Looking for a career or lifestyle change, and want a good income without having to work seven days a week?
Want to be your own boss or own your own business?

Automatic Solutions have opportunities available all over Australia with new showroom licence's and installer licence's available as well as existing branches for sale. Automatic Solutions is much more than a retailer of gates, automation, security and access equipment, we are about people and more importantly helping people to grow and develop.

Have you ever thought about owning your own business? Want to be your own boss, earn large income and still have a great lifestyle with overseas holidays?
An Automatic Solutions showroom or installer licence may be right for you!

We offer you the opportunity to purchase an existing branch if available or if you prefer to start your own business with our support.
This is not a franchise, there are no up front payments, no royalties, you decide how you want to be involved. Talk to us about what you want to do!

Where do you start? Simple, the first thing you do is to take off the "rose colored glasses". You need to be honest with yourself as you go through this process and don't kid yourself. Owning or starting a business is hard work, it requires determination, time and money. Sure, our support structure will reduce the workload and is a fast and cost effective method to establish and maintain a successful, profitable business but you cannot escape the fact that you need lots of energy and determination to succeed as well as adequate funds and working capital. If you can't handle this part - no need to read on. We are not trying to be rude or put anyone off but we want to team up with "doer's" and not dreamers.

To purchase an existing branch or start a new one? One of the obvious advantages of buying and existing branch is that the work is done for you and the books speak for themselves. A bit like buying an established home you simply move in and enjoy the ride. There is an obvious drawback though and that is the capital required to purchase an existing branch is likely to be up to four times the starting capital required for an equivalent showroom. On the other hand if you start from scratch the initial outlay is much lower but it is likely to be four to five years before you see the same returns as an established branch. At the end of the day the two factors are availability of investment capital and personal attitude. Do you have $150K to invest or $600K. Are you the sort of person who prefers a challenge and at the end of the day wants to stand there and say I built all this from scratch.

STEP 1. The first questions you need to ask yourself are -
Does the industry appeal to you?
Can you see good growth prospects for the industry in Australia?
Is this an industry that you would like to be involved in?

Obviously we believe in the future of this industry or we would not be investing so much into it, but it is you who needs to be excited by the opportunity and be able to see the bigger picture. If you answered yes to all three questions then you are ready for step 2.

STEP 2. Ask yourself - How do I want to start my business?
In this industry I only know of three ways, you can start your own business from scratch, buy an existing business or start on your own with and Automatic Solutions showroom or installer licence. Let's look at the benefits and drawbacks of each method -

Starting your own business -

• BENEFITS -
• Lower Initial Cost - There is no doubt that you would be able to get a start on your own with less up front cost than the network, simply because you will not have to carry stock until you get sales and customers and that takes a start up business quite some time to achieve.
• Lower Infrastructure Costs - Your start up infrastructure costs will be lower and you will simply need enough working capital to pay your rent, advertising and marketing, other bills and wages until you start to generate some income. With good management, investment in quality advertising and marketing programs and some hard work you should be able to see some real profit and more importantly positive cash flow within five years.
• DRAWBACKS -
• No Supplier Base - You will have to source suppliers, establish accounts and negotiate quantity buying pricing and discounts. It will be difficult to negotiate quantity discounts when you are trying to keep your start up costs down and don't know how many or when you will need product.
• No Advertising & Marketing - It can take up to three years to get a well established advertising and marketing presence not to mention the cost of at least $150,000 over three years. Maybe your suppliers will help you out --- NOT LIKELY
• No Brand Name Or Image - "Fred's Gates & Automation" in "Mudgee" simply does not instill the confidence in the customer that a national name and backup does.
• No Training & Support - Sad but true. When you purchase your stock from the local rep from the import agent who has never installed a gate in his life you are not going to get a lot of training and support. Still we learn from our mistakes - don't we?
• No Administration Support - You have to start from scratch here - and to do it properly takes a lot of time. Computer setup, accounts program, price lists, costing's, invoices etc etc.
• No Research & Development - You are left to your own devices here, but the rep from the agent can probably tell you what's new and beaut.

Buying an existing business -

• BENEFITS -
• Existing Financial's & Track Record - One of the best things about buying an existing business is the ability to review the existing track record and financial viability of the business. It's a good idea to have an independent valuer review the business and remember that past performance is no guarantee and that most small business books are un audited. Note: If you buy an existing Automatic Solutions licence we can confirm the figures for you.
• Cash flow and customers on day one - The ability to turn positive cash flow and have customers on day one is vital. So assuming you have bought a good business this should be the case.
• Everything in place & training provided - When you buy an existing business the infrastructure, marketing programs, administration, staff etc should all be in place. You also should have negotiated a training or hand over period with the previous owners (NB: This should be a condition of sale including the demonstration of sales figures during that period)
• DRAWBACKS -
• Big Bucks - Any business in this industry worth buying has got set you back at least $500,000- and that is simply a reality. If the business is making a profit of at least $100k and has some stock and equipment then that's what you are looking at. The reality is that it matters not what you pay but that unless you get an absolute bargain with no goodwill (in which case you should think twice) it will take you at least three years but more likely four or five years to start making money after you pay for the goodwill and usually interest payments.

