EmbroidMe - Helping Businesses Brand Better

‘If you’re looking for a white-collar opportunity with a good brand, growth potential and Monday to Friday business hours, you’ve got to check out EmbroidMe,’ says Grant Archibald, who brought the franchise here in 2006.

EmbroidMe is a business-to-business franchise specialising in embroidered and screen printed apparel and promotional products. The franchise started in 2000 with a store in Florida and is a sister company to the hugely successful Speedy Signs franchise, which Grant and his wife Sarah also launched in New Zealand in 1998. Both operations have gone from strength to strength: there are now 23 Speedy Signs outlets nationwide and 8 EmbroidMe stores.

‘Branded apparel is a large and growing industry,’ says Grant. ‘In the nine years EmbroidMe has been operating, we have grown to over 400 stores in ten different countries. This is due to the tremendous growth in the branded apparel and promotional products industry, and a reflection of the success and quality of our proven franchise systems. Too many small businesses remain small simply because they have no ability to grow. But EmbroidMe and Speedy Signs have demonstrated that they have the systems to satisfy both the market and the ambitions of our franchisees.’

Grant says that it would be hard to name an industry that franchising doesn’t dominate. ‘From fast food to videos, rental cars to hotels, franchising has demonstrated the clear benefits of replicating systems and putting committed people in control of their own success. Everything has been franchised today – except clothing branded for business! Now we have EmbroidMe as the market leader offering clear advantages to franchisees: name recognition, mass purchasing power, cooperative advertising plus training and support to name just a few.’

Visibility plus action equals sales

Before EmbroidMe opened here, the typical customised apparel business was usually hidden away at the back of an industrial park and offered a very limited number of options in terms of size, colour, service and quality. ‘But we like our customers to see us and know where we are,’ says Grant. ‘EmbroidMe stores are highly visible, on main roads or busy intersections near other businesses, so our clients know where to come and it is easy for them to do business with us. Not only that, but our customers will have a unique experience in-store. Each store is a showroom in which they can see, touch and feel what they are going to purchase, as well as trying for size and checking for colours and quality.’

Crucially for the franchisee, despite the large product range offered by all EmbroidMe stores there is no need to hold stock. ‘Once the customer has selected the products from the showroom samples they pay a 50% deposit and we order the garments from the manufacturers,’ says Grant. ‘This means our stores have good cash flow, as we take an up-front deposit and full payment on completion of the job.’

While EmbroidMe locations attract walk-in traffic franchisees don’t have to wait for work to come to them. ‘They or their sales people can call on local companies and network with local social, business and sports groups,’ Grant explains. ‘We send out consistent direct mail and our marketing fund covers group telemarketing and e-marketing together with national advertising promoting the brand. We use Google Adwords and we will soon have the latest on-line showroom to generate increasing numbers of customers for the stores.’

Training and support mean no experience required

Two vital factors for many customers are fast turnaround and flexibility. ‘Order size is immaterial to our franchisees,’ states Grant. ‘EmbroidMe can cope with everything from one-offs to 200-plus staff uniforms. We also use only the latest computer-operated technology which means a typical turnaround of only 7-10 days. The good news, though, is that this technology does not require expensive, specialised staff – it is simple enough for anyone with some computer experience to operate easily.

‘In fact, none of our existing franchisees has a background in the branded apparel industry,’ Grant points out. ‘They are all people who wanted to run a successful business and for whom EmbroidMe ticked all the boxes! We offer 9 to 5 operating hours, minimal inventory, low stock levels, low staff requirements and good cash-flow. The franchise fee is $79,500 +gst, which includes the store fit-out, all your training at our international training centre in West Palm Beach plus a further two weeks in your own store. The equipment package starts from about $125,000, bringing your total investment to around $200,000. Due to our excellent record, we have a finance package available that enables you to get into business from about $100,000. This will get you up and running while the business pays for itself.’

And of course, the help doesn’t end there. ‘As long as you own an EmbroidMe franchise we have full-time support staff to help you grow and develop your business,’ Grant promises. ‘We have a vested interest in all of the stores succeeding, so we are all working together to achieve our goals. Given that there are 1300 EmbroidMe and Speedy Signs franchises around the world, it’s a proven win/win system. Find out more about EmbroidMe – it could be your future too.’

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 18 Issue 4

 Contact details for EmbroidMe

 For more information and advice on buying a franchise get your FREE copy of Franchise New Zealand magazine.

We welcome links from other websites to this article. Please note that this article is copyright © Franchise NZ Marketing Limited, Franchise New Zealand magazine and Franchise New Zealand On Line. While it may be downloaded for personal use, no part may be reproduced on any other website, in electronic or printed form or in any other form whatsoever.