Sure Step - Franchise Q & A

SURE STEP safety floor and tub treatment creates a sophisticated tread design into the surface of hard mineral floors and bathtubs making them safer WET then the same surface DRY if untreated.  The below interview is with their Director of Marketing, Glen Stroud.  Glen answers all your questions about how they began and the opportunity to operate your own Sure Step.

How was your opportunity originally conceived and started?

The president of our company, Franklyn Sigurdur, invented and developed the Sure Step Non-Slip chemical, and found it to be so successful in our home Province of Manitoba. He decided to go national with product, and a Distributorship program was set up where individuals could operate their own successful business. The need for this product became apparent due to the fact that 55 people die on an average each day from "slip and fall" accidents, the second leading cause of accidental deaths next to car accidents.

What was your original vision for your company? How has that changed over time?

Our vision was, and still is, to make every floor and bathtub safe for people in an effort to try and eliminate slip and fall accidents around the world. The success has been overwhelming in establishing Sure Step in 96 countries worldwide.

What do you believe is the single most important factor when choosing a business? 

Choosing a company with a proven track record.

Why should someone choose your opportunity over other similar franchises?

Our opportunity is not a franchise, it is a distributorship which means there are no royalties, franchise fees or ongoing commissions. But most importantly, each Distributor has the freedom to work as hard, or as little, as they like. This is a totally home-based business with next to "0" overhead.

What makes your industry attractive?

The market is virtually endless.  Every floor and every bathtub in every building and every household  around the world becomes a potential customer for us. The profits are enormous and the market is endless.

What types of qualities do you look for in potential distributors?

We look for individuals that are honest and hard working.  It does not matter if they have ever been in their own business before, as we train each and every Distributor for three full days right in their home town to be as successful as they desire.

What do your fees cover? 

Our Distributorship Fee covers full training and support, and we provide enough initial inventory to see a return on investment between three and four times over their initial investment cost. 

How do territories work for your distributors? 

We protect and limit the number of Distributors we put in any given area based on a formula which includes population.

Why has your business model been successful? 

Because we do not re-invent the wheel.  Our program is successful because we have a solution to a very serious problem, and the problem is people slipping and falling on floors and bathtubs. We can eliminate that.

Where do you see your business in 5 years and 10 years? 

We are in 96 countries around the world.  We hope to see our Sure Step product in every country around the world in 5 - 10 years.

What is your favorite advice for new distributors to help them succeed?

Make the calls.  Plain and simple.  Our product is so well received by everyone we approach, so making the calls and presenting the product is the easiest way to succeed.

What would you tell potential franchisees that may be nervous about the financial burdens of starting a distributorship?

Like any business, there are no guarantees.  However, with our program it is very easy to succeed, making the investment that much easier to handle.

Can you explain your financial assistance?

We do help individuals get the financing if they require it.  Our main thought is that if you don't have enough money to invest in our business, then maybe just wait until you are in a better position financially before you start any business, let alone ours.  We do not want to see people investing their very last dime in order to get started.  Our investment is usually within reach for most people that are looking to start their own business. We will offer a reputable 3^rd Party funding group.

On average, how long does it take to start a new distributorship from the distributor's point of view? 

What is so great about our Distributorship program is that our Distributors can start making money from the very first day they are trained.  We send a qualified trainer to each and every location where a new Distributor starts, and we take them out to show how well-received our Sure Step product is. Many times the new Distributor starts making money from day one.