Dealer FAQ: Click on the questions below.
What is the difference between a dealership and a franchise?
Simply put, the first key difference between a dealership (such as Go Mini's®) and a franchise (such as PODS®) is control. The Go Mini's® dealership allows the individual dealers more flexibility than with a franchise and better lends itself to business-minded entrepreneurs who want to run their business with as little interference as possible from “corporate.” Most, if not all, franchises have royalty fees. A typical franchisor in the mobile storage industry averages between 8% to12% of the gross monthly sales from its franchisee. Not having these fees allows you to put more of what you earn in your pocket. If you have annual gross sales of $500,000, you could save as much as $50,000 annually compared to a franchise with similar gross sales. As a Go Mini's® dealer, you can establish your own pricing based on local market conditions and competition, and you can set your own local advertising budget. The Go Mini's® dealership model does not set any revenue goals, or require royalty fees. Most franchises are governed by an elaborate, lengthy franchise agreement that sets out what the franchisee may or may not do. For example, a franchisor may require the franchisee to reach revenue goals and sales quotas. If these goals are not met to the satisfaction of the franchisor, the franchise agreement may give the franchisor the right to terminate the franchise and also charge a termination fee! The franchisor may also set ongoing mandatory container purchasing quotas.
How long has GO MINI'S been in the portable mini storage business?
Bill Norris, the owner and founder of Go Mini's®, started the business in 2002. Since Bill founded Go Mini's®, the company has grown to over 200 dealership territories across the United States, Canada and Mexico. This makes Go Mini's® the fastest growing portable storage company in the industry.
How does the GO MINI'S model work compared to our competitors?
Go Mini's® bases its business strategy on the belief that its dealers prefer to utilize high quality equipment, provide personalized service to their customers and have the flexibility to run their own business, all without the burden of ongoing royalty fees or interference from corporate headquarters.
Bill Norris founded Go Mini's® convinced that he could both improve on the PODS® concept and create a better organization than a typical franchise. Bill tried the franchising route as a franchisor in his early business life and found them to have significant restrictions, fees and quotas that stifled entrepreneurship. Bill prefers that each dealer truly be an owner/operator, not someone working for the profit of the franchisor. That is why Go Mini's® has no royalty fees, no on-going sales quotas and no elaborate contract to sign.
The following are unique to Go Mini's: No Royalty Fees, No application fee, No Call Center- Customer speaks directly to a local dealer, Containers come in four sizes, No additional costly apparatus to deliver the container, No on-going container quotas, No warehouse requirement, Dealers sets local advertising budgets, Dealers set rental rates.
What would be the initial start-up expenditure?
The initial startup expenditure for a Go Mini's® dealership is more modest than most competing businesses. The three primary costs required to open a GO MINI'S dealership are the territory fee, the purchase of a transport truck and the initial minimum purchase of 36 Go Mini's® containers. You will also need a place to store containers. The initial dealership fee varies for each market depending on population. Fees start at $27,000 (US) for a territory of up to 400,000 in population. Upon signing the Dealer Agreement, 50% of the total minimum container cost is due and is non-refundable. Container cost will vary depending on the container sizes chosen. The transport truck is approximately $75,000. If you are going to use Go Mini's® as an add-on to an existing business such as a self storage or moving and storage business, then costs should be lower. For example, if you already own a self-storage or moving and storage company, and have a storage facility, warehouse or yard, then one of your most significant hurdles will be cleared: a place to store your Go Mini's® containers. You will likely also have an established name, clientele and an experienced staff. This should enable you to get your Go Mini's® business up and running in as little as 30 days.
Yes. Although some of our dealers are from the self-storage industry and the moving and storage industry, you do not need to have a background in this field. Go Mini's® dealers have a diverse range of backgrounds, including dealers who are real estate agents, medical doctors, accountants, retail sales people, insurance brokers, and small business owners. All you need to operate a Go Mini's® dealership is an entrepreneurial spirit, a willingness to learn the business and a desire to be successful. Go Mini's® will supply you with the proper training to help you learn the portable storage and self-move business, including a Operations Manual that details the strategies used by our most successful dealers. We also have annual conferences where you can meet with other dealers and exchange information.
Yes. Both the self-storage and moving and storage industries are an important aspect of our family of dealers. Each type of business brings an interesting and unique take on the mobile storage business environment. We currently have over 40 dealers from the moving and storage industry and over 30 dealers who operate self-storage facilities. Many of these dealers bring a wealth of experience to the Go Mini's® family.
What is meant by an exclusive dealership territory?
Your exclusive dealership territory is the geographic area within which you will be the only Go Mini's® dealership. Customers located within your exclusive dealership territory cannot be serviced or solicited by another Go Mini's® dealer. The only exception to this rule is if you have a customer wishing to move from your exclusive dealership territory into an exclusive dealership territory serviced by another Go Mini's® dealer. In that case, you may complete the move. Ideally, Go Mini's® would prefer each exclusive dealership territory to encompass between 400,000 and 900,000 people. The geographic location of the territory is the key to determining its size. In more densely populated urban and suburban locations the area included in the territory may be restricted to one county. For example, Bergen County, New Jersey has over 900,000 people, but is only 234 square miles. This relatively small geographic area is considered one territory because of the size of the population. In more rural areas throughout the country it may take as many as ten counties to make a territory. In those instances, Go Mini's® chooses a large metropolitan city or strategic location as the starting point. From there a radius covering approximately 40 miles is drawn. To find out if a dealership in your region is available, go to Territories and then Available Territories and choose the state in which you are interested. After you choose the state, a list of all the Go Mini's® territories still available for sale will appear. Territory sales are handled by Dom Annunziata. Dom can be reached directly at 904-343-4349 or at Go Mini's® headquarters at 1-866-GoMinis. Emails can be sent to Dealaerinquiry@gominis.com
Tell me about your mobile storage containers.
