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 2021 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 2021 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 2018, 2019, and 2020, based on Item 20 of the company’s 2021 FDD

• Section V – Presentation and analysis of Fish Window Cleaning’s financial performance representations, based on Item 19 of the company’s 2021 FDD, including information on the:

• 2019 average, median, highest, and lowest total revenue and number of new customers for the 265 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2019 until December 31, 2019

• 2020 average, median, highest, and lowest total revenue and number of new customers for the 256 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020

• 2019 average, median, highest, and lowest revenue from a residential window cleaning, commercial window cleaning, and annual price for a commercial route job for the 265 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2019 until December 31, 2019

• 2020 average, median, highest, and lowest revenue from a residential window cleaning, commercial window cleaning, and annual price for a commercial route job for the 256 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020

Section I – Background Information

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

Named to Franchise Business Review’s 2021 Culture100 List

1.  In mid-August 2021, Fish Window Cleaning was once again recognized by Franchise Business Review, this time on the publication’s 2021 Culture100 Awards list. After surveying over 25,000 franchise owners, FBR compiled its list of brands with the best franchise cultures. The 2021 survey solidified Fish Window Cleaning’s place among the top franchise opportunities.

2.  John English, director of franchise development for Fish Window Cleaning, said, “There are few better indicators of a franchise brand’s success than the satisfaction of its franchisees. To be recognized once again by FBR and by our franchisees confirms that not only is FISH a great investment but is also an opportunity to work in one of the best cultures any business could offer.”

3.  The Culture100 Award is Fish Window Cleaning’s second Franchise Business Review recognition of 2021. The brand was honored in the FBR Top 200 Franchises list based on the best franchising opportunities, listed at No. 31 in the overall rankings along with a Top 10 placement in the “Services” category.

4.  Franchisees who participated in the survey answered more than 30 questions on topics such as leadership, core values, whether they enjoy working with the brand, and if they would recommend the franchise to others. Franchises who received the highest ratings for franchisee experience and satisfaction earned a Culture100 placement.

Eager to Hire New Workers

5.  As the COVID-19 numbers declined in mid-May 2021 and more Americans were preparing for a return to work, Fish Window Cleaning was excited to share multiple unique career opportunities at franchise locations across the country. These job openings came as the demand for professional window cleaning rose as the American workforce returned to office buildings and homeowners dove into spring cleaning and enhancing their view.

6.  According to John English, director of franchise development for Fish Window Cleaning, “Our franchisees are eager to provide these flexible jobs for people who are looking for a change in career or those who may have been laid off during the pandemic. Our industry offers the chance to work flexible hours, at your own pace and spend a lot of time outdoors in the sunshine.”

7.  Becoming a FISH window cleaner does not require previous experience as training is provided. The job offers competitive wages and does not include work on nights, weekends, or holidays for most franchise locations.

8.  English added, “These are great jobs for college students, working parents, or for people who are simply tired of working in an office. We understand there are still many people who are concerned about the virus, and this job allows you to work outdoors while keeping your distance from customers. It’s a great opportunity to gain stable employment in a pandemic-resistant industry.”

Local Franchisee Cleans Non-Profit’s Windows for Free

9.  At the end of February 2021, Fish Window Cleaning of Peoria, Arizona cleaned every single window at the non-profit Gompers for free. Gompers provides services for people with disabilities including day training for adults, employment help, K-12 schooling, and more. A crew from Fish Window Cleaning showed up at their Blythe Campus near 75th Ave and Peoria to clean the windows.

10.  Staff at Gompers are so grateful. Cheril Edson, the director of day training for adults at Gompers Blythe Center, said, “We want to say thank you very much. This is great. We are a non-profit agency. So having someone come out to do this? It’s amazing! So thank you.”

11.  While many organizations haven’t been able to spend money on things like window cleaning and landscaping during the pandemic, for Gompers, it’s been even longer than that. “Been here four years; May 1 will be four years at this facility, and this is the first time I’ve seen out my windows! So I’m pretty excited about that,” Edson added.

Company History

12.  Fish Window Cleaning was founded in 1978 by Mike Merrick in St. Louis, Missouri. Before moving into the window cleaning industry, Merrick worked as the branch manager of Farm and Home Savings and Loan. While working at Farm and Home Savings, Merrick met Mark Stobe, who cleaned the bank’s windows. Stobe told Merrick that he was going to sell his business, which at the time had 100 commercial accounts.

