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

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

• Section II – Estimated initial investment for a Window Genie franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2020 FDD

• Section III – Initial franchise fee, royalty fee, marketing fee, and other fees for a Window Genie franchise, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2020 FDD

• Section IV – Number of franchised and company-owned Window Genie outlets at the start of the year and the end of the year for 2017, 2018, and 2019, based on Item 20 of the company’s 2020 FDD

• Section V – Presentation and analysis of Window Genie’s financial performance representations, based on Item 19 of the company’s 2020 FDD, including information on the:

• 2019 average and median gross sales per transaction (for window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, holiday lighting, and all services) for the 134 Window Genie franchised businesses that were in operation at any point in 2019

• 2019 average and median gross wages paid to technicians, as a percentage of total gross sales, for the 89 franchisees (representing 102 franchised businesses) that were in operation for the entire 2019 calendar year

• 2019 average and median closing percentage (number of services or jobs sold as a percentage of the total number of jobs or services quoted to prospective customers) for the 48 Window Genie franchisees (representing 49 franchised businesses) that were in operation for the entire 2019 calendar year and responded to Window Genie’s questionnaires

• 2019 average and median number of jobs generated per vehicle for the 48 Window Genie franchisees (representing 49 franchised businesses) that were in operation for the entire 2019 calendar year and responded to Window Genie’s questionnaires

Section I – Background Information

16 Things You Need to Know About the Window Genie Franchise

Franchisee Donates Services to Health Care Workers

1.  Near the end of May 2020, a Window Genie franchise owned by Stephen Sarafin of Sparta, New Jersey, said that it was donating its services to local health care workers as a show of appreciation. Window Genie is a residential and commercial cleaning business in Andover.

2.  The complimentary services include exterior window cleaning, power washing of home exteriors, and gutter cleanings. This 20-year-old company with 12 employees has taken a hit during the pandemic but has responded with generosity to those on the front lines.

3.  One planned recipient of the free services is Mount Arlington resident Rebecca Keenan, a physician’s assistant at Advocare Family Health in Flanders. During this emergency, she took a leave of absence from there to work at the Seacaucus Covid Field hospital. Also on the schedule are Kathleen Brown from Hillsborough, Kerstin Scheper from East Hanover, and Kelsey Day of Andover, who are all RNs at the Morristown Hospital Mount Kemble Avenue COVID-19 unit.

4.  Window Genie had already thanked and donated services to Felix Chavez from Succasunna and Eric Fucito from Randolph, nursing assistants at the Morristown Hospital Mount Kemble Avenue COVID-19 unit, and Debbie Rosenblatt of Sparta, a registered nurse at Saint Barnabas Hospital.

Parent Company Appoints New Chief Development Officer

5.  In early October 2019, Neighborly, the parent company of Window Genie, announced the appointment of Brad Stevenson as the company’s new chief development officer. In his new role, Stevenson is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic direction of North American franchise development for 13 Neighborly franchise brands.

6.  These duties were previously overseen by Robert Tunmire, Neighborly’s former executive vice president, who retired in October 2019 following 44 years of contributions to the company’s franchise growth and development.

7.  According to Mike Bidwell, president and CEO of Neighborly, “Finding the right leader to fill this role, renamed from Executive Vice President to Chief Development Officer, was critical as we continue to expand Neighborly brands worldwide. Armed with 23 years of experience as an accomplished executive, we are confident that Brad Stevenson is the perfect candidate to take the lead on development and communication of Neighborly’s franchise development vision to the organization. We look forward to watching him inspire the development team to reach new heights in the years to come.”

8.  Prior to joining the Neighborly team, Stevenson spent his entire professional career with MillerCoors and Miller Brewing Company after first joining the organization in 1996 as an on-premise Miller marketing representative for United Beverage in Houston, Texas. Throughout his career with the adult beverage industry leader, Stevenson held numerous sales and marketing positions with the company including vice president of grocery, director of business development and strategy, and regional chain director. Stevenson graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.

9.  Stevenson said, “Neighborly is widely respected as an ideal example of franchising excellence, as the organization continues to grow while still maintaining high service standards across its many brands. Nonetheless, even with the title of world’s largest franchisor of home service brands under its belt, Neighborly has aggressive goals set for continued growth, and I’m excited to work with this organization’s skilled development team to achieve those goals through franchise development.”

Parent Company Honored During 60th Annual IFA Convention as Global Franchise Award Winner in Its Category

10.  In mid-February 2020, Neighborly, parent company of Window Genie and several other home service brands, was named the 2020 winner of the Global Franchise Award for Best Property and Home Maintenance Franchise, marking the second year in a row that the brand received this honor. Mike Bidwell, president and CEO of Neighborly, accepted the award on Neighborly’s behalf during the 2020 International Franchise Association (“IFA”) Convention, held February 8-11 in Orlando, Florida.

