Color Glo International Ranked On The 2019 Entrepreneur Franchise 500

Color Glo International® Ranked On the 40th Annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500 

Minneapolis, January 17th, 2019 - Color Glo International was recently ranked in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500®, the world’s first, best, and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Recognized by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise 500® places Color Glo International as #227 for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate, and brand power.

Understanding the ranking

Entrepreneur’s 40th annual Franchise 500® continues to celebrate franchise systems with what is considered to be the world’s first, best, and most comprehensive franchise ranking with a proprietary formula to best evaluate the strength of the franchise opportunities offered today. 

“We’re really pleased to have increased our rank on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 from 308 the previous year to 227. We are honored to continue to be recognized for meeting the 5 pillars of the franchise 500® year after year”

— Gary Smith, President

The five pillars of the franchise 500®

The key factors that go into their evaluation:

Costs & Fees

• Franchise fee

• Total investment

• Royalty fees

Size & Growth

• Open & operating units

• Growth rate

• Closures

Brand Strength

• Social media

• System size

• Years in business

• Years franchising

Support

• Training times

• Marketing support

• Operational support

• Franchisor infrastructure

• Financing availability

• Litigation

Financial Strength & Stability

• Franchisor's audited financial statements

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Before they determine rankings

The first step in determining the ranking is gathering the data. Beginning in July 2018, Entrepreneur asked franchisors to fill out an online form and submit a copy of their current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) or Canadian Disclosure Document. The response was impressive, with 1,094 companies supplying all the required information. Submissions were then vetted by an editorial team before being entered for data analysis.

To be eligible to rank, a franchisor must be seeking new franchisees in the U.S. or Canada and must have had a minimum of 10 units open and operating as of July 31, 2018, with at least one franchise located in North America. Each eligible franchisor was scored based on more than 150 data points, and those with the highest cumulative scores became the Franchise 500.

Color Glo International was also ranked amongst Entrepreneur.com’s 2019 Franchise 500 Ranking.

About Color Glo International

Color Glo International is the World Leader in restoration and repair of leather, vinyl, velour, cloth and hard plastics commonly found in the markets of Automotive, Aircraft, Marine, and Furniture.  Formally incorporated in 1975 Color Glo began franchising in 1982. Today in hundreds of markets throughout the world. Color Glo products are proven every day to offer the correct results and best value every time they are put to the test.

Contact
Mandi Brandon
mandi@colorglo.com

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Own a franchise with CGI

Could Your Aircraft Benefit From Color Restoration?

Should I restore my airplane?

There are so many questions to get answered. Let’s be clear, our portion of the conversation comes in after you’ve made your decision to mechanically restore or purchase a used aircraft that is in good mechanical order. Obviously when getting through this first step, there are so many things to consider like what type of airplane do you have or are considering buying? Is it flying or is it damaged?

Next, in terms of the interior and exterior, does it need to be replaced or restored? In most cases, things can be restored which is where Color Glo specialists come in. We can save you thousands simply by using what is already there.

The restoration process

The restoration process on an aircraft can be rather elaborate. When dealing with companies that restore used airplanes for people that want them overhauled, it typically includes parts and replacements, upgrades and more. What we’re talking about here is reducing your cost to restore to new. What can Color Glo restore?

• Cracked dashboards

• Vinyl

• Plastic

• Leather tears, marks and worn spots

• Light encasements

• Door panels

• Steering wheels

• Carpet

• Counsels

• Cushions and seats

Restored aircraft armchair and rest

Our Speciality. Color Glo, together with Aero Interior Maintenance, offers services that are targeted at leather, vinyl, and plastic surfaces used for interior components of aircraft. These components would include aircraft seating, side panels and reveals, headliners, seat bases, window reveals, table tops, and drink rails. The industry uses many different types of plastics, vinyls, and leathers to accomplish both practical and maintainable surfaces but also to bring elegance to these interiors.

• Cleaning and conditioning – Would include basic cleaning of built up soiling, newsprint ink or ink stains, removing simple scuffs, applying a final coat of leather conditioner.

• Repairing worn areas – Many high wear areas such as seat armrests and upper back cushions have the actual coating wore thin or all the way through the actual finish coating thus exposing the actual leather to premature wear and leaving it unprotected from the elements. Cleaning, repairing surfaces, and re-dying with multiple coats of finish will bring these areas back to a like new condition.

• Repairing & Re-dying of damaged areas – Many times faded colors, damaged surfaces from scuffs, scratches, and cracking can be repaired to a like new condition. This would include leather, vinyl, and hard plastics. These areas are then re-dyed back to an original color.

Color Glo Specialists work on-site to save you time and money. We come to you.

As you know, airplane and helicopter purchases can be very expensive so saving on the high-traffic areas is a feather in your cap. It leaves a bit more for the fun stuff and upgrades! A common question that people ask is “How long will it last?” It is simple to make something look good going out the door but the real value to the end user is often found months later after these surfaces have been used and cleaned by the customer. We cannot control how you clean or maintain these surfaces after they leave our hands but we feel confident that it will wear well and often times as well as the original finish. Our guarantee is that we will make you satisfied or your money back, no questions asked.

We have not experienced cracking, peeling, tackiness, the product coming off onto clothing, and the many other problems that many products cause. We take great pride in the fact our products stand the test of time again and again. We have a long list of customers who continually ask us to perform our maintenance on every annual inspection of their aircraft. They have found that routine maintenance can keep the appearance and condition of these interiors in a like new condition even though they may have thousands of hours of actual use.

