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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Gutter Guys vs Hickory Dickory Decks 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 | $50,001 - $100,000 |
Franchise Fee | $15,000 | $50,000 |
Royalty Fee | 5% | 6% |
Advertising Fee | - | - |
Year Founded | 1988 | 1987 |
Year Franchised | 2000 | 1999 |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
Renewal Fee | 25% of franchise 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 | -/- |
Start-up Costs | No/No | -/- |
Equipment | No/Yes | -/- |
Inventory | No/No | -/- |
Receivables | No/No | -/- |
Payroll | No/No | -/- |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | - |
Support | Newsletter, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | - |
Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | - |
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) | - |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | 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.
Custom builders of decks and gazebo's creating the ultimate backyard paradise. At Hickory Dickory Decks, our aim is to be the best quality and service oriented company in the deck business. Our business is built on satisfied customers, one deck at a time.We began by using composite decking materials. These products have many advantages over wooden decks. No more staining, peeling, no slivers, no cracking, no warping, no twisting, and a better non-slip surface. We are the largest composite deck builder in Canada and have over 1,500 of these installed. This "maintenance-free" decking is over 85 percent of our business today and will never need staining but does require an occasional bath. Every year we find crews hundreds of miles away working on projects referred by one of our satisfied customers. They will travel world wide to work with great customers on their custom deck. In 2005, Hickory Dickory Decks became a stocking dealer of the leading easy-care/maintenance-free deck products. We carry Xtendex, Weatherbest, Correct Deck, Procel, Veka, Trex, Dexx, EZ Deck, Weatherdeck, Monarch, Deck Lok and Lifelong Decking. They also can special order any other composite deck of your choice.