Franchising Q & A

Not quite! We don’t SELL franchises; we believe that it’s best when a person chooses to BUY a franchise. Our most successful team members are switched on dog lovers who are mad keen about spending their days with dogs and wanting to secure their own future by building their own business.

You will get a fully detailed ‘turn-key’ business including:

• Your own territory
• Your own Blue Dog mobile salon
• A franchise agreement
• All your tools and accessories
• Our own business management software package
• Uniform
• Business cards
• Marketing materials
• Plus much more!

No! We fully train you to become an accredited dog Groomer! We don’t put you on the road until we are sure that you are sure! We run detailed business training at our own Blue Wheelers School including training on our business software package. Daily usage of this software is essential to your business success.

We believe that people who buy a business deserve to get what they pay for! We have low cost finance and lease to own packages so that you can own your mobile salon rather than paying rent forever. It’s like buying your home rather than always renting it. And the difference in cost is minimal.

When you decide to sell, you have the goodwill in your customer base and your ‘Blue Dog’ mobile salon to sell as part of the business assets. Own your future with Blue Wheelers.

We provide customers only if you are buying a fully established Blue Wheelers business. You will earn income from day one!

Starting from scratch in a new territory? You will enjoy a fee-free period to build your customer base – giving you a great start up confidence booster. Starting any business is a stressful time and this fee-free time allows you to get on with building your customer base stress free! As we don’t have you driving all over the country, you are able to target your customer base in your own exclusive territory through direct marketing and other marketing strategies.

Of course, when you join Blue Wheelers we say ‘you are on your own but not alone’. You will have direct access to your Blue Wheelers national and local support team for ongoing operational, marketing and business support. You also have access to all Blue Wheelers franchisees through our own secure online forum. Your fellow neighbouring Blue Wheelers will likely drop by to see how you are doing! You become very much part of the team.

You are obliged to follow our successful system. Put simply why mess with proven success! Your Blue Wheelers management team share years of expertise in business building. Blue Wheelers is THE specialist franchise within the grooming industry with more than 20+ years of knowledge. We know what works! Both the franchisee and the franchisor have responsibilities to each other and they are all upfront and detailed in your agreement. We encourage you to speak to other Blue Wheeler Groomers as part of your due diligence to ensure you and Blue Wheelers are a good fit.

Ah, we love this question! Of course you can buy your own hydrobath or trailer (but it won’t be a Blue Dog! Or a Yellow Kennel), and it’s possible to go it alone. However, as with everything in life, you get what you pay for!  With Blue Wheelers we take away the stress of starting a new business so you can have the time to do what you need to do – build your customer base and groom the dogs. When you join Blue Wheelers you have instant credibility to look after family fur babies. You don’t have to worry about advertising; creating a web site; what you will wear; what you will need to buy; how to handle customers; how to secure appointments, bookkeeping and tax responsibilities – we cover you on every How? Why? What? When? and Where?

Oh, and just a reminder that Blue Wheelers is Australia’s number 1 choice in Grooming and washing because we are a powerful Brand, and in today’s world brand is King!

Sadly, we do see independent Groomers start and fail within a short time frame. Industry experts and the market show us that independents often last between 6 and 12 months before failing. Generally a franchise system is recommended and our Blue Wheeler groomers are building solid long term businesses – investing in something they can then sell down the track if they wish.

For further information check out this short article.

The million-dollar question – right? That’s certainly our aim! Our experience has shown us that with the right personality, attitude and work ethic, our Blue Wheeler Groomers are really successful. However, everyone’s idea of success is a little different – some join for the money, some for the lifestyle and some… just because they love the dogs! It works both ways – if you follow the system with a smile and a positive attitude, you should be on the path to success within a reasonable time frame.

Please fill out the form so we can be in touch. You will have instant access to detailed information on business costs and inclusions on our dog washing and grooming franchising opportunities page.

Yes. A franchise business can be sold like any other business. There are some special terms and conditions that need to be met as it is a franchise and covered by special laws.

The three key points to buying a franchise are:

• Evaluate yourself to be certain that you want to run a business.
• Evaluate the system to make sure it has the reputation and history to prove it will be there for you in the long term.
• Seek professional advice from franchise experts.

