Don't take my word for it.
Check for yourself. Download franchise
listings from several years apart
and compare an older list with a newer one
to see which are missing.
Search:
Wanted: Year-End RAAG Report
If you're a Certapro franchisee, please consider
sending me a copy of the year-end RAAG report.
Email to: certaprosucks(at)gmail.com or contact
me.
If you don't live too far away, I may be willing
to help you peel the wrap from your van in return.
Franchises do NOT have a greater
chance of success
than independent startups
Small Business Administration
How does franchise survival
compare with independent business
survival?
"Survival among independent
businesses and franchises appears to be
similar, as they have similar age
distributions."
In other words, franchises do NOT have a
better success rate.
CertaPro lawsuits:
CertaPro's franchise agreeement includes a binding
arbitration agreement, so franchisees will
probably not be able to sue but will, instead have
to go to arbitration. Arbitration is secret, not
public. However, I have been able to find a few
lawsuits related to CertaPro in the public domain.
Check out the
lawsuits
A Record Of Failure:
Nearly 70% Of CertaPro Painters Franchisees Gone
In Six Years
Comparing CertaPro Painters' Franchisee Listings
shows that nearly 70%
of the franchisees listed on Dec. 31, 2004,
were no longer listed on Dec. 31, 2010.
You are signing a
contract agreeing to pay CetaPro at
least $250,000 in addition to the
franchise fee and other payments:
The franchisee signs a contract which
LEGALLY BINDS him/her to produce
at least $5 MILLION in revenue and pay
CertaPro at least $250,000 over the
10-year term of the contract.
If you go out of business after, say, 3
years?
Too bad. You still owe the money.
Minimum franchise fee agreement:
CALENDAR YEAR
GROSS SALES
1st calendar year
$450,000 (min. $22,500
franchise fee)
3rd - 5th
$500,000 (min. $25,000
per year franchise fee)
6th - 10th
$650,000 (min. $32,500
per year franchise fee)
source: CertaPro's 2011
Franchise Agreement
CertaPro's
"Success" Stories:
Many/Most will become "Failure" Stories
The death of a CertaPro Painters franchise
doesn't come quickly, as a rule.
It's usually a long, slow, painful and expensive
process which can last 2-3 years or more.
Blame
the Failed Franchisees:
"He/She Didn't Work Hard Enough"
Certapro's answer, when asked about failed
franchisees?
They
blame it on the franchisee!
"He
didn't follow the plan", or
"She didn't have what it takes", or
"He didn't work hard enough" (lazy).
That's
bullshit. A lie.
When a
franchisee is looking down the barrel of a huge
financial loss, you'd better believe they will
bust their ass to try to make it work.
"Quality"
and Subcontractors?
(Headache and Heartburn City)
CertaPro's marketing includes buzzwords like
"quality" and "professional", probably to invoke
a sense in customers that they're going to get a
top-quality paint job done by CertaPro's
seasoned, experienced painters.
Relying
on subcontractors can result in some unhappy
painters whose primary goal is to get the job
done as quickly as possible. It can also result
in some angry customers and many headaches for
you.
The
Majority of CertaPro Franchisees Will Fail,
based on CertaPro's history of franchise failure
Forget CertaPro's marketing hype.
Believe The Reality
CertaPro's
marketing hype is designed to paint an
image of success in your mind (and you
may believe that a franchise is
practically certain to succeed.
Actually:
Franchises have a
greater failure rate than most believe.
And:
You probably will NOT find all the
buried CertaPro skeletons.
You will find precious little on the web
from failed franchisees.
CertaPro wants it that way (see "Gag
Agreements", below).
CertaPro
Franchise Failure
Here's An Example: Florida
August, 2007 to January, 2012:
Ask
CertaPro about their
franchisees' failure,
and they may very well blame the
franchisee.
However, the failure rate, as
illustrated in Florida,
strongly suggests CertaPro's
"blame the victim"
approach is a lie and that
CertaPro's
"business
in a box" doesn't work well.
Are
you willing to risk your life
savings
or go deep into debt
on a franchise with a success
rate like this?
(Oh,
and if CertaPro tries to tell
you Florida
is an aberration, don't
believe it.)
You're
Thinking of Buying a Painting Franchise...
...and you know nothing about the professional
painting business?
Are you
nuts???
They
may tell you "no experience required", but
(based on my experience) it's utterly false.
You will end up losing money for "on-the-job
training" (trust me), and you may end up with
some VERY angry customers.
This
site was established by a former CertaPro
Painters fanchisee,
to inform the public regarding the CertaPro
franchise "opportunity".
My
purchase of a CertaPro franchise was the worst
and most costly decision of my life. I believe
there may be hundreds of other former CertaPro
franchisees who share that experience and view.
I've heard some of the others' stories.
I bought a Birmingham CertaPro franchise which
failed after about 3-1/2 years. The guy who later
bought the same franchise also went out of
business after a few years. My neighboring
Birmingham franchisee went out of business about a
year before I did. I have related some of my
personal experiences here.
I
believe the vast
majority of those who buy a
CertaPro franchise risk losing as much as
$150,000 or more within a few years and
ending up emotionally distressed, saddled with
debt or forced into bankruptcy, faced with
demands from CertaPro for more money or finding
themselves sued by CertaPro.
In my
opinion, CertaPro's deceptive marketing and
onerous contract, combined with its actions
which serve to hide information about the many
failures, represents an intentional effort to
deceive and misrepresent. I believe they must
KNOW they are making money at the expense of
others and that most new franchisees are
probably destined to fail.
Potential
victims of CertaPro's actions should know about
the dark side of the CertaPro franchise and the
high probability of failure (perhaps a 90% or
more failure rate).
After establishing this website, I noticed what appeared
to be a "reputation management" effort by Aviatech -- a company hired by
Certapro. In my opinion, based on what I observed,
Aviatech relies upon sleazy tactics.
(IOW, a perfect
partner for Certapro)
Note: Aviatech is now part of Mainstream Interactive.
