For a home services business, making a sale is only part of the equation. Owners also have to think about what happens between the moment a customer says yes and the moment the final payment arrives.
If a contractor has to spend thousands of dollars on materials before collecting money from the customer, growth can quickly create a cash-flow challenge. The more jobs the business sells, the more capital the owner may need to put forward to fulfill those projects.
Screenmobile’s model is designed differently.
For many of the brand’s larger projects, franchisees collect a deposit from the customer before ordering the products needed to complete the job. That sequence may sound like a small operational detail, but Josh Minturn, vice president of franchise development for Authority Brands, the home services franchise organization behind Screenmobile, says it is a fundamental part of what makes the business particularly attractive.
“When you go to a client and sell products, you’re getting a deposit first, then ordering the products, then installing,” Minturn said. “So it’s a very secure business. Even if there’s a week or two delay getting a large awning or a motorized screen, it’s locked in. That makes the business consistent and extremely predictable.”
As Screenmobile continues expanding beyond traditional window and door screens into motorized screens, awnings, porches, patios, enclosures and other larger outdoor living projects, that deposit-first structure can become increasingly important.
Imagine a franchisee sells several large projects involving motorized screens or awnings in the same week. Without deposits, the owner could potentially have to purchase materials for every project using the business’s existing cash or credit before receiving payment from those customers.
That creates a mismatch: sales are increasing, but so is the amount of capital tied up in unfinished work.
Collecting a deposit before ordering products can help reduce that exposure.
Instead of carrying the entire material cost while waiting for installation and final payment, the franchisee has customer funds committed to the project before the custom product is ordered. For an owner managing multiple projects simultaneously, that can help make cash flow easier to plan and reduce the amount of working capital tied up in jobs that have not yet been completed.
“What I love about this business, and about Screenmobile as a brand, is that you can run it with very little overhead out of the gate,” Minturn said. “Your startup is a truck, a trailer and a laptop, and you’re off and running. There’s minimal inventory to start.”
Because Screenmobile operates as a mobile business without the need for a traditional storefront or warehouse, franchisees can avoid some of the fixed costs associated with other franchise models. The ability to order many products in response to actual customer jobs extends that philosophy into inventory management: rather than tying up significant amounts of money in products that may or may not sell, owners can more closely connect purchasing with customer demand.
That financial structure becomes even more relevant as Screenmobile’s product mix evolves.
For decades, consumers primarily knew Screenmobile for window and door screening. Those services remain at the foundation of the brand, but Screenmobile has increasingly expanded into larger projects such as motorized roll-down screens, awnings, porches, patios, enclosures and three-season rooms.
“We want to help our franchisees grow by expanding their vision on the products they’re selling and going after bigger-ticket items,” Minturn said.
Larger projects can create meaningful growth opportunities, but they can also require more expensive products and materials. A deposit-first process can help franchisees pursue those opportunities without assuming the entire upfront material burden themselves.
It is particularly useful for custom products. A motorized screen or awning may need to be manufactured specifically for a particular home, opening or application. Once the customer approves the project and provides the required deposit, the franchisee can place the order knowing the customer has already committed to the purchase.
That creates a clearer operational pipeline: sell the project, collect the deposit, order the product, schedule installation and collect the remaining balance according to the applicable customer agreement.
Screenmobile’s deposit-first approach is ultimately one component of a larger business model designed around scalability.
The brand operates in a fragmented category where franchisees can differentiate themselves through professional branding, wrapped vehicles, established systems and customer service. Screenmobile also lets owners start hands-on and expand into additional crews and territories over time.
“For me, it’s all about growing the asset,” Minturn said. “I get to work, earn money for my family and create jobs for employees so they can build their lives. At the end of the day, the business is an asset, like a house or a stock, that has value and can be sold.”
Creating that kind of asset requires more than simply selling as many jobs as possible. It requires systems that let the business handle increasing volume without adding unnecessary financial pressure.
That is why something as straightforward as collecting a deposit before ordering a custom product matters. It can help protect working capital, connect purchasing more closely to actual demand and give franchisees greater visibility into upcoming work.
For Screenmobile franchisees selling everything from traditional screens to increasingly sophisticated outdoor living projects, that structure can help make growth more manageable and predictable.
For more information about franchising with Screenmobile, visit https://1851franchise.com/screenmobile/.
