M.J. Plebon, Montreal online marketing and lead development specialist speaks with Window Medics founder Michael Joasil about his plans for expansion into the United States and the unique opportunity for people to start their own business and be their own boss.
MJ: I am here today with Michael Joasil, founder and CEO of Window Medics. Thanks for joining us today Michael.
Michael: Thank you M.J. for having me here today. It is a pleasure.
MJ: Michael, in today’s uncertain economy, no job is secure and we are seeing closures of companies all around us. People are looking for alternative strategies for income. Many people are looking at the possibilities of starting their own business and realizing their dream
of being their own boss. They are looking at investing in a franchise or licensing opportunity. Now I understand that Window medics has an opportunity that may be of interest to people who are looking to start their own business. Can you tell us a bit more about the Window Medics opportunity?
Michael: Yes, absolutely. We have been developing over the last ten years a business system that comprises of consistent lead generation and also a product offering both on the repair side of the window industry and the new product side as well. What I mean by that is we offer a defogging process which is patented by Window Medics and we are the inventor of this process. We also replace glass, install new windows and now we install doors.
The reason why we offer a full service is because when we are implementing our brand name in any given market, we are not looked at as the traditional window company. We are speaking a different message and the message we are speaking to the home owner and consumers is that there is a possibility that we can save them up to 70% of the cost of replacing fogging windows when they consider our services instead of replacing the window unit. Now once the consumer pays attention to our advertising, then our sales people visit their residence and are well trained to understand and determine which services can be repaired vs what actually needs to be replaced. This reduces the overall costs significantly.
As a business owner, on the repair side, the margins are much greater. We are talking 60% gross profit margins. On the replacement side, the sales are bigger in value but lower in margins in the range of 20% to 30%. That is what we are putting together.
MJ: Tell me, what is the market potential for foggy window repair? Is it a big issue?
Michael: I would say that the average life span for a double glazed or double pane window is twelve years. Now the average home, if I am to estimate, has at least ten sealed units. Now we know that in Canada, there is roughly 30 million inhabitants and in the USA market we are looking at
roughly a little more than 300 million. When we are talking about market size and demand, something is guaranteed. If you have a sealed window unit and it is exposed to the sun, it will fail. It is just a matter of time. Now when it does fail, the home owner has two options. They can replace the sealed glass unit which is very expensive or give us a call. We will be right
there to be able to save them. To answer your question, is it something that will happen? Yes absolutely. What is the size of the market? The amount of residences that we can service across North America based on the number of windows they have on average.
MJ: What is the difference between a franchise and a licensing arrangement?
Michael: A licensing arrangement is the model of allowing a potential business owner to make use of our know how, our trademarks and our technologies. For that, they can buy from us on a regular basis so we become their preferred vendor. With the franchising model, they are
buying into a business system that restricting them in following an exact business practice and they can deviate from it. They are also due to pay an annual royalty to the franchisor. Our licensing model does not require them to pay any royalty. They are simply buying the products and services from us.
MJ: So what makes the Window Medics licensing opportunity so attractive to someone who may be considering starting their own business?
Michael: That is a good question. The upfront costs are very low compared to the recognized brand and the revenue model that we generated. It allows someone to work from home. They can hire a logistics company to be able to receive product, keep their costs down and have the head office generate leads for them. I would say a small dealer could generate $30 to 50,000 in revenue per month with a 60% gross margin and the costs for them to get in is only $25,000. So the cost of entry is very low and they are able to generate a decent revenue working from home.
MJ: If someone is interested in this opportunity, what kind of ongoing support does Window Medics offer?
Michael: Window Medics has a team of technicians that have been with the company for 10 years. We have an operations manager and a VP of sales that are able to help the dealer improve on the sales cycle and answer any sales questions. We have an operations team to fulfill their orders for them and finally a master technician with over ten years experience who is available to answer any of the technical questions or questions that may arise in the field. We also have a 24 hour chat line on our website. If they need an immediate response, they can chat with someone on our website.
We also have an effective online marketing campaign that generates leads for the dealer. We want our dealers to concentrate on providing a valuable service to their local clients. Online marketing can be a steep learning curve and it is very time consuming to learn. The internet landscape is continuously changing. If our dealers are spending time trying to market their business, they are spending less time in front of their customers. We provide the internet marketing and the leads so they can concentrate directly on their business.
