ITEM 1
THE FRANCHISOR, AND ANY PARENTS, PREDECESSORS AND
AFFILIATES The Franchisor
The franchisor is Maid
Brigade, Inc. This Disclosure Document refers to Maid Brigade, Inc. as
"we," "us," or the "Company." We refer to the
person who buys a franchise from us as. "you." You and we will enter
into a Franchise Agreement (Exhibit B to this Disclosure Document). You may
assign the Franchise Agreement to a privately held corporation, partnership, or
other entity by signing the Corporate Assignment Agreement (Exhibit C to this
Disclosure Document). If you do so, "you" also includes your
corporation, partnership, or other entity. We have no parent company,
predecessors or affiliates.
We are a Delaware corporation
incorporated on February 8, 1982. Our principal business address is Four Concourse Parkway, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328. Our telephone number is (770)
551-9630. We do business only under the name "Maid Brigade�." On
February 1, 2005, we changed our corporate name from The Maid Brigade Systems,
Inc., to Maid Brigade, Inc.
We list our agents for service of process in Exhibit
A. Our Business
We grant Maid Brigade
franchises for the operation of a light household cleaning business. As a Maid
Brigade franchisee, you will:
�
Receive
a license to operate your business under the trade names, trademarks, service
marks, logotypes, and commercial symbols that we designate, including the service mark "Maid Brigade�"
(collectively, the "Marks");
Receive a specific geographic
territory where you will have the exclusive right to operate your Maid Brigade
business (your "Operating Territory");
�
Gain
access to customers through our Internet alliances and partnerships;
�
Use
our proprietary Maid Brigade marketing programs and advertising including
on-line scheduling through our public Web site.
�
Obtain
our assistance in matters like marketing, management, human resources,
products, and services;
�
Use
our private Maid Brigade internet site accessible by Maid Brigade franchisees
only, including its Vision Analysis System�; and
� Gain access to the full array of proprietary
products and services we offer, including our confidential business
information, business format, methods, specifications, expertise, Total
Management Software Solution and National Resource Center catalogs with
ordering capability and Marks.
You will operate your business
under our Franchise Agreement. We refer to the right to operate under our
Franchise Agreement, to use our Marks and other intellectual property, and to
receive the other benefits we list above, as the Maid Brigade
"System." We refer to the business you operate under the Maid Brigade
System as your "Franchise" or your "Franchised Business."
The light cleaning services
you will offer include dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and tidying. Generally, 2
of your employees will perform cleaning services at each customer''s home. Your
main duties will be to instruct and supervise your employees and to promote and
develop your Franchised Business.
Although you will offer
services to the general public, your primary market will be middle- to
upper-income families in which both spouses work. To help you build a customer
base, we have entered into alliances with internet referral sources. You will
also build your customer base through the use of internet advertising,
including advertising we offer through the Maid Brigade public website, www.maidbrigade.com. through
centralized marketing programs offered by us and through traditional methods of
advertising like yellow page advertisements, newspaper advertisements,
billboards, direct mail, door hangers, and references from existing customers.
Maid Brigade regularly conducts customer surveys to provide us with strategic
information that helps define the target, its needs and the message to that
target.
We encourage
you to enter into strategic alliances with apartment managers, realtors, employers,
and other service-oriented businesses in your territory that can give you
referrals.
You will operate your
Franchised Business from an office. You will offer light daytime cleaning
services for homes and for businesses that operate primarily from business
parks and low-rise office buildings. You will purchase certain items from us or
our designated suppliers. See Item 8 of this Disclosure Document.
Our
Franchise Experience
Don Hay, our
Chairman, has operated a number of household and commercial cleaning businesses
in the United States and Canada. We began offering franchises in June 1984. In
the past, we offered franchises through qualified subfranchisors. We no longer
authorize new subfranchisors to sell franchises in the United States, and we no
longer have any subfranchisors in our franchise system.
We provide operational support
for all our franchisees. We have no other business activities and have not
offered franchises in any other lines of business.
Maid Brigade is a member of
the International Franchise Association''s VetFran Program, which provides
special incentives to qualified veterans.
Competition
You will compete with other
businesses that offer cleaning services, including other franchised operations,
and with local independent services like housekeepers, nannies, maids, and
commercial cleaning services that enter the residential market. We believe that
the Maid Brigade System will give you a competitive advantage over others in
the market.
Regulatory
Matters
We are not aware of any
regulations specific to the operation of a Maid Brigade franchise. However, you
must comply with all laws that apply to business in general. We strongly encourage
you to investigate these laws and their possible effect on your Franchised
Business.
