Mr Sandless

Mr Sandless™ offers a revolutionary way to refresh wooden floors without the high cost of sanding and without the dust and mess created by sanding. In addition there are no smells, as the certified green solutions used are all non-toxic and odour free. Drying times are very fast so turnaround times are very quick for clients. New clients are found daily in private homes and offices, as well as the hospitality and retail sectors, who appreciate the lack of mess and speed of service.

Franchise Opportunity
It is planned to launch franchises throughout South Africa in 2012 – already a waiting list is growing of potential franchisees eager to get started. They come from all walks of life, not just the flooring industry. Metropolitan franchise areas will be established whilst outside the major metros, municipal districts will determine franchise areas. The franchisee is essentially home based and is expected to initially be a hands-on operator, employing a minimum of 2 assistants.

Whilst the franchise service is based on the refinishing of wooden floors, it can also be used for work on tiles, concrete, resilient and any other hard floor surface – even laminate floors can be refinished. In South Africa, significant market opportunities exist in the refinishing of wood floors in old houses which can no longer be physically sanded due to their now being too thin to be sanded anymore and in newer houses with wooden floors that cannot be sanded because of their textured nature as is found in the new engineered floors.

Coupled with the resealing work, most houses present opportunities for additional renovation work in terms of other floor repairs that may be required.

Uniqueness
The Mr Sandless™ process is unique in that all solutions used in the cleaning and subsequent resealing of the floors are proprietary and unavailable anywhere else in the world. The ability to be able to reseal any floor surface, without having to worry about what was applied to the floor before is the key to not having to resand the floor surface. Also the ability to be able to recolour the floor in the process of resealing is absolutely unique and the Mr Sandless process has no direct competition as it creates a unique marketing niche in what is a generally highly traded market – that of wood floor sanding and sealing due to low barriers of entry

Franchisee Qualities
Whilst it is preferable for a franchisee to have wood floor experience, training is provided in all key areas of this opportunity, providing anyone who is keen to learn, an opportunity to proceed, with or without technical abilities. Critical characteristics are business integrity and entrepreneurial skills, including the ability to sell your services.

All franchisees will be expected to complete a psychometric evaluation before enrolment in order to assist them and Mr Sandless™, in evaluating their particular skills and suitability.

Number of franchises
Currently there are more than 220 franchises throughout the world, including USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Turkey, UAE, Australia and New Zealand. Now launching in South Africa, the home franchise has been operating in Johannesburg for the past 12 months

Roll out has commenced, with 5 franchises already reserved of a total planned 20.

Costs involved
An initial franchise fee of R120 000 together with a further R85 000 for startup equipment and stock is required. A minimum R50 000 – R100 000 is required for operating capital, as well as ownership of a suitable vehicle. A monthly royalty based on purchases is charged together with contributions to a centralised marketing fund.

Training and support
Training is seen as being critical to the success of any franchisee and apart from one week basic, hands on, training on the Mr Sandless™ system, further training will be provided on wooden floor technology to enable the franchisee to take advantage of add-on business opportunities. Similarly, management, financial and sales training will be provided as required, to franchisees on an ongoing basis together with regular on site follow ups with each franchisee in order to ensure maintenance to franchise standards and identify possible training needs.