides entertainment for birthday parties, special events, camps and more.