How does opening a Novus Glass franchise work?
Mobile: 3 weeks-3 months
Official planning estimate. Novus Franchising 2 LLC measures these ranges from Franchise Agreement signing to opening. They are not promises: the retail path depends on an approved site, lease or purchase, buildout and signage, while both formats depend on training, the required vehicle and equipment, insurance, staffing, permits and system setup.
What must a candidate qualify for before Novus awards a franchise?
Novus publicly describes a five-part sales path: initial contact, a question-and-answer call, qualification, Discovery Day and business ownership. The contractual documents do not publish a minimum net worth, liquid-capital amount, credit score, degree or auto-glass experience threshold. Meeting any marketing preference therefore does not guarantee approval.
Experience is evaluated, not fixed by a disclosed minimum
The official FAQ says auto-glass experience is not required and describes business ownership and employee-management experience as a key factor. Treat that statement as a selection preference, not an agreement term. Source: official Novus franchise FAQ.
An owner or trained manager must run the operation
The franchisee must devote full-time and best efforts, or appoint a full-time manager who does. The owner and manager must complete required initial training before managing or operating the Novus business. Source: 2026 Novus FDD, Item 15, pp. 46-47.
The ownership entity must be documented
If a corporation or LLC signs, it must be duly formed and in good standing. Owners designated by Novus must sign the Personal Guaranty, making the entity structure and principal-owner information part of approval and signing.
Technical capacity must exist before opening
At least one full-time employee, which may be the owner or manager, must perform glass repair and replacement. At least half of employees must complete a qualifying Novus training program, subject to the limited experienced-technician provisions in the agreements.
Ask Novus to state in writing which financial statements, background checks, credit review, ownership information and management experience it currently uses at qualification. Those screening details are not specified as fixed minimums in the 2026 FDD.
What happens from initial inquiry to opening?
Novus's public sales sequence establishes the front end; the 2026 FDD and agreements control what happens after disclosure and signing. The roadmap below keeps qualification, franchise award, territory designation, site approval, training and opening readiness separate.
Make initial contact and complete the Q&A stage
Action: Submit the inquiry and discuss ownership goals, format and market.
Actor: Applicant and Novus franchise representative.
Timing: No contractual duration disclosed.
Next dependency: Novus must decide whether to continue qualification.
Complete qualification and validation
Action: Provide requested personal, ownership, management and financial information; speak with franchisees; attend Discovery Day if invited.
Actor: Applicant, Novus and contacted franchisees.
Blocker: Qualification or franchise award can be declined even when no published minimum is missed.
Receive and review the current FDD
Action: Review all 23 Items, state addenda, the applicable Franchise Agreement, guaranty and any Area Development or co-location document.
Actor: Applicant and professional advisers.
Timing: At least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or payment to Novus or an affiliate, under the FTC franchise guidance.
Sign the correct agreement package
Action: Sign either the Retail Location or Mobile Business Franchise Agreement. An area developer signs the Area Development Agreement and first Franchise Agreement concurrently.
Actor: Approved applicant and Novus.
Blocker: Signing triggers nonrefundable fees and required initial purchases; agreement form and territory schedule must be final.
Lock the format, Territory and retail site path
Action: Confirm the Territory described in the Franchise Agreement. A retail franchisee finds and secures the site, submits it for Novus review, obtains lease or purchase terms and submits plans before construction or remodeling.
Timing: Retail site must be purchased or leased within 90 days, subject to the mobile-operation extension described below.
Complete required training and establish staffing
Action: The owner and one employee or manager attend the initial program; the owner/manager and designated employees must pass the required portions.
Timing: Initial program and glass-repair training within 60 days after signing and before opening. Glass-replacement training is a minimum two consecutive weeks and may be completed within 60 days after glass-repair training.
Install the operating system and satisfy third parties
Action: Obtain the specified vehicle, equipment, software, signage, approved supplies, insurance, utilities, permits and licenses; hire and train employees; prepare approved opening marketing.
Actor: Franchisee, suppliers, landlord, contractor, insurer and government authorities.