Eight questions you should ask before selecting a franchise:

• Does the franchise system have a track record of long term success and has it proven it can do well in both good and challenging times?
• How accessible are the Franchisor and senior management to their franchisees? Will they be willing to talk to me if I require help?
• Does the franchisor have sufficient capital and experience to grow the business in good and challenging times?
• Does the franchisor have a proven ability to manage and grow businesses?
• How do they select new franchisees?
• Is the agreement fair, reasonable and legal?
• What are your financial expectations and are they realistic?
• Will I be happy waking up each day to do what is required to make the business work?

Firstly you must find out if you can afford to buy the franchise. Ask the franchisor if they have any relationships with lending institutions and if so what are they. There are many financial institutions that provide franchisee funding and advice. We have business relationships with a variety of lenders who can assist most people to join our team.

It’s very important to have appropriate advice when reviewing any new business opportunity. If you wish to engage a solicitor or financial advisor, it is essential that you find one experienced in franchising to work with you to assess the fairness of the proposed franchise contract and business. As most franchise contracts are not changeable, you need to evaluate if the terms and conditions of the contract are acceptable to ensure that everyone’s interests are covered.

Any business can fail. Joining a reputable franchised system substantially increases your chance of success as you are buying into a proven business model. To be successful a franchisee must follow the franchise system, with effort and enthusiasm. Being part of a franchise group makes being in business a lot easier. A franchisor provides the tools, know how, support, a proven business system and brand, it is up to the individuals to make that work to their advantage.

Marketing funds need to be audited and have significant costs that do not benefit those who put money into it – you!  Your national marketing is included in our fees. We teach you that the best marketing does not come at a huge price. In fact, most of your marketing is free of any cost if you follow our system consistently.  Most importantly, our training means that most of our new team members are earning what they expect in usually three to six months. So why contribute to a marketing fund for years when you no longer need it?  We let our amazing Trailers do the marketing for you.

Any income guarantee comes with limiting conditions. Franchise Systems that offer an income guarantee usually classify a new customer lead as income regardless of if you:

A. Decline the lead or
B. Take the lead, quote the job and customer declines.

You may decline the lead due to the distance from your home base. The customer may decline if they don’t like the price or service you offer.

When you decline the lead, it will come off your income guarantee. If you take the work, you are probably developing a client base spread widely in distance. Travel time is lost income.

With any income guarantee the ‘guarantee’ works for the Brand, not necessarily for you.  For example, you may be offered work in another franchisee’s area within the same franchise system. This creates competition within your own Brand.  With an income guarantee, it’s possible to lose a regular customer due to another franchisee in your own system offering a cheaper price to win that customer for themselves.

This is not how we choose to do business.

With Blue Wheelers and/or Dash DogWash, you join a team who want to see you succeed.  Your achievements are reflected in our success as a Franchisor.  We have always got your back in your business.  Our Groomers are one team who look after each other.   We teach you to work street to street, maximising and protecting your income, building an efficient profitable business.

An income guarantee is not for ever. Our team usually are making the income they want in 3-6 months; working close to home. We’d rather set you up for long term success.

Some Franchise systems make money from their call centre, charging $12.50 for every single lead.  40 leads could cost upwards of $500.00.

Blue Wheelers/Dash DogWash include 40 leads in MATE, our client management software and accounting package, all for only $90 per month + GST. Our client and business management system (CRM) does so much more than provide you with leads.

Legal Considerations

A prospective franchisee should seek professional advice from qualified and experienced advisors. There are several legal and regulatory areas that impact on franchising.

Generally, franchising is regulated under the same general law provisions that govern all commercial activities. The TRADE PRACTICES ACT is the primary legislation governing franchising.

The Franchising Code of Conduct

• First introduced in 1998, and updated since, to regulate the franchise industry and introduce standards and protection for franchisees.
• Requires franchisors to provide disclosure of information about the proposed business.
• Potential franchisees should read the Franchisee’s Guide to the Code as it will assist understanding legal issues in franchising.

The Disclosure Document

• A franchisor must provide a prospective franchisee with a copy of the code of conduct and the disclosure document.
• The information disclosed covers issues relevant to the commercial viability of the franchise.