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WSI franchise, AIS media or other internet franchise?
There are current internet franchises such as the WSI franchise or AIS media and im looking to get some feedback from anyone out there with experience with these guys. Does any have any success stories or horror stories relating to the WSI franchise, AIS media or any other internet franchise?
Holly Cow
I didn't realize these companies carried such a bad wrap. I'm a designer who operates my own web design business but would rather be out doing sales vs. building websites if I'm going to make a living in the business long term. I've been considering a franchise since they should have the back-end resources to do the development. I've reviewed GoGrio's and WSI's "recent" websites and frankly I wouldn't feel comfortable selling them to clients. They look like outdated template websites coded in html table format circa 1996. Old look and feel with antiquated code to match. GoGrio wanted feedback so there is my first objection. Makes me question who is behind the scenes and if they really are capable of staying current with web standards that clients will demand. Thanks for the heads up on the other practices.
Gogiro Response
Thanks for the feedback James, just to clarify it's not Gogiro that carries a bad wrap in this forum. In regards to your input though, we at Gogiro read your post, took that seriously here and have just rolled out a new line of Website Pro products, all based on the hottest new website theme technologies. This improvement project has already had excellent market response, and will continue to develop into 2012. Please feel free to check us out again or contact us directly if you'd like to re-explore the opportunity, and our doors are always open for feedback and constructive criticism.
very interesting
I have no experience about it ... but in my opinion this is very interesting :)
wsi and ais
folks I am from England. I have recently talked to both wsi and ais. I have found a regional franshisee for one of these and they are doing ok, taking on staff.
I think that it isn't what they tell you / promise; it is at the end of the day going out and finding the customers and if you haven't the contats or it doesn't work cold calling then you will be stumped. maybe they should focus more on that at pre qualification stage? and should say that it takes time to build a business so you need another job / have working capital about equal to the initial fee if you are going to try a franchise / partner agreement.
wsi and ais models are different and each can work but you have to find the leads and there are lots of local firms competing.
I may get involved with one of these firms so any up to date feedback would be good
AIS Media is a Rip off. I
AIS Media is a Rip off. I fell for their sales pitch and it cost me over $50K. They do not provide the services and expertise which they promise.
I am not alone; if you look hard enough you will see an incredible number of people who were ripped off as I was. The failure rate I saw was about 80%. Most will not comment for fear of retribution by AIS because of the contract you are forced to sign, which prohibits them from doing so. Check the latest D&B ratings also. Frankly, I'm surprised they're still getting away with their fraudulent practices.
As Internet use among
As Internet use among consumers continues to skyrocket, so, too, does the number of businesses seeking to market their products and services online. All of these businesses are clamoring for a full range of professional Internet services, yet the service provider industry remains dominated by small contractors with limited technical capabilities and credibility. Partnering with AIS Media and becoming a certified eBSP® (eBusiness Solutions Provider) offers you a unique opportunity to capitalize on this growth. You can be the one business in your area people turn to for the full range of vital Internet services they need and earn handsome profits -- and you don't need a technical background.
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WSI and AIS
Thanks for all post comments. I am currently talking both WSI and
AIS and are very uncertain both business models.
WSI is a Total Waste of Money
I bought my franchise two years ago, have had some sales success and am stuck under contract for three more years until my contract expires. Several mistakes I made that you don't have to make! 1. Avoid this franchise. I should have looked at a brick and mortar business or just sold junk on e-bay. I would not be in the financial mess I am in now due to WSI. 2. Have an attorney read your UFOC document that describes your franchise. I read and thought I understood it but did not catch a few things. I cannot just quit. I still have to pay a $750 a month minimum royalty for three more years. 3. WSI and, for that matter, AIS Media are in the business of selling dreams although AIS Media is not actually a franchise and does not collect royalties. AIS has much more limited support though.WSI does offer reasonably good support but it is very difficult to replace ones income building and marketing web sites. The business model is flawed. 4. I should have picked up the phone and called franchisees that I should have Googled and not just the four or five WSI gave me to call. 5. I know one of the most successful WSI franchisees. Of the roughly 1500 franchisees, there are maybe 50 really making any kind of living at this. At least one that would make it worthwhile to quit one's job. 6. Finally, Before you buy any franchise, make sure you talk to alot of the franchisees before you buy. I am approximately $100,000 in the hole. There's a sucker born every day and I was one of them. Name Withheld for obvious reasons,....WSI will come after you (so I hear).Why your franchise didn't
Why your franchise didn't work?what was the major problem you faced?please send me as much of infos because i was studying thi franchise to buy it.