13.  Merrick was intrigued and decided to look over Stobe’s books and was impressed by what he saw. However, Merrick was hesitant to jump head first into owning and operating his own business. Merrick ended up buying Stobe’s business after he was unexpectedly laid off from the bank. Merrick changed the business’s name to Fish Window Cleaning because of the Christian fish symbol and because of Merrick’s belief that God opened up this window of opportunity.

14.  Merrick jumped headfirst into running the window cleaning business and initially he was the only cleaner. Demand for Merrick’s services grew and the business expanded. After 20 years, Merrick decided to start franchising Fish Window Cleaning in 1998. Today, there are Fish Window Cleaning locations across the United States.

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500

15.  Fish Window Cleaning ranked No. 330 on Entrepreneur’s 2021 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 2021 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 2021 FDD.

Section IV – Number of Franchised and Company-Owned Outlets

Franchised

2018

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

2019

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  271
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  279
• Net Change:  +8

2020

• Outlets at the Start of the Year:  279
• Outlets at the End of the Year:  280
• Net Change:  +1

Company-Owned

2018

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

2019

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

2020

• 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, 2021 FDD) and Analysis

Part 1 – Number of New Customers and Total Revenue

• The information in the table below is a historical financial performance representation for a subset of Fish Window Cleaning businesses from January 1, 2019 until December 31, 2019, and January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020.

• Fish Window Cleaning had 280 outlets in its system as of December 31, 2019, and 281 outlets in its system as of December 31, 2020, which number includes one affiliate-owned outlet. The information in the table below is based on information for the 265 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2019 until December 31, 2019, and the 256 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020.

• While Fish Window Cleaning franchisees were deemed essential workers and were not required to cease operations in 2020, approximately 35% of Fish Window Cleaning franchisees elected to temporarily close for between 1 to 6 weeks between March and April 2020. However, all of those outlets that temporarily ceased operations during that time period, but were otherwise open and operating throughout January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020, are included in this Item 19.

• Therefore, the remaining 14 franchised outlets were not included in the table below for 2019 because they were not open and operating for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2019. Six of those franchised outlets closed during the 2019 fiscal year (one of which had been open for less than 12 months).

• Additionally, the remaining 24 franchised outlets were not included in the table below for 2020 because they were not open and operating for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020. 10 of those franchised outlets permanently closed during the 2020 fiscal year (0 of which had been open for less than 12 months) and 3 temporarily ceased operations for several months during the 2020 fiscal year and were not open and operating as of December 31, 2020.

• The affiliate-owned outlet is excluded from the below table for the 2019 fiscal year and 2020 fiscal year data.

• The information in the table below was prepared from sales records and reports from the franchised businesses. Fish Window Cleaning’s affiliate-owned business is not included in the tables below.

• Fish Window Cleaning does not know of an instance, nor does it have reason to believe, that a franchisee would overstate or understate the information in the table below. The information provided has not been audited or submitted as part of a financial statement reporting requirement.

• The 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 Fish Window Cleaning.

Top 10%

• Average Number of New Customers in 2019:  629
• Median Number of New Customers in 2019:  581
• High Number of New Customers in 2019:  1,013
• Low Number of New Customers in 2019:  513

• Average Total Revenue in 2019:  $917,659
• Median Total Revenue in 2019:  $816,877
• High Total Revenue in 2019:  $1,759,200
• Low Total Revenue in 2019:  $688,983

• Average Number of New Customers in 2020:  602
• Median Number of New Customers in 2020:  555
• High Number of New Customers in 2020:  987
• Low Number of New Customers in 2020:  470

• Average Total Revenue in 2020:  $742,662
• Median Total Revenue in 2020:  $640,541
• High Total Revenue in 2020:  $1,571,999
• Low Total Revenue in 2020:  $517,974

Top 50%

• Average Number of New Customers in 2019:  385
• Median Number of New Customers in 2019:  349
• High Number of New Customers in 2019:  1,013
• Low Number of New Customers in 2019:  211

• Average Total Revenue in 2019:  $531,693
• Median Total Revenue in 2019:  $464,984
• High Total Revenue in 2019:  $1,759,200
• Low Total Revenue in 2019:  $297,314

• Average Number of New Customers in 2020:  351
• Median Number of New Customers in 2020:  303
• High Number of New Customers in 2020:  987
• Low Number of New Customers in 2020:  187

• Average Total Revenue in 2020:  $417,087
• Median Total Revenue in 2020:  $366,956
• High Total Revenue in 2020:  $1,571,999
• Low Total Revenue in 2020:  $223,351

Bottom 50%

• Average Number of New Customers in 2019:  123
• Median Number of New Customers in 2019:  123
• High Number of New Customers in 2019:  211
• Low Number of New Customers in 2019:  13

