How to Start a Ziebart Franchise in 7 Steps: Checklist

Ziebart’s public process begins with an inquiry, a detailed Personal Profile, screening calls, and a Discovery Day in Troy, Michigan. The official franchise sales process says a team member normally responds within 24–48 business hours and that approval may occur quickly after Discovery Day, but neither timing is a contractual promise.

The 2026 FDD does not publish a universal minimum net worth, liquid-capital threshold, credit score, education requirement, or automotive-experience requirement for a new-unit candidate. A current Ziebart ownership guide says prior automotive experience is unnecessary. Meeting any stated preference still does not guarantee approval.

The sequence below separates applicant actions, Ziebart approvals, and third-party dependencies. It follows the current FDD and agreements rather than treating marketing contact, franchise approval, site approval, lease approval, training completion, and opening as one event.

Federal disclosure timing source: FTC Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Franchise. Ziebart application context: official Get Started page.

The franchisee—not Ziebart—identifies the premises. The Location Authorization Application requires a decision package covering the proposed address, five-mile competitive map, three- and five-mile demographics, traffic counts, visibility photographs, sign ordinance, ingress and egress, site plan, zoning, utilities, parking, landscaping, lease or purchase terms, and conversion or construction conditions.

Ziebart says it usually responds to a proposed site within 30 days, but the Franchise Agreement has no fixed site-decision deadline. Its approval is not a representation that the location will be successful. Confirm whether the executed Franchise Agreement will already name the approved location or whether a later location authorization will complete that blank; the agreement form identifies an approved address, while Item 11 contemplates post-signing site work.

Ziebart’s assistance does not transfer day-to-day control or third-party risk. The franchisee controls the project, employment, contracts, permits, and compliance; Ziebart controls brand approvals and training standards; landlords, lenders, suppliers, insurers, contractors, and authorities control their own decisions.

Item 11 states that the franchisee and one technician must successfully complete Sales, Management, and Technical Summary training. It also requires the owner and an alternate technician to hold the listed service certifications. Franchise Agreement Section 10 adds a stricter operating rule: at least two people must be qualified for every product or service sold, and technicians must complete required training and certification before opening.

The FDD discloses approximately six weeks and 312 total hours: 132 classroom hours and 180 on-the-job hours. Training in Troy, Michigan is provided without tuition, while the franchisee pays wages, travel, lodging, and food. A trained and certified technician must be present during normal store hours.

A Multi-Unit Development Agreement grants development rights for at least three Ziebart franchises. It is not itself a license to operate. The developer must sign a separate, then-current Franchise Agreement for every unit, remain in good standing, obtain approval for each site, and meet the schedule measured from the Development Agreement date.

The FDD does not name a standalone “opening certificate” that automatically follows construction or training. The buyer should obtain written confirmation of the final readiness process and the person authorized to clear opening, because site approval, training completion, and franchisor assistance are not the same as permission to commence operations.

Item 20 and its exhibits identify current and former franchisees who can verify actual site-search cycles, construction bottlenecks, supplier lead times, training scheduling, and what Ziebart required before their openings. The official U.S. franchise page should be used for current market contact, but contractual requirements should be reconciled to the current FDD and signed agreements.