Screenmobile
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By collecting customer deposits before ordering materials, Screenmobile owners reduce upfront exposure, protect cash flow and pursue larger-ticket projects with greater predictability.
For a home services business, making a sale is only part of the equation. Owners also have to think about what happens between the moment a customer says yes and the moment the final payment arrives.
If a contractor has to spend thousands of dollars on materials before collecting money from the customer, growth can quickly create a cash-flow challenge. The more jobs the business sells, the more capital the owner may need to put forward to fulfill those projects.
Screenmobile’s model is designed differently.
For many of the brand’s larger projects, franchisees collect a deposit from the customer before ordering the products needed to complete the job. That sequence may sound like a small operational detail, but Josh Minturn, vice president of franchise development for Authority Brands, the home services franchise organization behind Screenmobile, says it is a fundamental part of what makes the business particularly attractive.
“When you go to a client and sell products, you’re getting a deposit first, then ordering the products, then installing,” Minturn said. “So it’s a very secure business. Even if there’s a week or two delay getting a large awning or a motorized screen, it’s locked in. That makes the business consistent and extremely predictable.”
As Screenmobile continues expanding beyond traditional window and door screens into motorized screens, awnings, porches, patios, enclosures and other larger outdoor living projects, that deposit-first structure can become increasingly important.
Imagine a franchisee sells several large projects involving motorized screens or awnings in the same week. Without deposits, the owner could potentially have to purchase materials for every project using the business’s existing cash or credit before receiving payment from those customers.
That creates a mismatch: sales are increasing, but so is the amount of capital tied up in unfinished work.
Collecting a deposit before ordering products can help reduce that exposure.
Instead of carrying the entire material cost while waiting for installation and final payment, the franchisee has customer funds committed to the project before the custom product is ordered. For an owner managing multiple projects simultaneously, that can help make cash flow easier to plan and reduce the amount of working capital tied up in jobs that have not yet been completed.
“What I love about this business, and about Screenmobile as a brand, is that you can run it with very little overhead out of the gate,” Minturn said. “Your startup is a truck, a trailer and a laptop, and you’re off and running. There’s minimal inventory to start.”
Because Screenmobile operates as a mobile business without the need for a traditional storefront or warehouse, franchisees can avoid some of the fixed costs associated with other franchise models. The ability to order many products in response to actual customer jobs extends that philosophy into inventory management: rather than tying up significant amounts of money in products that may or may not sell, owners can more closely connect purchasing with customer demand.
That financial structure becomes even more relevant as Screenmobile’s product mix evolves.
For decades, consumers primarily knew Screenmobile for window and door screening. Those services remain at the foundation of the brand, but Screenmobile has increasingly expanded into larger projects such as motorized roll-down screens, awnings, porches, patios, enclosures and three-season rooms.
“We want to help our franchisees grow by expanding their vision on the products they’re selling and going after bigger-ticket items,” Minturn said.
Larger projects can create meaningful growth opportunities, but they can also require more expensive products and materials. A deposit-first process can help franchisees pursue those opportunities without assuming the entire upfront material burden themselves.
It is particularly useful for custom products. A motorized screen or awning may need to be manufactured specifically for a particular home, opening or application. Once the customer approves the project and provides the required deposit, the franchisee can place the order knowing the customer has already committed to the purchase.
That creates a clearer operational pipeline: sell the project, collect the deposit, order the product, schedule installation and collect the remaining balance according to the applicable customer agreement.
Screenmobile’s deposit-first approach is ultimately one component of a larger business model designed around scalability.
The brand operates in a fragmented category where franchisees can differentiate themselves through professional branding, wrapped vehicles, established systems and customer service. Screenmobile also lets owners start hands-on and expand into additional crews and territories over time.
“For me, it’s all about growing the asset,” Minturn said. “I get to work, earn money for my family and create jobs for employees so they can build their lives. At the end of the day, the business is an asset, like a house or a stock, that has value and can be sold.”
Creating that kind of asset requires more than simply selling as many jobs as possible. It requires systems that let the business handle increasing volume without adding unnecessary financial pressure.
That is why something as straightforward as collecting a deposit before ordering a custom product matters. It can help protect working capital, connect purchasing more closely to actual demand and give franchisees greater visibility into upcoming work.
For Screenmobile franchisees selling everything from traditional screens to increasingly sophisticated outdoor living projects, that structure can help make growth more manageable and predictable.
For more information about franchising with Screenmobile, visit https://1851franchise.com/screenmobile/.
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