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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Miracle-Ear vs Vital Dent including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $119,000 - $352,500 | $512,500 - $797,000 |
Franchise Fee | $30,000 | $45,000 - $60,000 |
Royalty Fee | $48.80/aid | 5% |
Advertising Fee | $75/aid | - |
Year Founded | 1948 | 1989 |
Year Franchised | 1983 | 1995 |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 10years |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 10years |
Renewal Fee | $2K-10K | $3000/ treatment room |
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/No |
Start-up Costs | No/No | No/No |
Equipment | No/No | No/No |
Inventory | No/No | No/No |
Receivables | No/No | No/No |
Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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Training | Ongoing training as needed | - |
Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | - |
Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising | - |
Operations |
80% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 3 Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. | - |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | Yes | - |
Canada Expansion | No | No |
International Expansion | No | No |
Kenneth Dahlberg started Dahlberg Electronics in 1948 and began
manufacturing the first Miracle-Ear hearing aids. Today, Miracle-Ear is a
subsidiary of Italian hearing aid distributor Amplifon, with U.S.
headquarters in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Miracle-Ear's retail locations offer free hearing tests and
consultations and offer service, warranty and after-care packages with
their hearing aids.
Vital Dent, a well-respected leader in the dental health care field, is a multi-national company which began business in Spain in 1989. Started first as a dental prosthetics business, in 1991 the company began developing dental offices. Then in 1995, Vital Dent established its franchise system.
Vital Dent owns and operates 23 company offices and 160 franchised offices in Spain, with another 10 franchised offices in Portugal and 2 offices being built in Italy.
The Vital Dent franchise network is now being developed in the United States.