Franchise Opportunity - Franchise FAQ

Franchise FAQ

Most importantly, you will be a part of a company with the collective knowledge of its franchisees that is unrivaled in the industry.  There may be dozens of carpet cleaners, but there is only one Marblelife offering Stone, Concrete, Terrazzo, Vinyl,Tile & Grout Solutions.

4. Am I Required to do Work Myself to be a Franchise Owner?

Required?  No. 

In most MARBLELIFE franchises, while the owner or general manager knows how to operate and apply each service, his business quiclky evolves the need to hire additional craftsman, then an office manager, followed by additional salespeople. The opportunities are such that you can build your business as large as you want and need it.

5. Is Restoration Really Less Expensive than Replacement?

Whether discussing concrete, stone, vinyl or tile and grout, restoration is considerably less epensive than replacement.

Because marble and granite are not man-made stones and often have to be shipped thousands of miles, the cost can be very expensive. The average cost to replace a 500 square foot marble floor can be as high as $10,000 to $15,000. By comparison, MARBLELIFE restoration of the same floor is a fraction of the replacement costs.

Similarly, with Tile & Grout, the cost to reverse and then address the root cause of each problem, is typically significantly less expensive than starting over.

Terrazzo floors are beautiful, but costly to install.  When something goes wrong, it tends to localized or wear related.  By learning how to apply the appropriate skills and techniques to JUST the problem area we can restore the surface without having to replace it.  When one is looking at a historic floor, a true treasure, this is not only financially pleasing to the owner, but personnally satisfying as we preserve a piece of history.

6. Is There any Competition? How Good are They?

If there is a need, someone will seek to meet it.  As such sure, there is likely someone out there claiming to do what we do... but they are not MARBLELIFE, and more often than not cannot deliver our breadth of solutions, or our productivity.

That said the quality of the solution, or band aid being offered varies based on the resources available to be brought to bear to research, understand, test, confirm, train, package, distribute and deliver a true solution. This is wear MARBLELIFE's size advantage comes in.  With 50 franchisees our size allows us to

• Rapidly recognize and identify new opportunties or problems whether the first appear in your market or on the otherside of the country
• Research problems to define the TRUE root cause, then develop or locate the appropriate solution to solve the problem.
• Introduce and train you on the latest techniques or solutions.
• Market for clients with this need via linked internet resources that provide the franchise significant advantages over would-be independent competitors.
• Deliver customer WOWs via a national network anywhere in the continental US or Canada.

Consider this, over the past few years we have introduced a string of proprietary services allowing our franchisees to continue to expand their service offerings and hence client base in good or bad economic times.  ColorSeal, MicroGuard, VinylGuard, CleanShield, DryGrind are but a few of the services developed and launched over the past few years.

Within our historic core business of "marble polishing," we consistently produce beautiful results with greater efficiency. 

As important, is MARBLELIFE's start-up marketing guidance providing you access to methods proven historically to generate calls.

Keep in mind when working with a natural product, mother nature is always involved.  While you receive the best training in the business, bar none - you are also able to tap support via phone and when needed in person for the life you are with the business.  This is not a 2-day good-luck training - but a committed business designed to generate results for our clients and our owners over the longterm.  Consider this, how easy would it be to ask a competitor a question and get a true answer?  Within the MARBLELIFE system, each franchise operates in a protected market, while operating within a national support network that allows us to target multi-location clients.  This creates a phenomenal support network that extends beyond that provided by the franchisor.

We change with the market, versus provide a snap shot of what was used 10 years ago.  Technology is constantly changing, and in many cases we are driving those changes as we consistently seek new markets, new solutions based on the latest available technologies.  With each franchise office we expand our ability to track new trends and market needs allowing us to respond quickly, and allowing our offices to be well positioned.

With a national network in place, we are able to coordinate with sales teams targeting multi-location opportunities knowing a consistent service can be provided. 

Large opportunities that one may not have been able to address on day 1, can be shared amongst neighboring offices to quickly secure the capacity and expertise to deliver a successful project.

Are people out their claiming to compete with MARBLELIFE?  Sure, but an independent faces an uphill battle when presented with the breadth of solutions and services we can provide each client, who would YOU buy from?

