In this FDD Talk post, you’ll learn the following:

• Section I – Background information on the Fish Window Cleaning franchise opportunity, including relevant news updates

• Section II – Estimated initial investment for a Fish Window Cleaning franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2019 FDD

• Section III – Initial franchise fee, royalty fee, marketing fee, and other fees for a Fish Window Cleaning franchise, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2019 FDD

• Section IV – Number of franchised and company-owned Fish Window Cleaning outlets at the start of the year and the end of the year for 2016, 2017, and 2018, based on Item 20 of the company’s 2019 FDD

• Section V – Presentation and analysis of Fish Window Cleaning’s financial performance representations, based on Item 19 of the company’s 2019 FDD, including information on the:

• 2018 average, median, lowest, and highest labor cost (percentage paid to window cleaners), cost of consumables per month, office rent per month, office size in square feet, average revenue per hour, and number of logoed vehicles for the 127 operators of franchised Fish Window Cleaning businesses in response to a questionnaire sent to all 225 operators of franchised Fish Window Cleaning businesses in the system as of December 31, 2018 who had been open for the entire year and, based on several multi-unit operators, accounted for 259 franchised outlets in the system as of that date that had been open for the entire year

• 2018 average total revenue and number of new customers for the 259 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2018 until December 31, 2018

• 2018 average, median, lowest, and highest revenue from a residential window cleaning, commercial window cleaning, and annual price for a commercial route job for the 259 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2018 until December 31, 2018

Section I – Background Information

14 Things You Need to Know About the Fish Window Cleaning Franchise

Honors 2019 Award Winners at Annual Convention

1.  In late August 2019, Fish Window Cleaning held its 2019 Annual Convention where its top franchisees were recognized for their commitment to growing the Fish brand and providing top-quality service. The event took place in St. Louis from Thursday, July 25 through Saturday, July 27. The awards recognize franchisees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the last year.

2.  John and Laurie Reinagel from New Orleans were named Franchisees of the Year. The winners were selected based on a wide variety of qualifications, including growth by at least 300 new accounts, quality of customer service, ability to maintain a positive attitude, support of preferred vendor program, and generally upholding the Fish Window Cleaning name, brand, and overall reputation. The franchisee(s) must also have been open for at least five years to be eligible for this award. The Reinagels have demonstrated outstanding work ethic and have proven themselves to be ideal franchisees; as a result, they were this year’s big winners.

3.  The Top Producers Award is given to the three franchisees who have the highest total revenues from January through December. This year’s award winners are Paul Pierce of Boston, Massachusetts; Kevin Brown and Nick Brown of Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Randy Cross of Grand Rapids, Michigan. These franchisees have demonstrated their commitment to growing Fish Window Cleaning and have been a tremendous asset to the brand.

4.  Next, the Rising Star Award is presented to one franchisee from each district. Given by their Franchise Support Specialist, this award recognizes the achievements of a franchisee in all aspects of their business. Qualifications include growth, profit, compliance with Franchise Agreement, and more. This year’s winners are Trent Peneston of Porter, Texas; Tom Sandler of Corona, California; Edward Schafer of Matawan, New Jersey; and Bill and Josie Soots, hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana.

5.  Mike Merrick, CEO of Fish Window Cleaning, said, “Once again, our annual convention was a huge success. We always have a great time at our conferences. It’s great to see our franchisees from all over the country come together to learn, grow and connect. They work hard day-in and day-out to grow our brand and serve our customers. We feel their efforts deserve to be recognized. Thus, we are happy to present this year’s award winners.”

6.  Additional award recipients include:

• Soaring Eagle(s) – A franchisee who buys an existing business and takes it to a higher level: Ray Hewins of Riverdale, New Jersey;

• Star Performer Small – A franchisee within a small market population who has the highest total revenues from January through December: Jordan and Katie Newton of College Station, Texas;

• Star Performer Standard – A franchisee within a standard market population who has the highest total revenues from January through December: John and Sara English of O’Fallon, Missouri;

• Star Performer Executive – A franchisee within an executive market population who has the highest total revenues from January through December: Kevin Brown and Nick Brown of Kalamazoo, Michigan;

• Rookie of the Year – The franchisee who has exhibited exemplary performance during their first 12 months in business. This includes sales, growth, and management. The Rookie of the Year is a franchisee to keep your eye on. They are on the way to dominating their market: Cole Robinson of Tampa, Florida.

7.  In addition to the awards ceremony, the annual convention featured OSHA training sessions, round table discussions, break out educational sessions, educational presentations, social events, and more. Topics covered included customer service, FISH training materials, recommended recruitment strategies, preferred sales techniques, as well as marketing tips, tricks, and best practices.

