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Any FastSigns franchise owners?
- Thread starter Fmeroney
- Start date
Doc Zoom
Doc Zoom
Fastsigns
Frank,
Just sent you an email. If anyone ever has any questions about FASTSIGNS, I would be glad to answer them!
Being new to the sign business I'm so glad I went with FASTSIGNS!
Training...awesome! One week with a FASTSIGNS Center and two weeks at corporate..get ready to learn a bunch!
Opening help! Yup someone came up and held our hand for our first week!
Tech help! Yup someone flew up and made sure we were up and running properly...profiles...check...file management..check...printer maintenance...check! I know who I call when I have any problems! The techs at FASTSIGNS can log into your computer and fix your problem or walk you through it! If it's a hardware printer problem or a rip problem...they have always been there for me!
Just last week my marketing guru came up from corporate and we dialed in my marketing plan....and he actually did what he said he was going to do!
National advertising on all the popular networks...FASTSIGNS does it!
Outside sales training by the best instructors around...FASTSIGNS does it!
Awesome conventions every year with tons of training and motivational speakers! Round table talks with other franchisee's.
And the biggest part....we're a family! All of us...the other franchisee's will help you with anything...the corporate people will bust their butts for you!
Yup I got a personal card from Catherine Monson the CEO for my birthday. We're more than just a number!
Oh not to mention our buying power! We save around $100 on a popular roll of 3M media, just because we're more than fast, more than signs! We're FASTSIGNS!
Here's some fun FASTSIGNS video's I put together.
http://graphiclabstv.com/fastsigns/
See our FASTSIGNS Center here:
http://graphiclabstv.com/ultimate-sign-store/
Call me if you have any questions!
Greg 406-459-5531
Frank,
Just sent you an email. If anyone ever has any questions about FASTSIGNS, I would be glad to answer them!
Being new to the sign business I'm so glad I went with FASTSIGNS!
Training...awesome! One week with a FASTSIGNS Center and two weeks at corporate..get ready to learn a bunch!
Opening help! Yup someone came up and held our hand for our first week!
Tech help! Yup someone flew up and made sure we were up and running properly...profiles...check...file management..check...printer maintenance...check! I know who I call when I have any problems! The techs at FASTSIGNS can log into your computer and fix your problem or walk you through it! If it's a hardware printer problem or a rip problem...they have always been there for me!
Just last week my marketing guru came up from corporate and we dialed in my marketing plan....and he actually did what he said he was going to do!
National advertising on all the popular networks...FASTSIGNS does it!
Outside sales training by the best instructors around...FASTSIGNS does it!
Awesome conventions every year with tons of training and motivational speakers! Round table talks with other franchisee's.
And the biggest part....we're a family! All of us...the other franchisee's will help you with anything...the corporate people will bust their butts for you!
Yup I got a personal card from Catherine Monson the CEO for my birthday. We're more than just a number!
Oh not to mention our buying power! We save around $100 on a popular roll of 3M media, just because we're more than fast, more than signs! We're FASTSIGNS!
Here's some fun FASTSIGNS video's I put together.
http://graphiclabstv.com/fastsigns/
See our FASTSIGNS Center here:
http://graphiclabstv.com/ultimate-sign-store/
Call me if you have any questions!
Greg 406-459-5531
Kottwitz-Graphics
New Member
Not to be a d $^k, but the search function is your friend. If you enter franchise, there's 40 pages of results. Not all are relevant, but looking at the title will help.
I remember a post last year abut the horror stories of being a franchise owner. I've never bought into the hype, considering I worked at one for 3 months. A month into it I was looking for another job. The owner was an idiot with money that "because he had the training, knew what he was doing". His girlfriend had an idea of what was going on, but the owner had final say, and they made several calls that I wouldn't have, and at the time I had been in the industry for about 8 years. (That was 17 years ago).
I think the "fast" part refers to how fast you lose your life savings.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
I've seen more of these franchise setups come & go than anything else, but then again, so do the Dairy Queens, Subways and even the guy trying to help. His auto franchise must've fizzled out.
A friend and customer of mine, just called for a change of signs last week. He had a very successful motorcyle, skiddoo and all kinds of power sport toy shop going for years. The government relocated him because of a highway coming through and gave him phenomenal amounts of money to relocate. It also gave him the money to buy into a franchise. His business went from being the biggest around to........ corporate was costing way too much to stay afloat. Now, he's going back to a regular business and doesn't have to listen to someone else dictate how he works.
Some of these franchises make it and some don't. It all depends on how well you learn and apply yourself, and hopefully the money doesn't run out.
Somebody just bought the local signaroma in my area. They haven't a clue as to what they're doing. It seems to be quite a rocus. I reached out to them to help and they practically bit my head off, so f*ck 'em.
Good luck, cause you'll be needing it.
