CMIT SOLUTIONS - FDD UFOC ITEM 1 Detail
Item 1. THE FRANCHISOR, AND ANY PARENTS, PREDECESSORS
AND AFFILIATES
To simplify the language in this Offering Circular,
"CMIT" and "we" mean CMIT Solutions, Inc., the Franchisor.
"You" means the Franchisee: the person(s), partnership, Limited
Liability Company, corporation, or other legal entity that buys the Franchise
and includes your partners, shareholders, associates, spouse, officers,
directors, and other employees in the same organization.
We incorporated under the laws
of the State of Texas in October 1996 with the na
me "computer moms
international corporation", and in January 2004 changed our name to CMIT
Solutions, Inc. We maintain our principal place of business at 1701 Directors Boulevard, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78744, and our telephone number is (512)
692-3710.
Since March 1998, we have
offered franchises to establish and operate computer support businesses. From
1998 to January 2004 our franchisees operated under the primary trademark "computer moms?". As of January 2004 our new
franchisees began operating under the primary trademark "CMIT
Solutions". Although we do not own or operate any franchised offices, we
have the right to do so.
We do not have a parent,
predecessor or an affiliate. However, our Founder, Georgia Jones has sold and
assigned the System and Marks (as these terms are defined below) to us. See
Item 13 for a description of the assignment.
The CMIT Solutions Franchise program includes the
common use and promotion of the trademark "CMIT Solutions''" and other marks we specify for
use with the CMIT Solutions franchised business (the "Marks");
standards, specifications and procedures for the offering of our specialized IT
Professional and Managed Services (Managed services is the practice of
transferring day-to-day information technology management responsibility to an
outside provider as a strategic method for improved effective and efficient
operations) franchises; distinctive and uniform standards; quality and
uniformity of services and products offered; procedures for financial control;
training and assistance; and advertising and promotional programs.
You may operate your CMIT Solutions Franchise from an office in
your home. However, at your option you may lease office space outside of your
home. If you sign an Area Development Agreement or a Multi-Unit Agreement for
the development of more than one franchised business we recommend that you
establish a suitable leased office outside of your home, although it is
entirely your option to do so. We have no obligation to help you locate this
space or help you in negotiating the lease. We have no requirements with regard
to type of space, square footage, or office layout.
In granting you a franchise to operate a CMIT Solutions
franchised business, we retain all rights not expressly granted to you; and we
expressly retain ownership of all customers and customer data generated in your
business operations.
We offer an Area Development
Agreement ("ADA"), which grants the right to develop multiple CMIT Solutions
businesses and serve as our area representative providing services to
franchisees in a specified territory. As an Area Developer you may not sell or
negotiate the sale of franchises on our behalf; we will do that ourselves
directly. If you sign an ADA you will assist in recruiting and qualifying
prospective franchisees, as well as providing support services, regular
meetings and guidance to franchisees in your development territory. This ADA
provides exclusive rights to a defined territory for a period of time (usually
10 years, with a right of renewal for an additional term of the same length)
while the Developer undertakes to establish an agreed upon number of CMIT
Solutions businesses in the territory, adhering to a development schedule. The
Developer pays a lump sum of money at the time the ADA is entered, as detailed
in Item 5, and receives as compensation a portion of the initial franchise fees
and royalties generated by CMIT Solutions businesses in the development
territory. You will find a copy of the form of ADA at Exhibit F.
Franchise Disclosure Document
Page 1
We also offer a Multi-Unit
Agreement by which you may commit to the development of more than one CMIT
Solutions business in a defined territory. You will find a copy of the form of
the Multi-Unit Agreement at Exhibit F.
We may require your employees
to be certified by us, or a third party we specify, in order to provide our
customized IT Services.
You may offer CMIT Solutions? services to both businesses and
individuals. We expect the primary market to be small and medium sized
businesses, with opportunity to support home-based business owners, as well as,
at your option, recreational home computer users. You will compete with
independent, national, and franchised IT support services companies, hardware
and software manufacturers, independent consultants, and other businesses that
offer technical support, services and products.
