Under the 2026 FDD, a Surface Experts Business is a mobile, territory-based spot-repair service. The franchisee develops local commercial accounts and employs the field team; the franchisor’s Support Center handles centralized intake, scheduling and dispatch; required vehicles, repair inputs, ExpertNet and operating standards connect the customer request to an on-site repair, invoice and report.
What does a Surface Experts franchise sell, and who buys it?
The unit sells authorized on-site repairs to small areas of damaged interior surfaces, not unrestricted retail products. Commercial accounts are the main demand source, residential customers are permitted, and one paid job may contain several individual repairs.
The 2026 FDD lists minor repair of vinyl, wood, glass, linoleum, tile, laminate and stainless steel. The official U.S. franchise overview adds countertops, floors, cabinets, tubs, sinks and appliances, but Item 16 makes the Franchise Operations Manual and System Standards controlling.
Commercial maintenance buyers
The official site identifies multi-family housing, construction and restoration, hotels and hospitality, real estate and moving companies. Its 98% B2B statement is website context, not a contractual mix.
Residential repair customers
Residential customers may submit projects through the brand website or a local Surface Experts Business, subject to authorized services, approved marketing and the protected Territory.
Job, repair and invoice
Item 19 distinguishes a job from a repair: one job can contain several repairs. Vonigo records the work order and invoice while technicians document field activity.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 3-4; Item 16, pp. 29-30; Item 19, p. 38; Franchise Agreement Sections 1 and 7.1.
How does work move through the unit after a customer need appears?
Local Business Development creates account demand; the Support Center converts inquiries into scheduled work; technicians complete approved repairs; and the franchisee closes each work order through Vonigo, QuickBooks Online, payment records, customer feedback and required reporting.
Actor: Business Development person and Principal Executive.
Action: Build commercial relationships and use approved channels inside the Territory.
Required system/asset: Approved materials, ExpertNet website/SEO and Franchise Operations Manual.
Output: Inquiry, referral or account repair request.
Actor: Support Center, customer and local sales staff.
Action: Collect job details, coordinate an estimate and set the appointment. The official Support Center description also identifies estimate creation.
Required system/asset: VOIP phone, ExpertNet and Vonigo.
Output: Scheduled work order.
Actor: Support Center and technician.
Action: Dispatch and route the service call; the technician reviews customer, surface and schedule data by smartphone.
Required system/asset: Vonigo scheduling, dispatch and routing.
Output: Routed field service visit.
Actor: Lead Technician or trained technician.
Action: Travel in a wrapped Surface Experts vehicle and perform the authorized repair under safety and surface-specific SOPs.
Required system/asset: Vehicle, tools, materials and protective equipment.
Output: Completed repair and job record.
Actor: Technician and franchise office.
Action: Complete the work order, record sales, issue the invoice and capture payment status.
Required system/asset: Vonigo field service management and QuickBooks Online.
Output: Invoice, payment status and accounting record.
Actor: Principal Executive, Support Center and franchisor.
Action: Follow accounts receivable when requested, manage feedback and submit financial reports.
Required system/asset: ExpertNet, QuickBooks Online and retained records.
Output: Follow-up, compliance record and reported Gross Sales.
The Franchise Agreement assigns inquiry handling, appointment setting, dispatch, routing and customer/technician assistance to the Support Center. It gives no response-time or scheduling service level, leaving a material operating dependency to current Support Center procedures.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 8 and 11; Franchise Agreement Sections 5.5, 7.5, 7.9-7.13 and 10; Exhibit E.
Who performs each operating function?
The Principal Executive leads full time; a separate Business Development function creates demand; trained technicians perform repairs; the franchisee is the sole employer; and the Support Center handles centralized intake and dispatch. A manager does not remove owner participation.
The Principal Executive must own at least 50%, hold decision authority, complete training and work full time for three years. The FDD rejects a semi-absentee model. A trained manager may supervise jobs, but cannot replace the Principal Executive requirement.
Franchisee team
- Principal Executive
- Owns staffing, compliance, account development and local decisions.
