Franchisee: Jeffrey Kulas | Budget Blinds of Cranston | Cranston
Pitch: Budget Blinds designs and installs blinds, shades, shutters and drapery for inside a person’s home.
Years in business: Two
Number of employees: One
Cost to obtaining franchise: $89,950 initial fee; $125,340 minimum investment
Before opening franchise: Kulas worked in the banking industry for more than 20 years.
Reason for opening franchise: After two decades working in corporate within the banking sector, Kulas got to a point where he wanted “to look elsewhere and do other things.”
“It was time to see what else is out there. I did a little bit of discovery on what other jobs I could get into to change things up. I came across franchises and looked into it a bit. Those connections led me to Budget Blinds.”
“We played it by ear a little bit [with the pandemic and safety protocols] and I said, ‘I’ll come out and put your shades in. Let’s not be in the same room at the same time.’ That was the confidence builder [for customers]. We could also handle 6 feet apart in sales consultations as well. I’m with one, maybe two people in a house in any given time. It felt safer as we went on. People appreciated the professionalism.”
“I think a lot of people were not spending money on those vacations and they said, ‘Let’s put it toward the house instead.’ ”
Franchise owners interested in being included in an upcoming Franchisee feature can contact PBN Researcher James Bessette at (401) 680-4838 or Research@PBN.com.