Big FISH in a big pond

[anon98210428]

I’ve met some awesome Fish guys, including [B]Kolan Hairston[/B] and [B]Matt Pierce[/B].

Hard-working guys that take pride in their work, and provide excellent service. (It seems that way, anyway, all I have to go on are perceptions)

The truth is, there are goofballs who lie and steal and undercut that are [I]independent[/I] business owners, too.

Sure, some of them end up as franchisees of companies like FISH, but I have a hard time accepting that franchisors encourage such short-sighted business behavior.

[U]The scary truth:[/U] If a company like FISH or Window Gang, or Window Genie ever got their act together marketing-wise, they would grow 10 times bigger in 3 years, and 10 times bigger again, 3 years after that.

Thankfully, their apathy seems to defuse any such threat. For the time being, anyway.

[Advanced]

@Streakless Windows

That’s because Ryan didn’t say he worked for FISH. what was the franchise you worked for Ryan?
I try to stay away from commercial work (especially storefronts), because Fish does underbid on every job that I’ve bid against them at, and too many other window cleaners are willing to drop their prices or under-price as a general rule in the commercial market to get work. I got a call to bid on a commercial building a month or two ago, it had around 300 individual window panes, up to about 15’ off the ground. They wanted it cleaned Inside and Outside and around 70 of the windows were going to need construction clean-up. It would’ve taken my employee and I between 8-10 hours together, so I bid $800. I called back the next week. Fish got the contract at $240. HA HA HA, that’s sad. I ended up booking a new residential house on the day I had open for that job in my schedule. Took us 3 hours and made $400.

I purposely didn’t mention the name. If you search some of my older posts (or follow this one) it’s pretty obvious what franchise I worked for. I don’t want to get slammed for slander or anything, therefore I’m not mentioning names. I’ve mentioned it before.

[Advanced]

@Lee Burbidge

Hi Ryan, do still work for a franchise company or do you run your own business now. By the way that is the first half positive thing I have seen on this topic.

I have tweeted on twitter requesting some one to give me any positives on FiSH. ( If your interested just search Lee Burbidge on twitter)

Im still waiting, I am sure there is some positive somewhere, it cant be all bad, right?

I own my own business now.

[Bruce]

@panelessperfection

I’ve met some awesome Fish guys, including Kolan Hairston and Matt Pierce.

Hard-working guys that take pride in their work, and provide excellent service. (It seems that way, anyway, all I have to go on are perceptions)

The truth is, there are goofballs who lie and steal and undercut that are independent business owners, too.

Sure, some of them end up as franchisees of companies like FISH, but I have a hard time accepting that franchisors encourage such short-sighted business behavior.

The scary truth: If a company like FISH or Window Gang, or Window Genie ever got their act together marketing-wise, they would grow 10 times bigger in 3 years, and 10 times bigger again, 3 years after that.

Thankfully, their apathy seems to defuse any such threat. For the time being, anyway.

I remember thinking that back in 90’s the first time I saw a window cleaning franchise

My guess would be there will no doubt always be the training/skill/turnover/truck/leave to start own biz issues and whatever else that has also kept Sears and others from ruling the world in their service labor offerings

along with the whole ‘at will’ nature of it all, unless large comml contracts

I think they need to send their franchisees to business school more than anything else,

something is missing and wrong with their system if many folks invest so much (you could spend 200k if you bought a lot of zip codes and population area, they push the fear of loss on that one BIG TIME) and then end up undercutting prices for store front?!

seriously missing

how about, like taking on a business partner, the franchisor has something you can’t get ANYWHERE else, and SO GOOD or targeted that you have folks clamoring for their unique offernings

remember Krispy Kreme back in the day? Only their donuts tasted that good, drive thrus had line ups a mile long, they were busy! AS SOON AS a store was built in your area, pow, it was packed and full etc etc.

THAT"S something worth buying. Is anyone beating a path to have Fish do their windows? Why or why not?

then why pay that much to be a franchisee, WHAT do they have that is so unique the customer cant wait to have?

?

My point exactly

[Streakless_Windows]

Mmmm, Krispy Kreme! How I miss those free donuts.

[severn]

fish came to my area several years ago and only last about 6months, they were cheaper and there quality sucked. The ladies spent 25k on it