Turning Veterans Into Entrepreneurs: Budget Blinds Million Dollar Franchise Event

$35,000 Veteran Discount on Initial Territory Fee

The HFC (Home Franchise Concepts) Million Dollar Franchise Event grants a discount off the purchase price of a Budget Blinds franchise system with a goal of granting 30 or more franchise territories to qualified veterans to reach a million dollars in total discounts. This is our way of giving back to veterans to help them take the next step into owning their own business and building a financial future. See full BLOG        Event Landing Page 

National Window Covering Safety Month

Click to view Window Covering Safety Council Video

PRWeB: October is National Window Cord Safety Month and Budget Blinds Offers Great Tips on How to Child-Proof Your Home. "There are new national standards in place that significantly increase the safety requirements for window coverings in a home," said Derrick Marsh, Board of Trustees member of the Window Covering Manufacturers Association.  "It's great to see companies like Budget Blinds taking the initiative towards ensuring that they have the knowledge and product selection that will comply with all new safety standards."

Earning Potential of a Franchise: The Importance of Item 19

The Lofty and Powerful Item 19

Not every franchise organization can tell you what you can earn. Sounds rather strange doesn't it! The reason is quite simple. There are laws to protect you as an investor in a franchise. Read this insightful article on the advantages and how to interpret Item 19 in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) from www.indyfranchiselaw.com:  Item #19 is also a time-saver, to be honest. Without this material, it might take prospective franchisees months to determine if a franchise is a good financial fit for you. Many franchises are capitalizing on this detail by providing high-quality earnings reports from the beginning to help you make a quicker decision. 

Top Home Based Franchises in Canada: Budget Blinds Reaches 101

Growth Opportunities in New Brunswick - Ontario - Quebec - Prince Edward Island - British Columbia

Full Article by Shawna Little: After twenty years in business, Budget Blinds has 775 franchises in the US and 101 franchises in Canada. With impressive numbers like these, they are able to boast they are the top window covering franchise in both the U.S. and Canada. But don't fret; territories remain available in many parts of the country.

Franchise Financing: How To Get Financing

Franchise Financing is Available

A lot of people looking to buy a franchise become discouraged when they see the price tag. Don't overlook the opportunities of two important factors: financing provided by the franchisor and financing provided by the franchisee selling their business.  Nearly 11,000 new franchise units opened their doors last year, the first gains the sector has seen since 2008. There are creative solutions out there so don't be shy, ask!

Best Home Based Franchises - Top 500 in 2013

Budget Blinds in the Top 500

Looking for one of the best home based franchises around? Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 ranks Budget Blinds in the top! Founded in 1992 by five young entrepreneurs, Budget Blinds allows customers to shop at home for high quality custom window coverings while offering free in-home consultations,meticulous measurements, and professional installation.  Read more for start up costs, rankings, and support.

Property Brothers Casting in Atlanta

Property Brothers Keynote Speakers at Budget Blinds Convention

This past January 2013, Budget Blinds was proud to have Drew and Jonathan Scott as keynote speakers at their convention.  The Property Brothers were quite impressed with the gathering of over 1,000 Budget Blinds franchisees in attendance.  Since then the Property Brothers chose Budget Blinds to do all the window coverings in their Reno home.

Property Brothers Home in Reno with 2" Faux Blinds by Budget Blinds

Currently, the Property Brothers are casting in Atlanta for their show! If you are looking for the perfect house but find they're beyond your price point and have resigned to buying a fixer upper you might be right for the show! 

Contagious: How Things Catch On

Jonah Berger Author

One of my all time faves! In a nutshell: People share what makes them look good! Jonah Berger, an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, is intent on giving readers advice about how to create viral products.  “Contagious” is at its most engaging when Mr. Berger is looking at specific case studies. He writes that Steve Jobs debated whether the Apple logo on the cover of an open laptop should be right-side up for the user of the computer or right-side up to onlookers, and eventually decided that “observability” to the world was more important and “flipped the logo.” He notes that distinctiveness makes for products that advertise themselves — whether it’s clothing logos (like Nike’s swoosh, Lacoste’s crocodile or Ralph Lauren’s polo player); the distinctive tubular Pringles can; or Christian Louboutin’s nail-polish-bright, red-soled shoes. Also see USA Today interview with Jonah.

