The BrickKicker Home Inspection

Founded: 1989 Franchising since: 1994
Len Franckowiak founded the Home Building Institute (HBI), a school that taught about the different facets and trades of home building. One of the courses at HBI, Old House Rehab, dealt with the inspection and analysis of old houses. Realtors would take the class to learn about older homes and would often call on Franckowiak for his insight into the condition of a property. Through these consultations, Franckowiak saw the need for a home inspection service and, with the help of Ronald Ewald, started BrickKicker in 1992.

849 N. Ellsworth St. Naperville, Illinois 60583

Phone: (888)339-5425 Franchisee Association National Advertising & Development Coop

Franchisor is a privately-held company with 19 employee(s); 6 employee(s) in franchise department.

Franchise Growth

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2008	180	0	0	28
2007	197	0	0	28
2006	192	0	0	28
2005	185	0	0	28

Where Seeking Franchisees
In the U.S. Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North carolina, North dakota, New hampshire, New jersey, New mexico, Nevada, New york, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode island, South carolina, South dakota, Tennessee, Texas, United states, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West virginia, Wyoming

Exclusive territories available.
Territory size: By population of defined area

Special Programs
BrickKicker works with Toys for Tots and Habitat for Humanity.

Total investment: $12.1K-45.2K Franchise fee: $7.5K-25K

Ongoing royalty fee: 6% Term of agreement: 7 years, renewable

Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	Yes	No
Startup Costs	No	No
Equipment	No	No
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $50K
Cash liquidity requirement: $20K
Business Experience:

• General business experience
• Marketing skills

Operations

• Franchise can be run from home
• 75% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 1 - 2
• Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 5-10 days
• At franchisee's location: 2-4 days
• Continuing education

Ongoing Support

• Newsletter
• Meetings
• Toll-free phone line
• Grand opening
• Internet
• Security/safety procedures
• Field operations/evaluations
• Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing Support

• Co-op advertising
• Ad slicks
• National media
• Regional advertising

Franchise 500® rank:
#349 (2009); #302 (2008); #230 (2006); #235 (2005);

Fastest-Growing Franchises:
#82 (2005);

Low-Cost Franchises:
#80 (2009); #69 (2008); #54 (2006); #63 (2005);

Top Home Based Franchises:
#100 (2009); #82 (2008); #61 (2006); #64 (2005);