11.  Bidwell said, “We kicked off 2020 stronger than ever, now with around 3,800 franchisees representing our 22 service brands across nine countries. Receiving this award once again from Global Franchise magazine is a testament to how Neighborly’s growth has been a contributing factor to our continued success as we strive to be ‘the world class leader in multi-branded service franchising’. We look forward to what is to come in 2020 as we continue raising the bar for home services franchising worldwide.”

12.  Launched in 2018 by Global Franchise magazine, the Global Franchise Awards focuses on honoring the most exceptional international franchise brands. Winners are selected each year by qualified judges who analyze nominated franchisors’ overseas ambition, strong franchisee support, strong marketing efforts, and an overall willingness to advance the cause of franchising itself.

13.  According to James Fell, head of content for Global Franchise magazine, “In the three years since this award program’s inception, the amount of entries we’ve received has risen steadily along with the caliber of those entries. Neighborly’s proven franchise model and continued growth made the company stand out to our esteemed judges as the clear leader in its category of property and home maintenance franchises, making Neighborly a key player in this year’s elite group of Global Franchise Award winners.”

Company History

14.  Window Genie was founded in 1994 by Richard (Rik) Nonelle in Cincinnati, Ohio. After spending several years working for Chrysler subsidiary Ryan Insurance, Nonelle decided, at the age of 29, that he wanted to start his own business. After ruling out the food industry, Nonelle’s friend suggested that he look into residential window cleaning. Nonelle had no idea what that industry was, but after some research, he realized that there was a large market for residential window cleaning. He decided to take the plunge into the industry and it ended up paying off.

15.  Initially, Nonelle only offered window washing services, but quickly realized that clients were willing to pay for other home services. At the request of his customers, Nonelle added gutter cleaning, concrete pressure washing, exterior siding cleaning, and many more home cleaning services. In 1998, Nonelle started franchising the Window Genie concept and it continued to grow over the next few decades. As Window Genie continued to expand, the company was acquired by Neighborly, formerly the Dwyer Group, in 2016.

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500

16.  Window Genie ranked No. 450 on Entrepreneur’s 2020 Franchise 500 list.

Section II – Estimated Costs

• Please click here for detailed estimates of Window Genie franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2020 FDD.

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

• Please click here for detailed information on Window Genie’s initial franchise fee, royalty fee, marketing fee, and other fees, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2020 FDD.

Section IV – Number of Franchised and Company-Owned Outlets

Franchised

2017

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  103
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  112
• Net Change:  +9

2018

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  112
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  127
• Net Change:  +15

2019

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  127
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  130
• Net Change:  +3

Company-Owned

2017

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

2018

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

2019

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

Section V – Financial Performance Representations (Item 19, 2020 FDD) and Analysis

• This representation is a historic financial performance representation about a subset of the franchise system’s existing outlets’ past performance during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2019 and ending on December 31, 2019 (the “2019 Reporting Period”).

• Neither Window Genie nor its independent certified public accountants have audited or verified any of the sales figures reported to it. Franchisees are not required to use generally accepted accounting principles when reporting these figures.

• “Gross Sales” means the total revenues and receipts from whatever source (whether in the form of cash, credit, agreement to pay, barter, trade, or other consideration) that arise, directly or indirectly, from the operation of or in connection with your Business whether under any of the Marks or otherwise.

• Gross Sales exclude sales taxes collected from customers and paid to the appropriate taxing authority and any other bona fide refunds, rebates, or discounts that Window Genie authorizes in writing. Gross Sales also exclude sales from any Excluded Services (as defined in a mutually executed Excluded Services Addendum).

Part 1 – Average and Median Gross Sales Per Transaction for Window Genie Franchised Businesses for the 12 Months Beginning January 1, 2019 and Ending December 31, 2019

• As of December 31, 2019, Window Genie had 130 Window Genie businesses in operation in the United States, all of which were franchised businesses.

• The following table represents the average gross sales per transaction, or stated differently, average invoice price per service, as reported directly from Window Genie’s POS system for all transactions of all franchised businesses that were in operation at any point in 2019.

• The tables below present an average and a median of the Average Gross Sales Per Transaction for 2019 for each of the following services: window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, and holiday lighting.

• “Average Gross Sales Per Transaction” means the average “gross sales” received by franchised businesses per transaction in 2019 for each of the services identified in the table below, as taken from Window Genie’s POS system.

• Window Genie calculated the “Median Gross Sales Per Transaction” as follows: (i) first, Window Genie obtained the Average Gross Sales Per Transaction during the 2019 Reporting Period from its POS System and (ii) then it calculated the median of all franchisees’ individual business Average Gross Sales Per Transaction during the 2019 Reporting Period.

Average Gross Sale Per Transaction in Dollars