thank you foryour help
i shouldn't...
I should not do this but here I go... I'm a web developer in wsi and what you're saying seems to be more frequent these days. But you know what... I've always said that slogan "you do not need to know about programming to develop websites", that is just a big... well... if you are going to sell trucks you need to know where the clutch is and how to start the engine, right? ... well, the same goes for websites, you can figure out how to use one, not just how to sell one. but it will help you a lot if you know how they work under the hood. So... you can make a living at wsi, i've seen ic's doing that, and all of them understand the development process, they know the difference between databases & tables, they know what i mean when i say words like "tags", html, web services, DotNet, servers, blah blah blah... but... omg! when a consultant comes to me and does not have a clue of what i am talking about, that's a failure for sure in the short term. do not give up. learn. talk to your pc, talk to all of them. ask someone to explain HOW websites works, not how to sell them (marketing and seo are great terms, but you NEED to know how a website works), learn how to USE them, and by God's sake!!! learn some HTML, it will make your life easier. trust me, you do not need a multinational entity to which sell a website... I've seen how with our simplest modules you guys create great websites not for the IBM competitor but for the carpenter next door and guess what? you succeed, you make money of that, and the most important in this business, your client makes money too. Do not come and tell us "build me a big house, and start with the walls from the third floor, forget about 1st & 2nd floor, i need the walls to install some great curtains my client is asking me"... just start by writing clear requirements and we will be more than happy to help you. Maybe, someday I'll develop your website, and what we get at the end will be another cause for pride for us. Do not try to reach me whenever you stay or leave wsi, i get here by chance & thought had to say something.Idiot Guests
Why do guests even bother shilling?
Guest writes: "Maybe, someday I'll develop your website, and what we get at the end will be another cause for pride for us.
Do not try to reach me whenever you stay or leave wsi, i get here by chance & thought had to say something."
Well, you didn't have anything to say. You clearly have no knowledge of what the WSI franchise system is selling. Why bother defending a pointless franchise unless you have some hard facts to back up your claims.
Here is one you could give us: how many sites have you developed, where are they, and what is their current google page rank?
Michael Webster, a franchisee attorney in Toronto, Ontario, publishes a website on business opportunities and franchises called "The BizOp News"
Offer to buy out of your contract...
Why don't you pay to be free of your contrct and wind down the business?Better Yet,
Contact Mario Herman - 202.686.2886. Yes, it does cost for his services but look at it this way.....why continue to feed the monster?! Donnagetting suckered into WSI
I have paid over $50,000 for the WSI franchise with the understanding that if I bought into their telemarketing company,I would make between $5,000 to $10,000 per week. They also told me that I didn't need to have any computer savvy nor high speed. Well none of this is true... so in all, I have spent over $65,000 with not a single sale. I never wanted to do hard sales.... Many franchisees, have failed... in fact, one of the instructors in Toronto said at the beginning of the class (once we paid our fees) that out of three people; 1- will succeed, 1- will barely make ends meet and 1- would fail. Need I say more?One out of three - It's not that good!