Quality in Craftsmanship

Many companies have tested their products to prove that they will not alter existing burn certificates but what they haven’t done is create an FAA repair station that controls who uses these products, how they use them, and how they will qualify their work. This is called a quality control system. Using an FAA certificated system will assure that trained people are using these products, these products are traced from point of origin to point of use, and a quality control system is used to issue FAA approved paperwork to the aircraft owner returning the aircraft to service after the maintenance we provide is completed. Color Glo in correlation with AIM, use either FAA form #8130-3 or logbook entry forms at the customer requests. Rest assured that existing burn certifications will not be voided when AIM maintains your interiors.

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Need help with aircraft restoration?

From private aircraft to commercial airliners, government or military, Color Glo is a market leader in the repair, reconditioning, renewal and color restoration of leather, plastic and vinyl in the aviation market.

Why You Should Restore Your Old Shoes

How to restore old shoes

A man’s or woman’s shoes are a reflection of who they are. We pick from options like wingtip and stiletto amongst many other to define our character and walk with pride. In essence our shoes say a lot about us and you certainly don’t have to spend a fortune to get footwear that tells the world you’ve made it.  If you have an old leather pair, (or even suede or canvas) a little effort and insider knowledge is all you need to go from tattered to dazzling.

Here’s a few methods and ideas on why you should restore your old shoes.

Hoard your shoes

Ok not literally, we’ve all seen the shows… BUT a great pair of shoes doesn’t come along very often. When chance has it that you’ve found that beautiful combination of comfort and style, your heart literally aches when you have to finally slip them into the circular file. Fortunately, whether you’re dealing with flats, sneakers, heels, sandals, hiking shoes, or even an old pair of leather shoes that you’d like to look new -you’ve got options.

Don’t buy new. There are ways to clean, patch, and reinforce your way to new-looking footwear, no matter what kind of shape they may be in. You’ll need a few tools and a good attitude and the party can get started. Those boots that were made for walkin’ can avoid the forsaken and abandoned.

Restoring leather shoes

If your old leather shoes have weathered rain, snow, water, sun and more then you are not alone; this is a common problem for men and women. That favorite pair of shoes will get beat up more than most. Over the years, even the best quality shoes can become a little tired-looking. You can carefully clean your shoes to transform them and it will also bring areas of repair opportunity out. Start with these tips:

• Use a brush with soft bristles to remove all traces of surface dirt, dust, mud and debris.

• Wash your shoes with a moisturizing saddle soap. This is actually good for the leather and will remove excess wax from previous polishes.

• Stuff your shoes with newspaper and allow them to air-dry. Don’t put them near a radiator or in direct sunlight.

Once your shoes are clean and dry, you’re ready for the next step in the rejuvenating process.

Polishing your leather shoes

There’s no magic here. All you need is a tin of good quality polish, a little moisture and a soft cloth and you’re off and running. You know you love to display them as much as wear them, so go on now… polish like you’ve never polished before.

• Wrap part of the cloth around your index finger.

• Dip your finger in the polish and use your digit to apply polish to the shoe.

• Cover a small patch at a time, working in a circular motion.

• When you feel the area becoming a little rough, add some water. We recommend dabbing the cloth on a wet sponge rather than the age-old method of spitting!

• Keep building up layers of polish, adding water as necessary, until you get a lustrous sheen.

• Persevere until you have a smooth even shine.

Dyeing your leather shoes

If your shoes are badly scuffed and polishing looks like it isn’t going to be enough, you can use dye to restore them to new. With a bit of time and effort, you can even add some custom finishes like an ‘antiqued’ toe.

It’s vital to make sure that your shoes are completely free from polish, soap, wax or oil before you start, otherwise the dye will not be properly absorbed by the leather. You can buy a specialist stripper product to do the job.

So you’ll choose your color and have to remember that if you’re dyeing shoes you must always go darker. Brown or burgundy to black is fine, but it’s harder to dye black shoes a lighter color – the black will always show through the dye.

• Chose your shoe dye with care – it’s good to read reviews before you buy!

• Use a small, fine brush to apply the dye.

• Apply the dye to small areas of the shoe at a time, until the whole shoe is evenly covered.

• Allow to shoe to dry for at least twenty four hours.

• Carefully re-touch small areas or apply another coat of dye if the coverage isn’t even.

• Lock the color in with a good polish.

It takes some time and attention, but you can achieve a rich, vibrant brand new shoe if you are determined. You can also resole your leather shoes! Not many people take on this task themselves, though it is DIY compatible if you really want. There are great resources on Youtube to aid you in your quest.

Image source: parisiangentleman.co.uk

Restoring Suede and Canvas Shoes

Not every shoe you love is leather. You may have a pair of Vans or Chuck Taylors that are like comfort food when you slip them on. These can be restored as well to deliver a few more years of satisfaction.

Before & After Images found on instructables.com

If you really want, you can round up toothpaste, steel wool, a plastic scrubber and your utility sink. You can apply the toothpaste onto the steel wool and scrub the dickens out of the soles and suede/canvas. You probably won’t hurt it. This process can be repeated until the light of day starts to emerge and then rinse them under the water.

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Do you have old shoes that need a little love?

Color Glo international and Color Glo franchisees world-wide are specialists in color restoration and repair of leather garments, accessories and furniture. Our European franchisees specialize in restoring purses and shoes. Our work is permanent and environmentally safe. Color Glo specialists use non-flammable, odorless, water-based products that dry quickly.

Keep your investment for years to come. Revitalize. Restore. Save money. Contact us today for more information.