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 If you'd like to start a business
installing slatwall, cabinets, and accessories, you have four options:
1. Purchase a franchise from one of
our competitors for $50,000, and keep paying them for as long as
you're in business.
2. Figure the business out yourself.
It can be done, but you will waste months of time and make plenty of
expensive errors that will cost you considerably more than what we
charge.
3. Attend one of our seminars.
4. Purchase our
Operations Manual for about what you might pay for a single
power tool. You can read it in less than a day and go from fumbling
beginner to a master installer who knows exactly what to do.
Installing slatwall is physically easy but unlike anything you've
ever worked with before. You can't just slap it up like you do with
drywall and plywood; try that and you'll regret it.
More information:
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OPTION ONE -----------------
One
of our competitors (let's call them Company A) offers franchises for $50,000.
Before we entered this business, we considered this option, which at first
seemed so appealing we were virtually certain we'd purchase their franchise.
We thoroughly investigated them, and traveled across the country to meet with
them so we'd have a thorough understanding of just what they offered in return
for their franchise fee. Here are the pros and cons of their system:
Pros:
-
They offer a fairly complete system.
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They tell you where to buy the
slatwall, cabinets, and accessories.
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They show you how to put it up, and
how to market your services.
Cons:
-
The $50,000 is just the franchise fee. Once you purchase or rent other
things they insist* that you have, you could spend $250,000. Add to that
ongoing royalties, possible penalties and fees they might impose on you, and
excessive (for some markets) minimum advertising expenses, and you may very well
regret signing on their dotted line.
-
About the above asterisk (*): Their franchise agreement, even by
their own admission, is dictatorial and rigid. We reviewed that very
lengthy document, and we're amazed that anyone would sign such an agreement.
It's clear to us that their attorney wrote it with one goal in mind: to
protect and enrich their clients — not you or I. If you object to any
provisions, tough luck. That's what they told us they say to everyone
who wishes to amend some clause in the contract. Take it or leave it.
We left it, because we did not want to risk losing our homes and life savings.
While they want you to succeed, we felt that their fees and penalties were a
major impediment.
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You must do things their way. If you don't, get out your
checkbook and start sending them checks for the fines they'll impose on you.
Even if you have a better idea, that's just too bad. You can't use it
unless they say you can. If you have a great idea and submit it for their
approval, they'll charge you for that (up to $1000). Doesn't that strike you as
punitive? People with good ideas are usually rewarded, not penalized.
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My partner and I were put off by their arrogant "we know best" attitude.
It would be one thing if they had a perfect system, but they don't. Take
something as basic as how to install the slatwall. "Their way" is by
driving black drywall screws through the slatwall, leaving the screw heads
exposed. If you think this makes for an attractive installation, you're
welcome to your opinion. Just don't expect potential customers to agree.
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Their product selection is limited. They offer one color of slatwall.
That's it. Remember how Henry Ford once offered the Model T in "any color
you want, as long as it's black"? Well, those days are over. Today's
consumers want to choose a color that they like — not the one color that
a manufacturer thinks should be good enough for everyone.
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Their "it's our way or the highway" attitude doesn't just extend to their
franchisees, it also extends to your customers. For example, some
customers may prefer to have just a band of slatwall installed on their walls.
In our opinion, that's fine. It's perfectly functional. It doesn't
look as good as a floor-to-ceiling installation, but some customers can't afford
that option. In our opinion, a businessperson should give customers what
they want and can afford, not a rigid "it's this or nothing" system that will
make many customers say no.
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They will teach you how to install slatwall, but not necessarily in the
best way. We thought that their installation quality was amateurish, and
they do not have the slatwall tools that we invented. So why pay $50,000
plus royalties for a second-rate system when we can teach you more for far
less?
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OPTION TWO
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You
can figure this business out yourself. It can be done, but it's not as
easy as it may seem. We thought we'd be up and running in weeks. Not
quite. It took months of two people working 12 to 16 hours per day, 7 days
per week. One problem is that the application of slatwall into homes is a
very new concept, and you can't easily take a product from one manufacturer and
integrate it into this system. For example, consider the wall cabinets.
They're designed for mounting on drywall. Their manufacturer offers no way
to mount them on slatwall. The slatwall manufacturers — which are entirely
distinct corporations — don't offer a solution to this problem, either.
It's your problem. The same is true of the accessories, but here
the problem is far worse since there are so many accessories. You'll also
spend time (and money) figuring out what is the best trim to use, and how to
apply it. You'll spend time figuring out the best way to apply the
slatwall. If you take the obvious approach that everyone else is using
(take a piece of slatwall from its box, cut it to length if required, and attach
it to the wall, then get another piece and start over), you'll be doing two
things: 1) wasting a lot of time and 2) installing it in a way that's almost
certain to result in an inferior quality installation. We have a better
way that makes slatwall installation easier, faster, and more precise. Our
way involves a new tool that we invented (proving that arrogant Company A does
not have the best ideas), for which we're seeking a patent. If you
attend our seminar (see below), we will give you this tool. Or, if
you choose to make your own, we will give you complete directions and a license
to use it, and we'll give you a discount on the seminar fee (users who are not
licensed will be legally prohibited from using our idea). Furthermore, we
have other proprietary
slatwall
tools that we've invented. You can't obtain these tools from our
competitors.
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OPTION THREE
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You
can attend our seminar. We will tell you all the lessons we learned the
hard way. We will tell you where to obtain your supplies (if you think
this is easy, just try calling around and searching the Internet . . . it'll
take you months and a case of Maalox), and how to best deal with those
suppliers. We'll show you how to make the cabinets and accessories work
with the slatwall, and we'll show you the best ways to install the slatwall.
Besides the tools mentioned above, we have many valuable tips for installing the
slatwall, cabinets, and accessories. Some stock items from the suppliers
must be modified, and we'll demonstrate how to do this. We will allow you
to use images from our web site and brochures for your marketing material.
We will explain what we've learned about marketing slatwall (this one subject
will more than pay for costly mistakes you could make in marketing). We will
divulge the many experiments we performed to master this system. We will
explain how to avoid making costly errors that might result in second-rate
installations, subject you to a lawsuit, or just waste your time and materials.
In short,
we will take you from a novice to an expert, and give you a priceless head
start. For an additional fee, we can design a complete web site for you,
and upload it to a server of your choice. We can also design a custom logo
for you, and develop custom brochures, too. You can also
become a GarageScapes dealer and
receive sales leads from customers in your area. For more information,
contact
us.
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OPTION FOUR
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You
can purchase our Operations Manual, which
contains all the information presented in our seminar except for the hands-on
instruction. See
this page for more information.
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