A friend and customer of mine, just called for a change of signs last week. He had a very successful motorcyle, skiddoo and all kinds of power sport toy shop going for years. The government relocated him because of a highway coming through and gave him phenomenal amounts of money to relocate. It also gave him the money to buy into a franchise. His business went from being the biggest around to........ corporate was costing way too much to stay afloat. Now, he's going back to a regular business and doesn't have to listen to someone else dictate how he works.
Some of these franchises make it and some don't. It all depends on how well you learn and apply yourself, and hopefully the money doesn't run out.
Somebody just bought the local signaroma in my area. They haven't a clue as to what they're doing. It seems to be quite a rocus. I reached out to them to help and they practically bit my head off, so f*ck 'em.
Good luck, cause you'll be needing it.
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
I had considerable contact with a franchisee a number of years ago who was very successful with a FastSigns store she opened from scratch. She knew very little aboout sign making but was bright, ambitious and took an attitude of following the advice, training and tools she was provided by FastSigns. The store did $300K its first year in a small market of about 200,000 people and 6,000 businesses. She was the beneficiary of some pretty impressive discounts on equipment, materials and supplies that offset the royalty fee she paid to FastSigns every month. She also benefited from using their marketing materials and new product testing, as well as a helpful network of other franchisees in nearby markets. When she wanted to open a second store, FastSigns declined on the basis that the market was too small to support two stores.
Not long after that, she sold the store and bought a downtown FastSigns store in a major market where she regularly does over a $million a year.
The original store is still open but the new owner lacks the ambition and the talent to continue the kind of growth experienced by the original owner. My opinion is that the original owner would have succeeded in any business she chose to open. Buying a FastSigns franchise simply made her success easier and their program will benefit anyone with the right mix of ambition, ability and willingness to work within a well thought out program.
Not long after that, she sold the store and bought a downtown FastSigns store in a major market where she regularly does over a $million a year.
The original store is still open but the new owner lacks the ambition and the talent to continue the kind of growth experienced by the original owner. My opinion is that the original owner would have succeeded in any business she chose to open. Buying a FastSigns franchise simply made her success easier and their program will benefit anyone with the right mix of ambition, ability and willingness to work within a well thought out program.
Fmeroney
New Member
I did search, found a few great threads read and digested them. However not a lot of input from actual owners. However I did Message a few people in the mean time . Posts that are older than a year a good reads but new threads help start a fresh dialog. I appreciate you input, it's not being a D&$@k, it's making ire people do leg work instead of ask the same old question over and over, I get it. However I felt it was ok to re-hash since its been a year.
thx
thx
Fmeroney
New Member
Hi Fred,
i think you hit the nail on the head! I read your story on a post before and found that interesting.
does she enjoy being part of the Fastsigns family?
i think you hit the nail on the head! I read your story on a post before and found that interesting.
does she enjoy being part of the Fastsigns family?
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
As far as I know ... but we've been out of touch for many years.
FASTSIGNS
New Member
FASTSIGNS owner here for over 10 years.
Everything DocZoom said - I second. Royalty cost is 8% (6 corporate + 2 advertising). I believe if you are the right person you will succeed at a franchise or on your own. If you are not a "good business person" (totally subjective to whatever that may be) NO franchise with all their assets will help you, make you rich, successful, etc.
That being said - we love the FASTSIGNS franchise!
Everything DocZoom said - I second. Royalty cost is 8% (6 corporate + 2 advertising). I believe if you are the right person you will succeed at a franchise or on your own. If you are not a "good business person" (totally subjective to whatever that may be) NO franchise with all their assets will help you, make you rich, successful, etc.
That being said - we love the FASTSIGNS franchise!
DougWestwood
New Member
One of the best
Hi There,
As with any franchise, you have to pay for the name.
That said, I worked at a FastSigns, and it was a great place. Lots of business, excellent team, superior owner/boss. The biggest plus was that YOUR NAME SAYS FAST, so you get all the calls. The support was very good from home office. They do TV ads for you, etc.
I would only be careful of where they open the NEXT Fastsigns. Be upfront about your territory.
Good Luck!
- Doug
Hi There,
As with any franchise, you have to pay for the name.
That said, I worked at a FastSigns, and it was a great place. Lots of business, excellent team, superior owner/boss. The biggest plus was that YOUR NAME SAYS FAST, so you get all the calls. The support was very good from home office. They do TV ads for you, etc.
I would only be careful of where they open the NEXT Fastsigns. Be upfront about your territory.
Good Luck!
- Doug
Billct2
Active Member
Franchises don't tend to be popular with this crowd, the sign business traditionally attracted a lot of independent characters.
Personally I'm not a fan, this shop was actually started as a franchise before I came on board. I was hired to replace the franchise,
which was dumped shortly after I started. That franchise doesn't exist anymore.
One of the things that always irked me was telling people that they could learn this very complicated business in a few weeks.