One out of three succeeding is probably a high number. Probably one out of 20 is the right number if we are talking about replacing an income that will support a family.Gogiro Feedback
Thank you everyone for the feedback – the online industry is obviously not creating a good name for itself, hopefully that will change. I really feel that Gogiro’s system is structured so that the company is only succesful if the partners / franchisees are succesful and the end consumers, which has been the leading directive from day one. I would really appreciate anyone who is interested in reviewing and providing some constructive criticism to the model. If anyone wants to to tear Gogiro apart and offer advice or feedback on any holes or weaknesses, please message me directly and I will work with you on a one-to-one basis.
It’s important for Gogiro to do this now, at the outset so that any areas for improvement can be identified now and a more comprehensive adaption process can be utilized as we move forward. From the feedback noted above, what im reading into are a couple of key points;
- Overselling can create insecurities and competition within, maybe lack of individual support and development
- Open doors to additional income streams that can be controlled by franchisees
- Bottom line, does the franchise provide business, accounts, revenue, etc..
- As well, people do not want to buy a job; DO NOT sell me a job
Craig - Im committed to seeing only future Gogiro success stories.
WSI Stories
Are you kidding me? Get the FFD, look up item 20, and do a blast fax to the "franchisees".
Guess what? Youwon't find most of them!
As reported by Julie Bennett in the Franchise Times, May 2009.
This is possibly the dumbest franchise system ever -but really good for the franchisor.
Michael Webster PhD LLB
Franchise News
Wouldn't bother with either WSI or AIS Media
WSI will try to sell you a franchise with another franchisee three blocks away in a suburb. The rebuttal you'll hear is "it's like a McDonalds." I don't think so.... With whatever business offering you are looking into - make sure you ask ALOT of questions. If you feel uncomfortable with any of the answers then keep asking questions. Do not rush in to any decision. Personally, I think you're better off partnering with a local web design/development shop and work out commissions for the sales you make. This is basically what you would be doing with either franchise (or um.. partnership) anyway. You'll get better support and you can always buy a few books on web design/Internet marketing rather than send your cash to AIS Media or WSI. There are some differences between the two - with WSI you have to use one of their internal development/production shops. With AIS Media, technically, you are not locked down to using only their solutions. However, after sending them between $30-40K you'll want to get your investment's worth. In short - I'd stay away from WSI. AIS Media, I'm afraid, is not much better.How do you know?
Are you a franchisee with WSI or AIS Media? Not really sure how you qualify and how do I hire these designers? How much should I expect to pay for a designer? Should I have the designer do the site also?Designers
Read the previous post again if you're interested in knowing which franchise the poster was talking about. Consider both WSI and AIS Media partners/franchise owners are trying to run a business. it's not in the best interest of these folks to disparage the systems they have bought into themselves. If you are a small/medium sized business owner or a VITO then I'd suggest you look for the following: 1) Ask the designer for specific work *they* have done. 2) Find out how portable the site is once it has been designed *and* developed. In other words, make sure you are not required to go through them for either updates or for a simple thing like hosting. 3) Shop around. It is always in your best interest to get three bids. While this approach may not be the best for the sole proprietor/franchise owner of web consultancy, it's best to protect yourself. 4) Ask for references/testimonials and talk with them. Ask them questions to see if it's a similar fit to your situation *and* make sure they are not just buddies looking out for a friend. 5) Network and find what worked for other business owners. There's tons of resources from the local chamber of commerce to networking groups like BNI. In a nutshell, if you spend your good money on a web design/development/etc/etc, you need to know that you are getting your money's worth. Hope that helps and good luck!Internet Service Franchises
I'm assuming your list includes horror stories or success stories about Gogiro. I bumped into a WSI franchise owner once who was not happy with his franchisor. He said royalties were high, training poor and that they really didn't get anything from their franchisor, especially accounts. His WSI franchise went out of business.
Want to Buy a Franchise? Don't buy a WSI franchise!
I've seen so many people lose SO much money with WSI. I feel so stupid for being gullible and buying a WSI franchise. I talked to several franchise owners who had just started and gave good reviews. A year later they were out of business.
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