Opening your own branch of Automatic Solutions -

• BENEFITS -
• Low Initial Cost & Long Term Savings - Starting your business by joining the Automatic Solutions network need not cost any more up front but will save you a fortune in the long term!
• Largest Product Range In Australia - You have immediate access to Australia's largest and most complete product range at prices equal to and better than the best volume wholesale in the country.
• Advertising & Marketing Exposure - Immediate access to the largest advertising and marketing campaign in this industry in Australia - and we go you halves. That's right, not only do you benefit from shared costs and bulk discounts, you only pay half of your portion of the advertising!
• A National Brand - You are part of a national brand giving customer confidence and warranty and support, not a one man show. Customers want confidence in a product and company that they can return at any time for support and backup. We have a national help line number available to any customer.
• Training & Support - We know our products back to front, every product is evaluated and tested and all the tips and tricks, we pass it all on to you. You have technical support and advice at your fingertips.
• Administration Support - You don't even have to establish your own administration. We have all of your price lists, computer files, accounts system, even organise your printing stationery for you.
• Research & Development - It is like having your own R&D department. We are constantly evaluating and testing new products and ideas to keep the network up to date and at the forefront.
• Ongoing Support & Interaction - All of the above is ongoing - that's the benefit of a network or a cooperative. You get to work in your business whilst we work on it.
  

STEP 3. Ok - You like the industry, think it has a good future and we have convinced you that you will be better off kick starting your business with an Automatic Solutions Branch -
BUT - there are lots of questions!

Is this a franchise? - No! You secure a licence to trade as Automatic Solutions and whilst having the same name Australia wide that is where the similarities with a franchise ends. There are no royalty fees, no franchise fees, and no up front payment to secure a franchise.

What does it cost? - This depends on you and your situation. For example someone with a trade background and a ute full of tools or an established workshop or business premises is going to need a lot less to get started than someone who took a redundancy package and is looking to start their own business from scratch. In general terms an installer licence can start with less than $5000 and a showroom licence could need anything from $80,000 to $150,000. But remember - every dollar you invest is in you and your business.

How does the licence work? - Simple, the licence is what we refer to as a five plus five licence. Your initial licence is for five years with automatic renewal every five years unless you initiate a change. It is designed to protect your investment but importantly allows you to leave the network at any time with only six months notice. Each licence has a protected territory and all licence's have first right of refusal to new licence's in their state of operation.

How many days a week do we have to work? - That is up to you. Your licence stipulates that you must trade Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.30pm as a minimum. If you want to open seven days and 24 hours then that's your decision. We suggest that you can run a good solid profitable business on five days a week and get out and enjoy your weekends. This might sound a bit old fashioned in today's business world but it works for me. Your choice.

How big is this business? - Your choice once again, (remember, it is your business). Personally I like three to four people in a showroom branch but there are companies in this industry employing 100 people. Every individual is different and every license situation is different, for this reason we encourage each license to develop at their own rate and to their own level. For example we like to think that eventually most installer licence's convert to showroom licence. It is very possible to have a three person business making better profit than a 30 person business. Develop your business to your comfort level.

Does it have good cash flow? - The true answer to this question is highly dependent on the individual but the general answer is yes. Cash flow is king! Remember it and believe it. Automatic Solutions outlets have excellent cash flow if you follow the rules and don't make exceptions. We will show you how but you must be disciplined.

What skills do I need? - To a large degree we prefer you have no previous experience as we would prefer to show you right from wrong and guide you through the learning process. Obviously if you come to us with a trade background or similar this may be helpful. A desire to learn and willingness to roll up your sleeves and get a little bit dirty are essential.

Do I need marketing or business skills? - Again the answer in general is no. We look after all the marketing and advertising Australia wide and if you wish to do something extra locally we will provide the support and advice. We teach you simple business systems and provide ongoing advice. If you have never been in business before a small business course would not hurt but we are confident you would find your feet with our guidance.

Automatic Solutions New Licence Enquiry Form

Simply fill in the form and submit. We will contact you on the next business day to respond to your enquiry. Thank you for your interest.