- Business Development person
- Runs local sales activity and completes required training.
- Lead Technician
- Anchors repair quality; replacement is due within 30 days after departure.
- Other personnel
- Are hired, scheduled, supervised and paid solely by the franchisee.
Franchisor functions
- Support Center
- Handles intake, scheduling, dispatch, routing and requested accounts-receivable help.
- Operations support
- Provides the Franchise Operations Manual, remote advice and coaching.
- Technical system
- Defines authorized services, SOPs, training and System Standards.
- Oversight
- Accesses data, evaluates operations, audits records and requires corrections.
Third-party dependencies
- Vonigo
- Required for work orders, sales, invoices, scheduling and dispatch.
- QuickBooks Online
- Required accounting system integrated with Vonigo.
- Microsoft 365 and CareerPlug
- Included communication and recruiting tools in ExpertNet.
- Approved vendors
- Supply specified tools, vehicles, insurance and other approved inputs.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 11 and 15; Franchise Agreement Sections 2.4, 5.5 and 7.5-7.6.
Which systems, assets and suppliers are mandatory?
The franchisee must use specified vehicles, tools, repair inputs, computers, smartphones and software. Surface Experts Franchising LLC is the sole source for several initial inputs; other purchases must meet specifications or come from approved or designated vendors.
Surface Experts Franchising LLC may require unlimited system updates and independently access sales, customer and report data. Franchise Agreement Section 11.5 makes non-public Business data franchisor-owned and licenses it back during the agreement term.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 8 and 11; Franchise Agreement Sections 7.13, 8, 10.1 and 11.5-11.7.
What does the franchisor control, and what remains a franchisee decision?
Surface Experts Franchising LLC controls authorized services, System Standards, supplier approvals, technology, marketing approval, quality programs, data access and territory exceptions. The franchisee controls employment and daily execution only within those boundaries.
Franchisor-controlled
Franchisee-controlled within limits
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11, 15 and 16; Franchise Agreement Sections 7-11.
How protected is the territory, and where can the franchisee market or work?
The FDD calls the area a protected but non-exclusive Territory. Marketing and service generally stay inside the assigned geography; outside service requires written permission, while guideline-compliant internet and social activity may incidentally reach beyond it.
The Franchise Agreement permits another unit to serve the Territory after default, inadequate capacity or service failure, and permits alternative channels for different offerings. Local units appear in the official Surface Experts locations directory.
Additional geography requires current qualifications, compliance, capacity, market-saturation, Brand Compliance and Quality Assurance approval, plus a Contiguous Territory Addendum.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 12, pp. 24-25; Franchise Agreement Section 2.2; Exhibit H.
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
Item 20 reports a fully franchised network: year-end franchised outlets rose from 76 in 2023 to 103 in 2025, while company-owned outlets stayed at zero. Field execution therefore rests on franchisees, the Support Center and common System Standards.
Year-end U.S. outlet composition
Item 20, Table 1; counts at each year-end
Interpretation: The year-end outlet count increased by 27 across the three-year series, and no company-owned outlet appears in the reported population.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 20, Table 1, p. 39; December 31 year-end counts.
Item 19 reports 93 operating Franchised Locations in 103 territories, while Item 20 Table 1 reports 103 franchised outlets. Table 3 also starts 2025 at 88 rather than Table 1’s 87. The chart therefore uses Table 1 alone.
Which operating questions need direct confirmation?
The FDD explains the structure but not every current service level, vendor specification or staffing interpretation. A buyer should resolve these points against the signed Franchise Agreement, Territory map, Franchise Operations Manual, ExpertNet configuration and Support Center procedures.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19 and 20; Franchise Agreement Sections 2.2, 5.5, 7.5 and 11.5.
How does the Surface Experts operating model fit together?
The customer mechanism is job-based mobile spot repair. The franchisee builds and supervises the local team; the strongest dependencies are the Support Center, ExpertNet, approved inputs and System Standards. Territory protection is conditional, and Support Center service levels remain the largest operating detail to verify.
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