• Average Total Revenue in 2019:  $191,095
• Median Total Revenue in 2019:  $182,721
• High Total Revenue in 2019:  $293,432
• Low Total Revenue in 2019:  $51,708

• Average Number of New Customers in 2020:  104
• Median Number of New Customers in 2020:  107
• High Number of New Customers in 2020:  181
• Low Number of New Customers in 2020:  8

• Average Total Revenue in 2020:  $133,613
• Median Total Revenue in 2020:  $131,191
• High Total Revenue in 2020:  $222,448
• Low Total Revenue in 2o20:  $39,105

Bottom 10%

• Average Number of New Customers in 2019:  56
• Median Number of New Customers in 2019:  62
• High Number of New Customers in 2019:  77
• Low Number of New Customers in 2019:  13

• Average Total Revenue in 2019:  $111,728
• Median Total Revenue in 2019:  $114,791
• High Total Revenue in 2019:  $135,661
• Low Total Revenue in 2019:  $51,708

• Average Number of New Customers in 2020:  36
• Median Number of New Customers in 2020:  35
• High Number of New Customers in 2020:  55
• Low Number of New Customers in 2020:  8

• Average Total Revenue in 2020:  $66,550
• Median Total Revenue in 2020:  $69,629
• High Total Revenue in 2020:  $87,459
• Low Total Revenue in 2020:  $39,105

• Number of New Customers. This number represents the number of new commercial customers and new residential customers that outlets provided service to in 2019 and 2020.

• “Total Revenue” means the total revenues derived in and from the operation of the Business or Businesses referenced in each subgroup.

• Outlet Results. The outlets in the top 10% or top 50% for one category in the table above may not be in the top 10% or top 50% for any other category.

• Affiliate-Owned Business Results. The table above only includes information relating to franchised outlets. The one affiliate-owned business located in St. Louis, Missouri, had 894 new accounts and Total Revenue of $1,203,173 in 2019, and 753 new accounts and Total Revenue of $1,077,061 in 2020.

Part 2 – Average Revenue from a Residential Window Cleaning/Commercial Cleaning, and Average Annual Price for a Commercial Route Job

• The information in the table below is based on information for the 265 franchised outlets that were open and operating for the 12-month period from January 1, 2019 until December 31, 2019, and January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020.

Average Revenue from a Residential Window Cleaning

• Average for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $282
• Median for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $279
• Lowest for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $100
• Highest for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $621

• Average for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $278
• Median for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $266
• Lowest for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $103
• Highest for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $547

Average Revenue from a Commercial Window Cleaning

• Average for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $56
• Median for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $53
• Lowest for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $28
• Highest for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $205

• Average for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $59
• Median for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $53
• Lowest for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $29
• Highest for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $240

Average Annual Price for a Commercial Route Job

• Average for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $755
• Median for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $687
• Lowest for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $393
• Highest for Reporting Outlets 2019:  $2,468

• Average for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $746
• Median for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $669
• Lowest for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $370
• Highest for Reporting Outlets 2020:  $2,463

• Average Revenue from a Residential Window Cleaning. This average represents the average revenue received by the applicable outlets from a residential window cleaning in the respective calendar year.

• Average Revenue from a Commercial Window Cleaning. This average represents the average revenue received by the applicable outlets from a commercial window cleaning in the respective calendar year.

• Average Annual Price for a Commercial Route Job. A commercial route job is a recurring commercial window cleaning job that an outlet performs at least eight times in at least one of the franchisor’s 13 four-week accounting periods (the franchisor has 13 four-week accounting periods, not 12 monthly accounting periods).

• This average represents the average annual price scheduled in the franchisor’s proprietary software application to be charged for all of the window cleanings associated with a commercial route job in the respective calendar year. This average does not represent the average revenue that was received as a result of the window cleanings for a commercial route job in the respective calendar year.

• Affiliate-Owned Business Results. This chart only includes information relating to franchised outlets.

• In 2019, the one affiliate-owned business located in St. Louis, Missouri had $338 in Average Revenue from a Residential Window Cleaning, $51 in Average Revenue from a Commercial Window Cleaning, and $610 in Average Annual Price for a Commercial Route Job.

• In 2020, the one affiliate-owned business located in St. Louis, Missouri had $340 in Average Revenue from a Residential Window Cleaning, $55 in Average Revenue from a Commercial Window Cleaning, and $598 in Average Annual Price for a Commercial Route Job.

• Some outlets have earned the amounts set forth in this financial performance representation. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you will earn as much.

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