Our Beliefs
All of our current franchise,
Multi-Unit and Area Development agreements contain important statements of
"Our Beliefs" and our "Core Expectations." We consider
these statements to be the essence of our business. The values described below
constitute "Our Beliefs" in the CMIT Solutions System, and that
conducting business according to these fundamental values is key not only to
CMIT Solutions'' and your success, but also to the success of all other
developers and franchisees in the CMIT Solutions network. "Our
Beliefs" are as follows:
WE BELIEVE:
IN A
FOUNDATION BASED UPON CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY
IN A
PASSIONATE COMMITMENT TO OUR CLIENTS; ALL ELSE IS SECONDARY
IN
BEING DEDICATED TO CONTINUOUS PERSONAL GROWTH AND
PROFESSIONAL
IMPROVEMENT
IN
BEING DEVOTED TO ONE ANOTHER, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY
THAT
A SPIRIT OF FUN AND SENSE OF HUMOR ARE ESSENTIAL
IN
ACKNOWLEDGING THIS AWESOME RESPONSIBILTYAND PRIVILEGE
These values form the
cornerstone of the CMIT Solutions franchise program. In our agreements you will
acknowledge that the operation of your business under the Agreement will affect
directly both the ft" service experiences of CMIT Solutions clients and their
overall perception and acceptance of the CMIT Solutions System, CMIT Solutions
trademarks, and the members of the CMIT Solutions network of businesses.
Accordingly, you must operate your franchised business in a manner consistent
with the values contained in Our Beliefs.
CMIT Solutions represents and
in the Agreement you acknowledge and agree that (1) the CMIT Solutions
Franchise Program and the CMIT Solutions services are integral parts of a
highly interrelated System, and (2) the successful operation of each CMIT
Solutions business is critical to CMIT Solutions'' overall business objectives
and plans.
Core Expectations
CMIT Solutions is committed to
the success and fulfillment of the highest expectations of our developers and
franchisees. At every level, our organization is driven to enhance the value of
the information we provide and improve the quality of the developer and
franchisee support we offer. A healthy franchised network takes a similar
commitment from each of its developers and franchisees to enhance its own
performance in the operation of each franchised business. We therefore have
adopted the following Core Expectations for each franchisee in the CMIT
Solutions network:
Franchise Disclosure Document
Page 2
(1) Each
developer and franchisee must follow as carefully and as completely as
commercially possible the CMIT Solutions business operations guidelines that
are such an important part of the franchised business granted to them;
(2) Each
developer and franchisee must participate in the CMIT marketing campaign, and
implement and execute all aspects of the sales and marketing system. To that
end each developer and franchisee must spend sufficient sums on promotion and
advertising; must use our CMIT Solutions alliance partners; and participate in
our national accounts program and projects where feasible; and
(3) Each
franchised business must meet the performance goals and minimums we adopt in
the CMIT Solutions System.
If, in our judgment, the
business of a franchisee or developer does not meet one of these Core
Expectations, CMIT Solutions may call for a Territory Review and Improvement
Program. The owner''s participation and cooperation in this program is
mandatory. The process is a multi-step program by which we provide intense,
individually tailored counseling and assistance, additional training, and
coaching in the successful operation of a CMIT Solutions business. A Territory
Review and Improvement Program generally lasts for up to 4 months. During this
period, the franchisee or developer must cooperate and follow recommendations,
including recommendations for the reasonable expenditure of money on
advertising and promotion, and for the expense of any recommended training.
Business Regulation
We are unaware of any states
that have any specific regulations or licensing requirements for offering IT
professional services. However, you will have to comply with a number of laws
that apply generally to the operation of businesses, including home-based
businesses. These laws include those relating to zoning, permits and licensing.
There may be other laws, rules or regulations that affect your Franchise. You
may wish to consult with your attorney to understand these laws.
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