Gift Card Monkey vs The Swim Squad Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Gift Card Monkey vs The Swim Squad including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Gift Card Monkey Franchise
The Swim Squad Franchise
Investment $10,950 - $27,600$16,200 - $33,500
Franchise Fee $9,900$7,500
Royalty Fee -6%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded -2007
Year Franchised -2009
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Gift Card Monkey Franchise
The Swim Squad Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options

 
Gift Card Monkey Franchise
The Swim Squad Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
Gift Card Monkey Franchise
The Swim Squad Franchise
Training Training is conducted prior to opening your business and it is conducted by our professional team, which may consist of both corporate-based trainers and Regional Trainers. The initial training is typically conducted at our headquarter location in Miami, Florida and is free of charge to you. You are responsible for your travel expenses. We also offer free ongoing refresher trainings which will continue to help you become familiar in modern sales and marketing techniques. When you complete the initial training you are ready to start your business and through this training you have acquired the skills to: Be completely ready to open and operate your store. Be ready to hire and manage employees for your business. Be comfortable with people management. Manage your inventory. Perform effective advertising and marketing campaigns, public relations strategies in order to establish and grow your business. Perform and handle the day to day operations of your business. Command the computer and hardware/software and POS systems needed to operate your business. Implement new sales and merchandising strategies to improve and maximize sales. Understand Gift Card Monkey business reporting & requirements. Each Franchisee will participate in a 2 week training course involving all of our policies and procedures, as well as business operations. On-site training for an additional 10 business days to help the transition into your new business
Support At Gift Card Monkey, we are extremely proud of our franchisee support. Our philosophy is extremely simple. Our franchisee's success translates into our success and their failure translated into our failure. It is therefore to our best interest to support our franchisees without any restrictions or boundaries. One of the main advantages of purchasing a franchise and a main reason why most franchises succeed as compared to individual businesses is the support you will receive from the headquarters. You will never feel that you are alone. You will consider us your partner in this endeavor, every day. As our franchise network grows, with every new franchisee you have gained yourself a new partner. We all go to work every day and we all share the same goals and the same ambitions. Our goal is to grow the Gift Card Monkey brand, constantly provide new products and services and ultimately make the business more profitable for all of our partners (franchisees). There is absolutely no limitation in the amount of available support. You can call us for any reason including advertising consulting, technical help, additional training or sales support. As you contact us, you are always priority. Once again your success directly translates into our success and we take this very seriously.-
Marketing *Vehicle rear window decal *Promotional banners personalized for you *An on-line vault for information sharing with other franchisees *Email marketing *Direct mail campaign *Text message campaign *In-store LCD and LED promotional products *Balloons, banners, yard signs, etc. And much more� -
Operations -Franchise can be run from home. Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5 - 20. Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

Expansion Plans

 
Gift Card Monkey Franchise
The Swim Squad Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Gift Card Monkey

Gift Card trading business is a very exciting business in a very rapidly growing market. It does not target a particular demographic; it targets everyone at any age. Your customers are kids, teenagers, adults, men, women and even the elderly. Gift cards are the most popular form of gift giving today. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, seventy-seven percent of holiday shoppers in 2010 purchased at least one gift card to give as a present to their loved ones. However according to consumer experts, receiving a card to a store you have no interest in is actually the number one complaint about gift cards. Gift Card Monkey provides an opportunity for people of all ages who have received gift cards that they don't need, or people that have gift cards with partially used balances to exchange their gift cards for cash or other gift cards of their choice. Did you know? The total volume of gift cards purchased in 2008 was close to $91 billion. It is estimated that the percentage of unused gift cards is currently 10% of all gift cards purchased and this percentage is growing every year. If you're ready to become your own boss at a very low start-up cost and run your own business in one of the most unique, exciting and fastest growing fields in the industry, then gift card monkey is the answer for you. For just a small investment, you can become a part of an extremely unique franchise program that offers you the guidance, training, marketing, brand and technology you need to achieve and surpass your business and personal goals.

About The Swim Squad

Our program is truly unique. We have an extensive online back-office/database to help you manage your current customers, promotions, employees, and administrative duties. Instructors are also set up with an online account, and may view/edit their upcoming schedule or customer contact information if needed. Parents can go online and choose whatever dates and times work best for them for their lessons - there is no mandatory schedule they must abide by. Once a registration has been made, our instructors and managers are notified immediately with contact information and an updated schedule allowing you, the franchise owner, to have more time to market, advertise, and provide excellent customer service! The Swim Squad is currently seeking qualified franchise owners for our prime available locations! Enjoy what you do - work from home and be your own boss! The Swim Squad provides a unique Franchise opportunity by allowing you to own your own business in two growing industries: At-Home Services, and Child Services. At home swimming lessons not only provide convenience for the parents, but also increase child safety awareness in their own home. Contact Us today for more information about our available opportunities!