Named a Top Game Changer for 2018

8.  At the end of November 2018, Fish Window Cleaning was recognized by Franchise Dictionary Magazine as a Top 100 Game Changer for 2018. Franchise Dictionary Magazine is a highly-regarded online resource that provides prospective business owners with useful information on how to launch and sustain a successful franchise business. Experts offer regular advice and resources to support franchises everywhere.

9.  Game-changer franchises offer opportunities for business ownership through a proven system and built-in support network. In order to be named a top game changer, a franchise must meet all or the majority of the following criteria:

• Fill a niche market;
• Raise the bar on service;
• Help the community;
• Create opportunity for aspiring business owners;
• Turn heads with a unique product.

10.  Randy Cross, president of Fish Window Cleaning, said, “We are thrilled to be recognized by Franchise Dictionary Magazine as a top game changer. We have an incredible network of franchisees that consistently work hard to continue to grow the brand. We take great pride in offering our customers dependable, quality service. We also go to great lengths to create new opportunities for business owners across the country.”

Company History

11.  Fish Window Cleaning was founded in 1978 by Mike Merrick in Missouri. Merrick happened upon a window cleaning business right before he was fired from his bank manager job. The bank’s window washer, the owner of Mark’s Window Cleaning, mentioned that he was interested in selling his business. Merrick looked at the company’s books and was impressed with what he saw – low overhead and virtually no inventory. However, since Merrick already had a job, he was not interested in purchasing Mark’s business. Merrick immediately changed his mind after he was fired and he bought Mark’s Window Cleaning for $3,200.

12.  After purchasing the business, Merrick changed its name to Fish Window Cleaning. In the early days, Merrick was the sole window cleaner, and he gained a lot of experience over every aspect of the window cleaning industry. The demand for Merrick’s services grew and using his 20 years of experience, Merrick developed a franchising system for Fish Window Cleaning in 1998. That year, the first Fish Window Cleaning franchise opened in Tampa, Florida.

13.  Since then, Fish Window Cleaning has continued to grow in the United States, with Merrick still at the helm. About 80 percent of Fish Window Cleaning’s business is commercial properties, including ground level storefronts and one- to three-story office buildings, and the remaining 20 percent is residential. Today, there are Fish Window Cleaning locations across the United States and Merrick’s two sons are also involved with the business.

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500

14.  Fish Window Cleaning ranked No. 251 on Entrepreneur’s 2019 Franchise 500 list.

Section II – Estimated Costs

• Please click here for detailed estimates of Fish Window Cleaning franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2019 FDD.

Section III – Initial Franchise Fee, Royalty Fee, Marketing Fee, and Other Fees

• Please click here for detailed information on Fish Window Cleaning’s initial franchise fee, royalty fee, marketing fee, and other fees, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2019 FDD.

Section IV – Number of Franchised and Company-Owned Outlets

Franchised

2016

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  253
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  271
• Net Change:  +18

2017

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  271
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  274
• Net Change:  +3

2018

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  274
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  271
• Net Change:  -3

Company-Owned

2016

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  1
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  1
• Net Change:  0

2017

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  1
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  1
• Net Change:  0

2018

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  1
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  1
• Net Change:  0

Section V – Financial Performance Representations (Item 19, 2019 FDD) and Analysis

Part 1 – Average, Median, Highest, and Lowest Labor Cost, Cost of Consumables, Rent, Office Size, Revenue Per Hour, and Number of Vehicles

• The information in the table below is a historical financial performance representation for a subset of franchised Fish Window Cleaning businesses from January 1, 2018 until December 31, 2018.

• Fish Window Cleaning had 272 outlets in its system as of December 31, 2018, which number includes one affiliate-owned outlet.

• The information in the table below is based on information provided by 127 operators of franchised Fish Window Cleaning businesses in response to a questionnaire sent to all 225 operators of franchised Fish Window Cleaning businesses in the system as of December 31, 2018 who had been open for the entire year and, based on several multi-unit operators, accounted for 259 franchised outlets in the system as of that date that had been open for the entire year.

• The franchisor’s affiliate-owned outlet is excluded from the information in the table below. The franchisor also excluded from the table below 12 outlets that were not open and operating for the full 12-month period from January 1, 2018 until December 31, 2018.

• Several operators did not respond to all the questions, as evident by the numbers noted in the following table.

• The information provided has not been audited or submitted as part of a financial statement reporting requirement.

• The franchised Fish Window Cleaning businesses included in this financial performance representation share similar characteristics in that they are in similar locations, have similar degrees of competition, offer similar services, and are entitled to receive similar goods and services from the franchisor.

Labor Cost (Percentage Paid to Window Cleaners)