Franchise Times – Smart Home Tech Brand SaaviHome Enters Franchise Space
An ever-growing amount of technology in the home has opened the window for a nearly 20-year-old brand to franchise.
SaaviHome, a smart home technology integration service company founded in 2004, recently launched its franchise system. The move was something the Denver-based brand’s leadership always wanted to pursue, but also wanted to make sure the time was right.
Gavin Lantzy, SaaviHome president, said the company started as a small family business built by his father. Originally focused on setting up home theaters, today, the brand installs and services audio and video systems, as well as lighting controls, motorized blinds and wireless networks.
“We spent a lot of years adding different services as technology evolved to the point of whole house automation,” Lantzy said. “We always had a vision of franchising eventually, and have been able to take advantage of the technology market. So, three years ago we made the decision to put our business in a place where we could launch a franchise.”
Lantzy said a tragedy in his life also propelled him to make the franchise system a reality.
“My father was killed in a car accident in 2021,” Lantzy said. “It flipped my world upside down, but in a way, I’ve been growing this as part of his legacy, following in his footsteps every step of the way. His fingerprints are all over what we’re doing here, because our conversations about franchising go back nearly 20 years.”
The brand went through the work of getting a franchise system ready to launch, establishing processes and training procedures, as well as preparing the franchise disclosure document, all ahead of schedule. The goal, Lantzy said, was to have the brand prepared for its franchise launch by September, when a trade event takes place.
“It felt right to get this in place by September when the Consumer Electronics Design and Installation Association’s expo takes place,” Lantzy said. “It’s in Denver this year, in September, and we saw it as an opportunity for us to plant our flag. We had the expo on our calendar, set a goal and beat that deadline.”
According to that association’s market analysis for 2022, the value of the integrated home market in the U.S. is estimated at $20.1 billion. In addition to the market looking strong, Lantzy said SaaviHome being a one-stop-shop for integration needs will make it especially competitive.
“The industry as a whole is a fast growth sector,” Lantzy said. “Even if we weren’t a franchise, we’d look at this phase in home automation as big market potential. The fact is there are so many different fragmented solutions with no big, national brand presence right now that can deliver consistent solutions. That’s what we’re aiming to do.”
SaaviHome won’t go completely national right away, with the brand focusing on mountain states to get started. Lantzy said they’re accepting applications for franchisee candidates in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah.
“I think our ideal candidate is a leader,” Lantzy said. “We want someone who can lead a team and who has been in some type of sales front role for five to 10 years. One who is comfortable having those sales conversations and managing employees.”
The number of employees at a SaaviHome location will range between three and 10. In addition to integration in the home, Lantzy said crews will also be handling some commercial projects, such as setting up audio and video capabilities in conference rooms.
The initial investment to open a SaaviHome franchise is between $169,100 and $284,100.