The containers are smooth and clean inside and out. The sides will not sweat or rust. The walls will not snag cloth, leather furniture or hanging clothes. They are vented to provide continuous air flow to help prevent mold and mildew. The roof is a one piece translucent fiberglass composite that is UV treated to let in light for easy packing, but also protects the contents from the harmful effects of the sun. The roof is also pitched to allow for water run-off and is rated to hold up to four feet of snow. The floor is made of pressure treated lumber that is sealed and painted. The GO MINI'S container is completely portable with quick-release removable steel caster wheels and sits just 8 inches off the ground for easy loading and unloading. United States Patent: US 7,497,347 B2 Go Mini's® containers are made for easy transportation to our dealers. Fork lift tubes are provided with the 8-foot, 12-foot, and 16-foot containers. These units can be stacked two high when loaded and three high when empty. Although the 20-foot container cannot be stacked for safety precautions, there are wheel wells on top of the container at 16 feet so that a 16-foot container can be stacked on top of it. All containers come with our easy-to-use braking system, and areas for tying down the container to our transport truck. They can also be shipped in an over-the-road trailer, a high cube van, a flat bed truck, or by inter-modal transport. We also have the ability to ship via rail if necessary. An independent container manufacturer who has seen all of our major competitor's containers has said “Go Mini's® is by far the best built container in the industry.”
Tell me about your transport vehicle and its delivery system?
The Go Mini's® transport vehicle is a roll-back truck commonly referred to as a 'auto wrecker,' but with several modifications. Go Mini's® has an exclusive contract with a manufacturer to make the bed of the truck to our exact specifications. The truck chassis can be ordered in almost any make or model. You can choose from Ford, Nissan, Freightliner, International or any other model our truck sales dealer has the ability to acquire. Go Mini's® does not markup the truck's cost in any way and does not profit from the sale. It is Go Mini's® intention to provide high quality, uniform equipment for all our dealers. This is just another way to pass along savings to the dealership owners. Once the truck is delivered to you, you will be ready to deliver and pick-up Go Mini's® containers without any additional apparatus, such as a lift system. Because Go Mini's® storage containers are moved by trucks with a gross vehicle weight of less than 26,000 pounds, most states require the operator to have only a Class D driver’s license. We recommend that you purchase one Go Mini's® transport truck per 100 containers in your inventory.
Can I speak with a GO MINI'S dealer?
We always welcome potential prospects to speak with our dealers and can recommend several dealers or general managers who are willing to talk to potential dealers. Before speaking to our dealers, we ask that you fill out the Prospective Dealer Introductory Information & Non-Disclosure Agreement. We fully understand that researching our industry is part of your due diligence and hope that you understand our need for confidentiality.
Can I visit GO MINI'S for a face-to-face Q and A session?
We encourage all prospective dealers to visit us in Jacksonville, Florida. In most instances, we only need about a week's notice to set up a meeting. During your time in Jacksonville you will have the opportunity to meet with the owner and founder of the company, Bill Norris, and Dealership Sales Director, Dom Annunziata, to ask any questions you may have.
What are GO MINI'S plans for growth?
Go Mini's® has a long term strategic plan for growth that involves three overlapping phases: The first stage is to open dealerships in each of the remaining territories in the continental United States. At our current rate of growth we expect to accomplish this target within the next 24 months. The second stage is to continue territory development in Canada and Mexico. The final stage of the campaign will be to expand the Go Mini's® name to Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, and Australia.
Why should I choose GO MINI'S?
Go Mini's® feels strongly that its business model separates it from the competition. The fact that our dealers are true owner/operators and possess true entrepreneurial spirit may be enough reason to choose Go Mini's®. The most important factor, however, may be that Go Mini's® does not charge you any royalty fees. This can generate a savings of as much as 10% of annual gross sales and profit compared to a franchise with similar gross sales. As a Go Mini's® owner/operator, you will also have total control over many aspects of the business that are restricted in a franchise setting such as pricing, advertising and ordering additional containers. Go Mini's®does not require you to meet sales quotas. As you complete your due diligence and market research, our containers are the best built in the industry, our delivery system is easy to operate, and our contract is less then 15 pages in length. In addition to training and ongoing consultation, Go Mini's®has annual dealer conferences where our dealers are the presenters. On a personal level you will find that our dealers enjoy working with each other in a cooperative, family type atmosphere.
Can I sell my dealership if I desire?
Dealers have the right at any time to sell or transfer the business to another party; however, the Go Mini's® Dealer Agreement gives GO MINI'S, LLC the right of first refusal and the right to approve the new owners in advance of the sale or transfer. The new owners will sign a new contract with Go Mini's®. Some dealers may choose to sell portions of their territory or take on additional partners. With this in mind Go Mini's® has established two outstanding programs that will help the dealer expand his market presence while increasing revenue. These plans are the No Cap Program and the Satellite Dealer Program that involve partnership agreements with a third party. Their details are listed under SATELLITE/NO CAP PROGRAMS in the main menu on our DEALERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES site.
If you think the Go Mini's® program and business opportunity is something that interests you, give Dom a call either at his office, 1-866-GoMinis, or his cell, 904-343-4349, to discuss your plans. Dom can answer any additional questions you may have about dealership opportunities. Our Go Mini's® confidential booklet contains a sample dealership agreement contract and container pricing. Before we can send you this booklet, however, Go Mini's® asks that you fill out a Prospective Dealer Introductory Information & Non-Disclosure Agreement. There is no appication fee.