There have been a number of franchises around here most of which haven't done well. There was one location that bankrupted several owners before someone finally made it work. I hear that those failures are not represented in the success rate for that franchise.
I think the franchise concept can work with the right owner. Sign franchises actually have a fairly high rate of success, but statistics can lie.
Personally I'm not a fan, this shop was actually started as a franchise before I came on board. I was hired to replace the franchise,
which was dumped shortly after I started. That franchise doesn't exist anymore.
One of the things that always irked me was telling people that they could learn this very complicated business in a few weeks.
There have been a number of franchises around here most of which haven't done well. There was one location that bankrupted several owners before someone finally made it work. I hear that those failures are not represented in the success rate for that franchise.
I think the franchise concept can work with the right owner. Sign franchises actually have a fairly high rate of success, but statistics can lie.
Desert_Signs
New Member
It's a few percent here and there. If you're a solid negotiator, you can get very similar pricing without being a franchisee
Those are big numbers... $3,200 per month is a big nut to crack. The other numbers not here is the actual cost of the franchise, the overhead etc... Seems very ambitious to open a shop with $40k per month right out of the gate. I would not take on that stress for anything.
Doc Zoom
Doc Zoom
Fastsigns
I was told I need to treat and budget for FASTSIGNS as another employee. If you don't take advantage of what they have to offer you won't be as successful as those that do utilize them for all they have to offer.
So just this week I received two jobs just because I'm a FASTSIGNS. We have nationwide recognition and tons of big companies deal with us.
I do agree, we received training to print stickers and give estimates not much more. There is so much to learn as we all know, but this is where all the other FASTSIGNS owners come in! Any one of them will bend over backwards for me! And FASTSIGNS has tech people with years of experience to help point us in the right direction. For example just last month I had a customer wanting to know more about digital menu boards for his bagel company, I sent Wayne Rasor an email at corporate and he sent me a couple of links to some software and hardware on the FASTSIGNS site and it was exactly what I was looking for. I also gave him a call to discuss the different options and he had all the answers! Do you have a Wayne Rasor to call about digital signage?
Also for me, just having the FASTSIGNS name made my life easier. Doc Zoom's signs doesn't have national recognition, nor has any advertising on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc. I like the professional image FASTSIGNS gives me!
I was skeptical and had the same reservations as most do. Mark Jameson invited me to the FASTSIGNS convention and I asked probably 100 franchisee's if they could do it over if they would choose FASTSIGNS and every single one of them said YES!
Just being at the awards banquet and seeing all of the FASTSIGNS centers that do 1 million, 2 million, 3 million.....7 million a year in sales says a lot!
Like any business it takes hard WORK! This isn't a get rich quick scheme but if you do what they teach you to do...you WILL be successful! They do care about your business and they do want you to succeed!
If your interested contact Mark Jameson at corporate to learn more 314-226-3000
Or you can call me and I would be happy to talk with you!
Greg 406-459-5531
I was told I need to treat and budget for FASTSIGNS as another employee. If you don't take advantage of what they have to offer you won't be as successful as those that do utilize them for all they have to offer.
So just this week I received two jobs just because I'm a FASTSIGNS. We have nationwide recognition and tons of big companies deal with us.
I do agree, we received training to print stickers and give estimates not much more. There is so much to learn as we all know, but this is where all the other FASTSIGNS owners come in! Any one of them will bend over backwards for me! And FASTSIGNS has tech people with years of experience to help point us in the right direction. For example just last month I had a customer wanting to know more about digital menu boards for his bagel company, I sent Wayne Rasor an email at corporate and he sent me a couple of links to some software and hardware on the FASTSIGNS site and it was exactly what I was looking for. I also gave him a call to discuss the different options and he had all the answers! Do you have a Wayne Rasor to call about digital signage?
Also for me, just having the FASTSIGNS name made my life easier. Doc Zoom's signs doesn't have national recognition, nor has any advertising on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc. I like the professional image FASTSIGNS gives me!
I was skeptical and had the same reservations as most do. Mark Jameson invited me to the FASTSIGNS convention and I asked probably 100 franchisee's if they could do it over if they would choose FASTSIGNS and every single one of them said YES!
Just being at the awards banquet and seeing all of the FASTSIGNS centers that do 1 million, 2 million, 3 million.....7 million a year in sales says a lot!
Like any business it takes hard WORK! This isn't a get rich quick scheme but if you do what they teach you to do...you WILL be successful! They do care about your business and they do want you to succeed!
If your interested contact Mark Jameson at corporate to learn more 314-226-3000
Or you can call me and I would be happy to talk with you!
Greg 406-459-5531
I can ask here about anything a Wayne Rasor is needed for, and I can also Google and call my suppliers. These resources do not cost me a huge percentage of my business. It would be hard for me to give up money right off the top to Wayne Rasor because I did not know how to source signs and sign related products and materials.