Chapter Seven

Preparing to Open

Your Franchise Operations Manual

There are many details that need to be taken care of prior to opening your Half-PricedGranite. As your opening date gets closer, things may get more and more hectic. This chapter contains information you'll need to accomplish in the six weeks or so prior to your Half-PricedGranite opening.

Develop a system to keep track of what has been done and what still needs to be done. To assist you in this, we've included an Accomplishment Chart at the end of this chapter that encompasses all the items you need to take care of before your Half-PricedGranite opens.

WHEN CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETED

CITY INSPECTIONS

According to requirements, contact the various city departments for final inspections and approvals once all work has been completed. At the same time find out the specific inspection schedules required locally. Give at least 24 hours notice to make an appointment for these inspections. Before arranging for final inspections, be sure the following has been done:

Health Department

Make sure all requirements have been met. Make sure the Half-PricedGranite has been thoroughly cleaned and equipment is in place and operational.

Building Department

  • Make sure final inspections have been obtained for your electrical and plumbing work. Your contractor will probably have to arrange for these inspections.
  • Make sure all construction has been completed according to The Company’s requirements and specifications.
  • Make sure all debris and leftover materials are removed from the Half-PricedGranite.

You will obtain your Certificate of Occupancy fromthe Building Department. It is necessary to have this certificate in order to obtain your Half-PricedGranite license.

FIELD INSPECTION

The Company will send a representative to do a final inspection to be sure your Half-PricedGranite is ready to open. You must have our approval before the Half-PricedGranite can open. The Company will insure that:

  1. All construction is complete.
  2. Decor, equipment, signage, and floors are in compliance according to local codes and the Company's specifications and plans.
  3. All equipment has been received, properly installed, and is in good working order.
  4. The Half-PricedGranite is clean and ready for customers.

We will take a series of photographs of your Half-PricedGranite for your file at the Company.

ARRANGING FOR SUPPLIERS

Arrange for your supplies through your local approved off-site facility before you are ready to open. Find out from the Company who the established suppliers are in your area.

The Company will supply you with a telephone number and contact person responsible for Half-PricedGranite suppliers. Call and arrange a meeting to plan out your opening order and establish payment procedures.

PLACING PRODUCT ORDERS

You are required to sell certain types of services and productin your store. These items are detailed in Chapter 9 - "Services & Products Offered for Sale & Purchasing." These are to be purchased directly from the Company.

COMPANY TRAINING

Please contact the Company for further assistance regarding your initial franchise training.

PROMOTING PRIOR TO OPENING

Once your lease has been signed, there are a few things you may chose do while your Half-PricedGranite is under construction.

  1. Soap up your windows: Leave one clear area where you will post "Opening Soon" and "Now Accepting Applications" signs. If you are located on a corner with a window on each side, put a second "Opening Soon" and "Now Hiring" signs. The soaped windows encourage customers to focus on the signs and not on the construction inside the Half-PricedGranite.
  1. Review any material and information that has been provided to you by the Company. If you'll be ordering additional materials, place your orders early so they arrive in time for opening. Keep your materials in a safe place for future use.
  1. Print flyers:

A map showing the locale of your Half-PricedGranite

Your hours of operation

 Your address along with a directional reference

 Your telephone number and fax number

Begin to distribute flyers three weeks before opening.

  1. If your Half-PricedGranite is placed in a market with other Half-PricedGranite an Ad Rep/Chairperson may have been elected by the Half-PricedGranite owners in your area as the person responsible for placing the market’s advertising and spending the market’s funds on behalf of the franchisees who have paid their advertising fees. Call the Company to see if there is an Ad Rep/Chairperson in your area. If not, contact us and we will assist you in other pre-opening advertising and promotions.
  1. Begin public relations. Listed below are two opportunities for announcements.

AtPre-Construction or Initial Construction Stage

Objective: Let people know a Half-PricedGraniteis coming to their location.

Strategy: Have a quality black and white photo taken of either the ground being broken or the initial construction. Submit it to your local newspaper(s) with a caption that captures your Half-PricedGranitestore. For example:

COMING SOON...Half-PricedGranite offers [list product/services]. Half-PricedGranite is bringing their [products/services] to [name of town]. Owner [owner's name] is seen breaking ground/overseeing construction at [address], next to/across from [landmark]. [Name of owner] expects the store will be completed by [date], and says he/she looks forward to bringing Half-Priced Granite to your area.

Construction Stage, Signage is Being Placed

Objective: Let people know a new Half-PricedGranite will soon be open for business.

Strategy: Have a quality black and white photo taken of the sign being put up. Submit it to your local newspaper(s) with a caption that again captures your Half-PricedGranitestore, for example:

Construction of the new Half-PricedGranitestore in [name of town] is near completion. The store, located at [address], next to/across from [landmark] is part of a growing chain of open stores. The store offers a variety of [product/services] in the Half-PricedGranite.

For more information regarding public relations, refer to chapter 15 – “Promoting & Marketing”.

YOUR PRE-OPENING PARTY

Five weeks before your anticipated open date, begin to plan your pre-opening party. Begin by setting a date. It should be the day or evening prior to your opening. At the time the date is set, notify your printer that you will need invitations, but do not have them printed yet. This is in case there is a delay in opening. Discuss with your printer the last possible date you can notify him to print, so the invitations will be ready to mail two weeks prior to the party.

Two weeks prior to the party, mail out your invitations. Invite community leaders, local businesspersons, chamber of commerce, professional people, family, your employees' families, and the local media. Occasionally, invitations to the local media will result in free publicity in the newspaper, on the radio, or on the local TV station.

Limit your pre-opening party to one or two hours. You should act as host/hostess and your employees can serve food and drinks to those attending. It's a good idea to have a cake made with "Good Luck Half-PricedGranite" written on it and a ribbon cutting ceremony is always a nice touch.

During the pre-opening party, it's important you talk about the Half-PricedGraniteproduct and the Half-PricedGranitechain. Express your excitement about becoming a member of the business community. You'll want these people to go out and tell others about your Half-PricedGranite, so put your best foot forward and make a good impression!

OPENING-DAY INVENTORY

Contact the Company at least 2 months before opening for assistance in determining your Opening-Day Inventory. This is very important because of the number of items you will need on opening day. Also consult with the Company for your specific inventory needs. Contact the company for further information.

PRE-OPENING TASK SPREADSHEET

Use this spreadsheet to keep track of those tasks you've completed. In the first column, fill in the date the task was completed or "NA" if the task is not applicable. The number in parentheses after each task is the chapter of this Manual where you can find further information regarding that topic. See Exhibit 2 for Pre-Opening Task Spreadsheet.

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