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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Gutter Guys vs City Wide Facility Solutions including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $91,700 | $233,150 - $404,100 |
Franchise Fee | $15,000 | $70,000 |
Royalty Fee | 5% | 5% |
Advertising Fee | - | 1% |
Year Founded | 1988 | 1961 |
Year Franchised | 2000 | 2001 |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years |
Renewal Fee | 25% of franchise fee | 10% of franchise fee |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | Professional Qualifications: * 35 - 55 years old with no less than 10 years of business experience * At least 5- 10 years of B2B sales and 5 years of sales management experience * Experience building and managing sales teams * Leadership/Management of a professional team Behavioral Qualifications: Culture Index: Trailblazer, Persuader, Architect (A "DI" DISC profile or an "Achiever" Proven Match Profile) * Outgoing, expressive individuals with backgrounds like business development, sales, sales management, marketing, training, and recruiting. * Proactive, results-oriented multitaskers who have a strong sense of urgency. * Persuasive, problem solvers who understand and enjoy helping people achieve their goals. | |
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | No/No | -/Yes |
Start-up Costs | No/No | -/- |
Equipment | No/Yes | -/- |
Inventory | No/No | -/- |
Receivables | No/No | -/- |
Payroll | No/No | -/- |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | Full training from our support center team consists of 4 weeks of hands on coaching. 2 in Kansas City at our Corporate office and 2 in the field at the franchisees site. From there the franchisee will receive multiple support visits, engage in regular, one-on-one coaching calls, monthly sales and operations calls and much more. On-The-Job Training: 50 hours Classroom Training: 80 hours Additional Training: Annual training meeting; on-site visits; online training as needed |
Support | Newsletter, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | Franchise Advisory Council Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform |
Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing |
Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. 10% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 7 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
0% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4 to start, add employees as business grows 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 | No | No |
International Expansion | No | No |
The Gutter Guys was founded by Michael Williams in 1988. Michael had been working in the restaurant and hospitality business for the previous fifteen years and needed gutters and downspouts on his new home. Amazed at the total lack of professionalism in the gutter companies he encountered while getting gutter installation estimates, he decided to start The Gutter Guys. Using his extensive knowledge of and passion for customer service, Michael's company now serves more than 300,000 happy customers throughout four mid-Atlantic states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Not only did Michael develop the recipe to satisfy his customers, he also found the right recipe to recruit and retain quality employees. While discussing how to utilize and reward skilled employees with his business advisor and CPA Chuck Johnson, the idea of franchising came up. Not franchising in the normal sense, but as a way to expand the geographic area the business served and give employees an opportunity to become self employed while remaining with The Gutter Guys.
Chuck was so instrumental in helping to develop a system to give The Gutter Guys' employees a chance to become franchise owners that he was invited to join the company. Chuck accepted and sold his well-established accounting practice to join The Gutters Guys full time. Since that time, we have helped twelve of our employees become self employed franchisees of The Gutter Guys.