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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Furniture Medic vs Grout Doctor Global Franchise Corp. including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $80,799 - $90,136 | $20,435 - $33,445 |
Franchise Fee | $33,000 | $12,000 - $16,000 |
Royalty Fee | 7% | 9%-6% |
Advertising Fee | 2% | - |
Year Founded | 1992 | 1994 |
Year Franchised | 1992 | 2001 |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 7 years |
Term Of Agreement | 5 years | 7 years |
Renewal Fee | - | $500 |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | Yes/No | No/No |
Start-up Costs | Yes/No | No/No |
Equipment | Yes/No | No/No |
Inventory | Yes/No | No/No |
Receivables | No/No | No/No |
Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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Training | On-The-Job Training: 97-101 hours Classroom Training: 61 hours Additional Training: Home study/mentor program | On-The-Job Training: 45 hours Classroom Training: 15 hours Additional Training: In Chicago |
Support | Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform | Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform |
Marketing | Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development | Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development |
Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 40% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 1 Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | *Franchise can be run from home *15% of all franchisees own more than one unit *Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (99% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | Yes | Yes |
Canada Expansion | No | No |
International Expansion | Yes | Yes |
Joseph Lunsford wasn't looking to start a business when he moved into a new home and realized that several pieces of his furniture had been damaged in transit, but start one he did. He founded Furniture Medic in 1992 in response to his dissatisfaction with the long turnaround time that was common with most refurnishing shops. In 1996 Furniture Medic was acquired by ServiceMaster and has since grown to more than 600 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
After more then a decade of operation, The Grout Doctor is firmly established and is the only company in the industry to be ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2010 TOP 500 FRANCHISES!
Ceramic tile and stone sales continue to increase rapidly, indicating a huge demand for the aftermarket care of the grout, tile and stone. With the most respected and recognized name in the business,
Grout Doctor franchisees are ideally suited to fulfill high consumer demand in this multi-million dollar industry!
Franchisees specialize in residential and commercial grout and tile maintenance. The Grout Doctor offers tile regrouting, grout cleaning and sealing, grout and tile repair, and grout staining, a process in which existing grout is colored rather than replaced.