Buy "Hot" Franchises Without Getting Burned

Buy Hot Franchises Without Getting Burned

People look to buy a franchise business often want to know:

• What's the franchise business failure rate?
• What's the success rate?
• How many franchisees are satisfied with their franchisors?
• How many franchisees are earning at least $150,000 a year?
• How many franchisees, if given the chance, would choose to buy their same franchise again?

It's a quick and easy read (70 pages). Easy to assimilate and apply.  No one should buy a franchise before reading this book!  Dr. Hayes presents the fundamentals of franchising in Cliffs Notes version with all the right questions to ask when doing your due diligence.  Hayes includes a 'Checklist' of questions to ask the franchisor.  This alone is worth its weight in gold.  I enjoyed the process of how to validate the franchise business by interviewing franchisees and vendors.  You can't imagine how helpful this can be! Available on Amazon.

NBC: George To The Rescue Partners with Budget Blinds

Budget Blinds & Tailored Living partners with NBC's George To The Rescue to help renovate the Boys & Girls Club of Newark. Airs Saturday, April 27th. Check local listings for show times. NBC video highlights

David Powell of Budget Blinds and Mayor Cory Booker
 of Newark NJ

  

Budget Blinds installed motorized graphic shades featuring inspirational quotes. The graphic shades were made possible through a generous donation from Budget Blinds' shade manufacturing partner Draper, Inc. and the installation work was done by David Powell, Budget Blinds of Westfield, NJ.  In addition, Tailored Living (Budget Blinds' sister company) provided organizational systems including an entertainment center and storage areas for books and computers, and installed a coat of durable, slip resistant flooring. Many thanks to the Tailored Living franchisees Jay Feingold and Charlie Dennis for all their hard work. See our blog

Budget Blinds: CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising

The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) recently announced that Budget Blinds was one of  12 finalists for the 2013 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising.  The award recognizes excellence in franchise operations. Winning systems must demonstrate a dedication to superior franchise relations, team work, and communications.Media Release

National Decorating Month - April 2013

April is National Decorating Month. And to help kick off this wonderful time of year you MUST enter the Budget Blinds $5,000 Window Makeover Contest! Can you think of your most epic decorating fail? It could be a DIY project or you simply chose the wrong sofa! Whatever it is share your story with us and you might win a $5,000 Window Makeover! 

Budget Blinds New Franchise Class April 1st

Excited and fresh! What a wonderful group of new franchisees! They herald from all parts of the U.S. and Canada! California, Oregon, Indian, Alabama, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maryland, Ohio, and Ontario (Canada). They're backgrounds range from software programmers, construction contractors, teachers, and more! They will make a great addition to our Budget Blinds family of design consultants! For more franchise info

April 2013 Franchise training class

NBC's 'George To The Rescue' Partners with Budget Blinds & Tailored Living to Help a Community

Boys and Girls Club big reveal with Mayor Cory Booker

Behind the scenes of the hit show George To The Rescue. Budget Blinds and sister company, Tailored Living, recently partnered with NBC's popular home improvement show George to the Rescue to help the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, NJ. The show airs on NBC 4, Saturday, April 27th at 10 a.m. EST. Read our blog here

Behind the scenes with Tailored Living on the set

Behind the scenes with Budget Blinds

Budget Blinds installed motorized graphic shades featuring inspirational quotes. The graphic shades were made possible through a generous donation from Budget Blinds' shade manufacturing partner Draper, Inc. and installed by Budget Blinds of Westfield, NJ franchisee David Powell.  

