ITEMI
THE FRANCHISOR AND ANY PARENTS, PREDECESSORS, AND
AFFILIATES The Franchisor
The franchisor is Assisting
Hands� Home Care, LLC. For ease of reference in this Disclosure Document,
Assisting Hands Home Care, LLC will be referred to as "Assisting
Hands�," "we," or "us." "You" means the
person or legal business entity (including a corporation, partnership, limited
liability company, or other entity (each, individually, a "legal
entity")) that is buying the franchise. If you are a legal entity, each of
your Principal owners and their spouses must sign the Owner''s Guaranty and
Assumption of Obligations under which all provisions of the "Franchise
Agreement" (Exhibit B) or "Regional Developer Agreement"
(Exhibit C), as applicable, also will apply to your owners. (See Item 15)
We are a limited liability
company organized in Arizona. Our principal business address is 3521 E. Brown Road, Suite 103, Mesa, AZ 85203. We operate under our corporate name, Assisting
Hands Home Care, LLC, the name "Assisting Hands�," and no other name.
If we have an agent in your state for service of process, we disclose that
agent in Exhibit A.
We offer and sell the
Assisting Hands� franchises described in this Disclosure Document, and have not
conducted any other type of business. We have not operated, nor do we currently
operate, any franchises like those described in this Disclosure Document, or in
any other line of business.
Parents, Predecessors and
Affiliates
We have no parent companies,
predecessors or affiliates, whether offering franchises in any line of
business, providing products or services to our franchisees, or otherwise,
required to be disclosed in this Item.
The Business
Assisting Hands� businesses
(individually, a "Business," and collectively,
"Businesses") provide "Quality Homecare You Can Trust�" to
individual clients. At a scheduled session date and time, Assisting Hands� home
care professionals assist clients with in-home support services, such as
picking up a client from an appointment, running errands for the client,
providing custodial care services (such as assistance with toileting, bathing,
dressing, cooking, eating, transferring) to the client, or doing other
non-medically-related tasks. Assisting Hands� Businesses thus facilitate the
maintenance of quality of life for those in need of non-medical assistance, all
from a professional, caring, and capable organization. Assisting Hands�
Businesses also offer to both clients and the general public certain lifestyle
equipment, disability aids, caregiving products and apparel, and other items
designed to improve clients'' lifestyles.
We currently offer two
different types of franchises: (1) Business franchises, and (2) Regional
Developer franchises. We have offered these franchises since June 2006.
Business Franchises, We franchise the right to
operate a single Business in a designated geographic area (the "Protected
Territory") under the "Assisting Hands�" name and other
authorized names and marks (the "Marks"), using a system of
distinctive operating procedures, methods, and standards that we have developed
(the "System"). You will sign our standard franchise agreement
attached as Exhibit B (the "Franchise Agreement") when you purchase
your Business franchise.
Regional Developer Franchises.
We also
offer franchises for regional marketing opportunities granting you the right,
in a specific geographic area (the "Regional Territory"), to (i)
solicit, recruit, screen, and interview prospective Assisting Hands� Business
franchisees for us (the "Sales Services"); (ii) provide certain
training and assistance to training, and supporting Assisting Hands� Businesses
in your Regional Territory (the "Support Services"); and (iii)
establish and operate at least one Business in your Regional Territory (the
"Pilot Business"). Using the Regional Developer Agreement attached as
Exhibit C, you and we will mutually agree on the number of Assisting Hands�
Businesses that must be purchased and operated in your Regional Territory during specific time periods. While you will offer franchises to prospective Business
franchisees, both the final decision of whether to grant a franchise, and the
actual grant of a franchise, will be made solely by us. As compensation for
your services under the Regional Developer Agreement, you will receive a
percentage of the Initial and Continuing Franchise Fees paid by the Business
franchisees in your Regional Territory. (See Item 11)
The Market and Competition
Your Assisting Hands�
franchise must be located at a site we approve and operate at that site
according to our standards, specifications, operating procedures, and rules
(the "System Standards"). Assisting Hands� Businesses must offer all
products and services that we may specify, and may not offer any products or
services that we have not authorized.
Your Business (or Pilot Business,
if you are a Regional Developer) will compete with other businesses offering
in-home, non-medical personal assistance. These competitors may include home
care workers, personal assistants, and other similar businesses and franchises.
The in-home care sector is competitive in most markets. Despite this
competition, we believe that Assisting Hands� Businesses will appeal to
customers because of the variety of services offered, the pricing model, unique
brand awareness, expert and family-friendly service, and other distinctive
characteristics. While you will offer your products and services to the general
public, your target market will be lower-middle to upper-middle class
households containing clients in their late 40''s to late 90''s in age. Assisting
Hands� Businesses are typically located in a professional office environment,
which may include office buildings, business parks, and other commercial real
estate locations.
Your Regional Developer
franchise will compete with other similar franchises, business brokers,
personal consultants, and businesses offering in-home care franchises,
businesses, and business opportunities. You will market the Business franchise
opportunities available in your Regional Territory to home care specialists,
personal assistants, business entrepreneurs, and other qualified candidates.
Industry-Specific
Regulations
Many states and local
jurisdictions have enacted laws, rules, regulations and ordinances that may
apply to the operation of your Assisting Hands� franchise. For example, state
licensing and certification requirements may apply to persons who perform
services for you or at the location of your Business. In all cases, you must
also comply with laws that apply generally to all businesses. You should
investigate these laws, and consult with a legal advisor about whether these
and/or other requirements apply to your franchise.
If you are a Regional
Developer, then the Federal Trade Commission''s Rule on . Franchising and
Business Opportunity Ventures requires you to prepare and deliver certain
disclosure documents in a prescribed form to prospective Business franchisees
before any prospect purchases an Assisting Hands� Business in your Regional
Territory. Depending on your state, there may also be regulations requiring you
to register your disclosure documents with, and/or register with or obtain a
license from, a particular state agency or authority to operate as a franchise
broker or solicit prospective franchisees. Moreover, some state franchise or
business opportunity laws may govern your dealings with the Assisting Hands�
Business franchisees in your Regional Territory. You should investigate whether
other regulations and requirements apply in the area in which you are interested
in locating your Regional Developer franchise, and should consider both their
aggregated effect and cost of compliance.
