Millions of people dream of owning their own business. Yet most never act upon that desire because the costs involved in getting started can be enormous. The answer for many people may lie in franchising.
The Small Business Administration reports that by franchising you can often sell goods and services that have instant name recognition and can obtain training and ongoing support to help the company be successful. Although franchising can be expensive, there are some businesses that offer affordable franchising with instant name recognition and training to go along with it.
Fast-teks, located in Tampa, Fla., is one such company that keeps franchising affordable. The company specializes in offering on-site computer services to business and residential consumers. They have franchises across the country and are quickly becoming a prominent player in the franchising segment. This is because they keep it affordable, reduce the need for overhead, and provide one-on-one training to help franchisees succeed.
“The computer service market is big business and continues to grow,” explains Cari Diaz, director of franchise support at Fast-teks. “Growth is expected to surpass $47 billion this year. It’s a very exciting field to go into, even without prior computer experience or knowledge.”
Fast-teks has worked to make their franchising opportunity as simple as can be. The cost of the franchise fee is only $19,500, a mere fraction of what it costs to franchise many other businesses. They advise that you also need at least an additional $6,000 for start-up expenses and advertising. They offer franchises in exclusive territories so there is no overlapping and competing. The package also includes in-depth training that covers starting a new business, legal agreements, advertising, software, and how to obtain technicians and clients.
“One of the things that really keeps our franchising affordable and appealing to people is that there is no overhead necessary,” says Mancebo. “People can run this business from their home and avoid the expenses associated with office or retail space.”
The Fast-teks franchise is easy to run even without being a computer expert. The person that owns the franchise merely hires qualified technicians to make the on-call computer service requests. They then pay the technician a percentage of the amount charged for service. Most technicians charge between $60-120 per hour for such computer services.
“Our franchising program gives people the opportunity to fulfill the dream of owning their own business,” says Mancebo. “And we work with them to help them succeed. We realize that if they succeed then we do as well, so we have a vested interest in helping them with the proper training and support.”
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