The Inspired Drapes Lookbook from Budget Blinds

Window fashions are forever evolving and with draperies trending back into the design world Budget Blinds has introduced The Inspired Drapes Lookbook. You can view all 36 pages of inspiration and selection online at http://docs.budgetblinds.com/IDLookbook/#/1/  Besides beautiful photos of custom draperies The Lookbook contains a wide variety of sketches to help you choose your favorite valances, cornices, roman shades, and more. The new Inspired Drapes line also offers pre-made drapery panels that can be installed quickly with Budget Blinds convenient Quick Ship Program.

Budget Blinds Commerical Solutions Giving Back

Giving Back: Budget Blinds Commercial Solutions worked closely with their manufacturer, Draper, and franchisee Josephine Brathwaite [Budget Blinds of Yonkers], to complete a charity project for Parkside Community Center in New York. The event was sponsored by Aaron's Furniture and also included contributions from Shaw Carpets, Sherwin-Williams and Steelcase.

Budget Blinds and Designing Spaces Working with the Non-Profit 'Rebuilding Together' Organization

     It's a sad story with a happy ending in the making, for Joy Stewart and her grandchildren. One day in  December, a Broward County Sheriff's Office deputy found Joy Stewart living in a home with no heat, running water, electricity or food with her four grandchildren. Their drug addicted mother had abandoned them in New York.
     Detective Sokol and Deputy Ragauskas put out a cry for help and the word spread quickly. Food, clothes, and toys were donated. Money was collected to turn utilities back on. Huge national chains such as Wal-Mart and Brand Smart donated things like a water heater and a refrigerator.
     Then the local branch of the national non-profit Rebuilding Together stepped in and with them they brought the producers of the hit home improvement show Designing Spaces, airing on Lifetime.  After taking one look at the state of Stewart's family dwelling the Dream Team at Designing Spaces decided to tackle the single largest makeover to date.
     With the help of sponsors like Budget Blinds, the teams worked for 2 weeks and ended up with amazing reslults! The program will air on April 5, 2013.
Full article: http://news.cision.com/designing-spaces/r/designing-spaces-of-hope-project-in-the-huffington-post,c9374187

Watch video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/homeless-grandmother-joy_n_2693127.html

Big Bus for Budget Blinds of Red Deer, AB, Canada

Budget Blinds Advertises on Metro Bus in Alberta

"Go Big or Go Home" is a popular saying. Budget Blinds of Red Deer owner, Clint Dawson, does it BIG! This will officially be the company's first bus wrap advertisement. The city bus will hit the streets March 4th and will surely open a few eye balls! Budget Blinds provides a complete shop-at-home experience by bringing all the samples in utility vans. With this kind of BIG advertising Clint may need to switch up to a fleet of buses for all the new business he's going to generate!

New Budget Blinds Franchisees of 2013 Measure Up! http://askmrfranchise.blogspot.com/

New Franchisees Using Tape Measure

Budget Blinds started 2013 off with a bang! 38 new franchise owners completed their intense 2 week training at the Budget Blinds corporate offices in Orange, California.  They are an amazing group of talented professionals spanning from all across North America including Florida, Nebraska, Texas, New York, Washington, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Alberta & Ontario Canada! From the looks of their enthusiasm they will make the Budget Blinds experience memorable for their customers!  [sign up for future blog posts]

Property Brothers At Budget Blinds 2013 Convention

Property Brother Keynote Speakers at Convention

     The Property Brothers were a brilliant addition to our 2013 Las Vegas Convention this year! On their television show, the Property Brothers are determined to help couples find, buy, and transform extreme fixer-uppers into the ultimate dream home, and since it's hard to see beyond a dated property's shortcomings, they're using state-of-the-art CGI to reveal their vision of the future. Can they convince these hesitant home buyers to take a radical risk? And can they complete their ambitious project on time and on budget?

     Budget Blinds selected the Property Brothers as keynote speakers for their shared philosophies and enthusiasm for customer service and quality products.  They were a hit with our franchisees, of which nearly 1,000 were in attendance! Property Brothers HGTV