Blocker: Delivery, construction, licensing and insurance are not guaranteed by Novus.
Verify readiness and commence the Novus business
Action: Confirm training completion, required signs and systems, staffing, inventory, vehicle readiness, insurance certificates and site occupancy where applicable.
Timing: Retail must open within six months or when the site is ready for occupancy, whichever is earlier; mobile must open within three months.
Uncertainty: The FDD does not define one universal final written opening-authorization form.
Public front-end sequence: Novus Steps to Ownership. Contractual sequence and deadlines: 2026 Novus FDD, Items 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15 and 17; Retail Franchise Agreement Articles 8-12 and 15; Mobile Franchise Agreement Articles 8-12 and 15.
Which post-signing checkpoints can block the next stage?
Three exact deadlines share the same trigger-the date of Franchise Agreement signing-and can therefore be compared directly. They are contractual windows, not estimates of how long each task should take.
Horizontal bars show elapsed calendar days from Franchise Agreement signing.
Interpretation: training must be scheduled early enough to finish before opening, while the retail buyer must progress site selection and lease review in parallel rather than waiting for training to end.
Source: 2026 Novus FDD, Item 11, pp. 33-36; Item 17, pp. 48-57; Retail Franchise Agreement Sections 8.1 and 9.4; Mobile Franchise Agreement Sections 8.1 and 9.4.
The retail estimate of 3 weeks-6 months sits beside a contractual outside opening deadline of six months or site readiness, whichever occurs earlier. The mobile estimate of 3 weeks-3 months sits beside a three-month opening deadline. Missing a contractual deadline may create default or termination exposure even when a delay arose within the broader planning range.
How do the retail and mobile opening paths differ?
The two formats use related training, equipment, software and insurance systems, but only the Retail Location path requires an approved fixed premises and buildout. A Mobile Business cannot maintain a customer-facing retail location.
Retail Location
Mobile Business
The Territory is described in the Franchise Agreement, while a retail site is separately selected by the franchisee and reviewed by Novus. The Territory is not exclusive and contains reserved-channel and pre-existing-right exceptions. Site acceptance does not expand those contractual rights.
What must be complete before operations begin?
The agreements do not reduce readiness to one inspection certificate. The franchisee must assemble a compliant operating package, while Novus supplies specifications, designated systems, training and limited assistance.
Insurance and approved-source requirements: 2026 Novus FDD, Item 8, pp. 24-28. Training and assistance: Item 11, pp. 33-40. AGSC credentials referenced by the agreements can be checked through the Auto Glass Safety Council certification information.
What changes under an Area Development Agreement?
An area developer receives the right to develop two or more Novus businesses in a defined Development Territory, but each unit still requires its own Franchise Agreement and opening process. The first Franchise Agreement is signed with the Area Development Agreement; later units use Novus's then-current agreement form.
The Development Schedule should be reviewed as a separate critical path: it states the date by which each Franchise Agreement must be signed, the date each business must commence and the cumulative number that must remain open. “Time is of the essence,” so the one-unit retail or mobile estimate cannot replace the unit-specific development dates. Source: 2026 Novus FDD, Items 1, 5, 12 and 17; Area Development Agreement Sections 1-5 and Rider.
What should a buyer verify before signing and before opening?
The FTC identifies current and former franchisees as a primary way to test whether outlets opened in a reasonable time and whether promised training and opening assistance were delivered. That verification should distinguish franchisor assistance from landlord, contractor, supplier, insurer and government-authority performance.
What is the verified Novus Glass opening path?
The path is qualification, FDD review, signing, Territory and format confirmation, retail site work where applicable, training, system setup, staffing, insurance, permits and commencement. The official estimate is 3 weeks to 6 months for Retail and 3 weeks to 3 months for Mobile, not a guaranteed date. The main applicant dependency is parallel training and site/buildout execution. The main external dependency is timely action by Novus, suppliers, the landlord, contractors, the insurer and authorities. Verify the current written readiness sign-off while preserving every 60-day, 90-day and format-specific deadline.