7. Is It Complicated? If I Have Never Done This Kind of Work Before, is it Easy to Learn?

The processes are not complicated. 

Solving a problem for the first time is often complicated, but that is why you have a franchise and its support.  Once we have solved a problem, the processes are refined and trained to each office.  In this manner, you have a variety of services to provide your local clients, without having to develop them yourself or figure out how to make them work.

Our training program is thorough and includes extensive solutions for troubleshooting. Learning the process, means following directions.  What took 20 years to develop, translates to best practices introduced in your training, giving you a major jump on the market.

We are here to support you, so we want things simple and easy to service.  When our training is done, we are still here to support you and facilitate your business growth.  If you are not growing, neither are we, as such our interests are aligned with yours.

8. What do I Need to Know to Get Into Business? How do I Know if I am the Right Person for MARBLELIFE?

You should have a burning desire to own your own business.

Have a passion for service and delighting your clients.

Desire and determination are important for any business owner's success.

We'll train you, and work with you to build the business, and provide the services building owners need.

And of course, you must be able to make the financial investment in your franchise and equipment.

9. How Do I get my Customers? How Long Does it Take to Get Started? Do I Need to Advertise?

Upon completion of the training period, you will be able to start immediately.

Our start-up marketing efforts, frequently result in estimates being scheduled while you are completing your initial training so you are going home to meet with clients.  

You will be targeting commercial, education, hotel, medical and residential business. It is not necessary to maintain a massive advertising program, however some advertising will be necessary to get the word out about your business and the solutions we provide.  MARBLELIFE maintains a national web presence, and will guide you through the establishment of an additional local web presence using our standardized programs.  Guidance on how to select suitable advertising tools, where to network, how to approach each client type are provided in training and via ongoing support. You can develop your business by networking with other trades and referrals from satisfied customers. 

MARBLELIFE will work with you to develop your business in a manner to reflect your goals and territory.

10. Can I make money in a recessive market?

While we cannot by law comment on how much money you can or will make we can point some key differences with the MARBLELIFE business versus other elements of the stone and tile market. 

Stone and Tile Distribution, Installation and Fabrication largely depend on new construction, and as such their business rides with new home starts.  MARBLELIFE restores and maintains the installed base, as such, even in a slower economy the amount of installed stone, tile, and concrete is growing and as such so is the NEED for our services. 

Customers may put off addressing their stone's needs for a period of time, but as long as they are continuing to walk on and wear these surfaces, the NEED for our service continues to grow. 

Being cheaper than replacement, it is simply a matter of WHEN they decide to get the work done rather than if.  As such while we may see a temporary slow down our pent-up demand continues to rise even in a soft market.

Add to this a consistent expansion in the surfaces being serviced, with non-standard treatments designed to change the status quo allows you to approach your clients with new solutions, AND an understanding as to why these solutions work, providing you and your client a comfort they are making the right decision.

11. Is A Franchise the Best Way for Me to Enter the Industry?

Purchasing a franchise dramatically increases your odds for success. U.S. Department of Commerce statistics show that less than 5% of new franchise outlets have been discontinued each year since 1971. By contrast 65% of new, independently owned businesses fail within five years.

A successful MARBLELIFE franchise is an asset that can increase in value as you grow your business. If you are building your business as an investment, your return on that investment should be significantly greater when you sell it as a nationally recognized brand, MARBLELIFE, rather than "John's Marble Restoration Service".

We recommend you consult with your financial advisor and legal counsel before undertaking any new venture.  We also recommend and encourage you to speak to existing franchisees as you decide whether this is the right business for you.

This "Questions and Answers" section was developed to assist you with your decision about a MARBLELIFE franchise. We hope this answered some of your questions. Feel free to contact us for additional information. We look forward to working with you.

For additional information regarding this unique opportunity, fill out the MARBLELIFE Qualification Form or email specific questions to franchisesales@marblelife.com

PRE-BUYING OR SELLING A FRANCHISE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS - The franchising information contained in this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer to sell. or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise.  We offer franchises only through our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).  Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises:  California, Hawaii, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.  If you are a resident of one of these states, we will NOT offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable presale registration and disclosure requirements in your jursidiction.