Frequently Asked Questions

The following are common questions asked about the business. You may either click on individual questions to read a specific response, or scroll down the page to read all the responses. Note that questions regarding the imaging software are addressed separately in a comprehensive paper titled "The Role of Software in the Business". A link to the paper is provided at the Information Center. It's often helpful to read the responses below first, but click here if you would like to read the paper now.

Question List

Where is the business offered?
How much are the start-up costs?
What are the ongoing costs after start-up?
What is my income potential?
Can homeowners do visualization themselves?
How do the protected territories work?
Why do I need a business package versus software?
How do I get started?

More questions? Contact IdeaVision and we'll be glad to respond.

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Last update: 11/28/17

Where is the business offered?

The business is currently offered in the United States and Canada. IdeaVision provides extensive support services with the business (training, business consulting, start-up assistance, etc.) that is available only in the US and Canada at this time. Since the price of the business includes these items, it is not appropriate to sell the business without providing a full level of support.

However, our future plans do include international expansion. If you would like to be notified at a future date when the business is extended to your area, contact IdeaVision with your location information so that we can get in touch with you.

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How much are the start-up costs?

Your primary investment in the business includes the license fee ($12,400), plus any new computer equipment or upgrades that are needed. Refer to Financing for information on funding the business, including a payment plan available from IdeaVision.

You can start on a shoestring expense budget if necessary. However, an extra $1000 - $2000 is recommended for kicking off your advertising efforts, communication services such as a business phone line, and stocking up on office supplies.

You should also include the travel cost for training in your budget. Training can be done at IdeaVision in the Orlando, FL area or at your location, whichever you prefer. You are responsible for the costs of either your own travel or for a representative of IdeaVision to visit you. Travel costs typically include airfare, rental car, hotel and meals for the two-day session. Scheduling is done to minimize travel costs and to accommodate your own schedule as much as possible, including weekends if that works out best. Note that time and materials for training are covered in the license itself.

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What are the ongoing costs after start-up?

One of the advantages of this business is that the operational costs are relatively low. The license doesn't impose any ongoing royalty or other fees that franchises require. After start-up, plan on operating expenses of $500 / month if you work at home. Your primary operating expense is advertising. Thus, your monthly expense may vary some depending on your current advertising campaign. Regardless, you have a lot of flexibility over the amount that you spend and when you choose to spend it.

Ongoing business development is another important benefit of your license. Enhancements are done frequently covering both business operational items (such as new marketing materials) and the technical aspects of the business (i.e. upgrades to the imaging system). Multiple upgrades are done on a yearly basis, based on inputs provided by the business owners. The license defines that all enhancements are included for the first year. However, as an expression of appreciation to our owners, all enhancements have been provided thus far without charge after the first year as well. At some point, a modest annual fee may be required to cover the cost. The fee is not expected to be of a significant nature though and purchase of any enhancement will be optional.

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What is my income potential?

The return from any business opportunity is dependent upon many factors, including in large part the business capability of the proprietor. As such, IdeaVision's policy is to not make generic income claims. Instead, we work closely with each prospective owner to help them make an independent assessment of the business potential for their specific situation before any investment is made. The following is provided to give you a feel for the possibilities, but is not meant to guarantee expected results for any particular business.

A Visionair Builder based business is operated as a professional consulting service, specializing in computer visualization. As a consultant, operating expenses are low ($500 / month on average if you work at home) and sales are mostly profit. In the true sense, the biggest "expense" is your time. Thus, projects are typically priced based on the time required to complete a project. Our pricing strategy, which is detailed in the business plan, recommends a return of $75 / hour for your time as a starting point. You may decide to charge more or less in your particular market, but $75 / hour is relatively low for a professional service in general. Since there are other factors that influence pricing, clients are only given a bottom line price without the hour information.

For example, a typical project requires 4-6 hours to complete (a visualization of the front view for an average home). The project provides $300 - $450 of income for your business at $75 / hour. This figure may be adjusted up or down based on your long-term business objectives for a particular client. Projects range from an hour to several days depending on complexity. Customer imaging sessions, photographic prints and other special services provide additional income opportunities. You should set aside 20% of your total work hours for marketing and administrative activities that are not billed.

As you can see, it's important to market the business properly and fill your time with projects to obtain the maximum return from your business. The more time you put into the business, the greater the return. Thus, the final result does depend on you, but IdeaVision provides the tools and support that are necessary to help you meet your objectives.

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Can homeowners do visualization themselves?

The average homeowner is unable to do meaningful visualization for two reasons: poor tools and lack of imaging knowledge.

Consumer level home design software is available in many computer stores. This inexpensive software is intended for people who don't have a background in either graphics or imaging and want to do basic visualization for their personal use only. The products are typically designed with a laundry list of features to make them seem more appealing. However, in order to keep the price low, shortcuts are taken to provide a minimal implementation of these features. The result is poor quality visuals, often crude representations that are of little value to the user.

Secondly, and just as importantly, visualization requires specialized imaging skills and knowledge to do anything but the most basic projects. A process is involved that encompasses many different aspects of digital imaging. This knowledge is attainable by people who want to devote their effort to doing the business on a professional basis, such as the Visionair Builder business owners. However, it's certainly not something that a typical homeowner is going to take on, nor have the time for, just to do a personal project.

The end result is that most homeowners don't get very far on their own. The software is typically used once or twice until frustration sets in. On the positive side, more and more people are becoming exposed to visualization and its many benefits. This exposure provides a rapidly expanding customer base for our visualization services.

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How do the protected territories work?

A protected territory is included in your license to give you a specific area where no other business locations will be established other than your own. The territory is typically defined by city, county, highway and/or geographic boundaries, and must include the location for your place of business. The size of the territory is based on population density, ranging from 200,000 (less populated areas) to 400,000 (metro areas). The license provides you with one business location and its associated territory. A larger territory or second location for conducting business may also be purchased.

Note that the primary focus of your marketing should be within your territory. However, in a business of this nature you may meet a prospective client anywhere, including in your travels outside the territory. Referrals are also common to prospects who reside in a different location. The license doesn't preclude you from taking on these clients because they are a result of your efforts. Thus, you have the best of both worlds. You know that another business won't be located too close to yours, plus you don't have to turn away business that does originate outside of your territory.

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Why do I need a business package versus software?

It's the same reason that you don't become an accountant by purchasing accounting software or start a restaurant by purchasing grills. A frequent mistake made by first-time entrepreneurs is the tendency to focus on tangible and familiar things (equipment and tools such as software), while paying less attention to business fundamentals that are far more important to the business results. It's important to understand that software is only a tool, not a business solution.

A business, on the other hand, is a comprehensive activity for delivering products or services to the customer based on a defined business process. The development of this process is a major undertaking. An in-depth evaluation of the marketplace must be done first in order to understand its needs. Product or service development is then done to meet the needs. Extensive market testing follows to determine how well the product or service actually satisfies the needs. Automation tools such as software are addressed relatively late in the process, only after the service is well defined. The business needs drive the tools, not the other way around. The net result is that an effective business process requires years of effort and major capital investment before it is ready to implement.

Most individuals do not have the time, money or knowledge to take on such an endeavor. The solution is to buy a defined business package such as the Visionair Builder where all of the development work has been done for you. A business package provides you with an opportunity to start the business for a fraction of the investment that is otherwise required. The critical ins and outs of the business process are brought to you through market evaluation guides, business plans, customized tools, training and consulting support. It's this end-to-end solution that makes the business feasible, not just the software and other tools that are used in the business.

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