Start a Window Gang Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Ranked #221 last year

Initial investment: $108K - $149K

Units as of 2024: 50 11.1% over 3 years

In 1986, Tim McCullen founded Window Gang after seeing the rising demand for window cleaning services. Initially, McCullen anticipated Window Gang being a summer job. Later, though, he later decided to pursue Window Gang as a full-time job. By 1996, McCullen had increased services offered and served clients in every major city in North Carolina. With the need to expand his company becoming more imperative, he chose to open it to the public for franchising in late 1996.

As a franchisee, you can offer the following services to residential, commercial, and high-rise buildings:

Window cleaning
Pressure washing
Gutter cleaning
Sealing and restoration for concrete and wood surfaces
Dryer vent cleaning
Chimney sweeping
Oil remediation
Blind cleaning

Depending on your location and business contract, you may also be able to offer carpet and upholstery cleaning, dustless hardwood floor refinishing, and emergency water extraction.

Why You May Want to Start a Window Gang Franchise

Owning a Window Gang franchise means you get to help thousands of people live a little easier by ensuring their space is as clean as it can be. Though it started in North Carolina, Window Gang now has over 110 locations in the U.S. In most years since 2000, Window Gang has ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

When you sign your agreement, you will work with Window Gang to design a tailored business plan to suit your needs.

When you have questions, you are likely to have a direct line to the top, resulting in you getting answers promptly.

What Might Make Window Gang a Good Choice?

Like all franchises, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment, including a franchise fee and other startup fees. The overall price will depend on your territory size. Before your application is approved, you should have enough capital available to cover all possible expenses.

The initial investment will go towards equipment, software, technology equipment, cleaning supplies, initial wages, office construction, and marketing tools and efforts. After launching, you'll pay a percentage of all weekly gross income to the company. The gross fee will go towards every service and subsequent assistance the Window Gang officials offer.

How to Open a Window Gang Franchise

After filling out an application, a representative may reach out to you and explain everything they'll need from you to qualify as a franchisee. They'll ask you to provide financial information and specify the territory and size of the franchise you are looking to open.

If you progress, you will have an opportunity to visit the main Window Gang headquarters in Beaufort, North Carolina to meet with top executives. You will then negotiate a contract and business approach. If a contract is signed, you will be free to begin construction, attend training, and launch your business.

After agreeing to a contract, you and a few employees will receive training in cleaning procedures, equipment maintenance, policies and procedures, bookkeeping, marketing, and administrative operations. Teaching you the trade secrets will give you the best chance at success when your Window Gang location opens for business.

Company Overview

About Window Gang

Industry	Maintenance
Related Categories	Window Cleaning, Miscellaneous Maintenance Businesses, Cleaning/Restoration
Founded	1986
Parent Company	Premium Service Brands
Leadership	Paul Flick, CEO
Corporate Address	126 Garrett St. Charlottesville, VA 22902
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1996 (29 years)
# of employees at HQ	40
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	50 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Window Gang franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$65,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$108,200 - $148,600
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$150,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

In-House Financing	Window Gang offers in-house financing to cover the following: franchise fee
Third Party Financing	Window Gang has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	10 hours
Classroom Training	50 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	5
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes