A Brief History

Schooley Mitchell was established in 1983, with its telecom division being established as a separate entity during 1996. The company has been providing professional advice to its clients in the areas of finance, accounting, computers, management and telecom services since inception. With decades of combined telecom experience, Schooley Mitchell has pursued its Franchising concept to meet the need for independent and objective telecom advice in the North American market.

Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants has its corporate head office in Stratford, Ontario. The company is the largest independent telecom consulting organization in North America, with offices from coast to coast in both United States and Canada.

Schooley Mitchell Franchisees are independent of all telecom companies selling products or services. Franchisees do not receive commissions, residuals or kickbacks from any telecom suppliers. Therefore, the solutions provided to clients are designed with the exclusive goal of providing the best solution to meet clients' individual needs regarding telecom services.

Operations

Franchisees generally begin by operating their Schooley Mitchell Franchise as a home-based business. Consequently, overhead and operations costs are minimal. Due to the fact that the Franchise system extends across North America, there is an opportunity for all Franchisees to network from coast to coast. This is a significant benefit for larger clients that may have multiple locations. Of course smaller clients are served locally and comprise a significant, lucrative portion of our Franchisees' client base. And, your client base is protected through our sophisticated client registry system.

Franchisee Selection

Our success is based entirely on the success of our Franchisees. Consequently, we are very careful in our selection process. In selecting Franchisees, preference is given to applicants with the following characteristics:

• Aptitude for managing a business;
• Strong business background - marketing, sales, consulting or management;
• Team orientation that entails an appreciation for the benefits of working in a proven system;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills;
• The ability to make a full-time commitment (from the Franchisee or a Franchise manager);
• Financial resources
• Strong desire to control your own destiny & financial security

Although the investment to acquire a Franchise license is small compared to most Franchises, you must be able to meet that commitment, as well as provide for personal expenses. Results vary from Franchisee to Franchisee, which makes it difficult to predict how many weeks from the point of start-up will be required before realizing the initial collection of fees. Consequently, you must have enough capital, so you don't require cash from the business for the start-up period.

Investment

Schooley Mitchell requires an investment of $44,500. You also require a computer with the ability to run Windows 2000 or higher, a laser printer, and Office 2003. If you already have an appropriate computer with the proper characteristics, there may not be further computer investment required. There are some other start-up requirements such as business cards, letterheads, envelopes, and Internet access, if not already in place. Those actual requirements will be discussed in detail at the interview stage of the application process.

The system includes:

• Use of the Schooley Mitchell name, trademarks, and quality reputation;
• Computer software tools developed by Schooley Mitchell, as well as continuous updates;
• The initial training course; including mentoring training
• Continuous training on a distance learning basis;
• The annual training updates;
• Access to specialists in all areas of telecommunications through our consultant network throughout North America;
• Continuous toll-free support;
• Head office support, experience, business expertise and advice;
• Marketing and advertising materials and advice;
• U.S. and Canada-wide coverage to ensure all client needs can be satisfied;
• Access to the Schooley Mitchell intranet site, which contains technical material, training material, methods of easy communication among franchisees, etc.;
• The fully developed operating and support systems, which means you don't have to "recreate the wheel."

The Path to Success

The concept is simple - the only way we succeed is to have you succeed. We will do everything in our power to duplicate the success we have experienced with our other Franchise locations.

A Schooley Mitchell Franchise offers the prestige of association with a professional business and the opportunity to become part of a successful team. Our proven system of operation and our recognized identity in the field of Telecommunications are the essential components to build business success.

A Franchise - Is It For You?

Franchising has increased dramatically during the last two decades and is quickly being recognized as one of the most effective ways of doing business. It combines the drive and ambition of the small businessperson with the experience and expertise of the Franchisor. The result is often a winning strategic-partnership for both parties.

The success rate of franchise businesses is much higher than that of independent businesses.

• According to Franchise World Magazine, a franchise business has a 92% success rate after 5 years compared to a 23% success rate of an independent business after the same period of time.
• There is only one Franchise bankruptcy to every 40 independent business bankruptcies in North America (5,000 vs. 200,000 annually, respectively).
• Although only 3% of businesses in North America are Franchises, 40% of retail and service business is conducted by those franchises every year.
• There are now over 600,000 Franchises with over $600 billion in sales in North America.

A successful Franchise relationship means you are joining a team where members have common goals. Together, the Franchisor and Franchisee work to build a strong company image, develop the market and increase profits. Individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to work as part of a team are the most effective Franchise candidates.