Made in the Shade Blinds & More Franchise Opportunity

Company Overview

Made in the Shade Blinds & More is a custom window treatment franchise providing residential and commercial customers with professionally measured and installed window coverings through an in-home consultation model. Built around the brand's “We’ll Bring the Showroom to You!” approach, franchisees bring product samples directly to customers rather than relying on a traditional retail showroom.

The company offers a broad selection of custom window fashions, including blinds, shades, shutters, draperies, outdoor shading products, decorative grilles, motorized window treatments, and smart-home automation solutions.

Made in the Shade works with established window treatment manufacturers, giving franchisees access to a wide range of styles, materials, price points, and product categories. Products are custom ordered for each customer, eliminating the need for franchisees to maintain significant inventory.

The franchise is designed as a flexible, scalable business that can be operated from a home office by a single owner or developed into a larger organization with salespeople, administrative personnel, installers, multiple territories, and an optional retail showroom.

History and Leadership

Made in the Shade began as a single window treatment business in San Antonio, Texas, and developed into a franchise system serving markets throughout the United States and Canada.

The company was founded by Cathy Morse and remains a family-owned legacy business. Her son, Josh Morse, joined the company after college and gained hands-on experience in the window treatment business before assuming leadership of the franchise organization. The Morse family continues to own the San Antonio operation, maintaining a direct connection between the franchise system and the day-to-day operation of the business model.

The franchise has grown to approximately 160 locations and territories across the United States and Canada.

The Business Model

Made in the Shade operates primarily as a mobile, shop-at-home sales and service business.

Customers typically begin with a complimentary in-home consultation. The franchise owner or sales consultant brings product samples directly to the customer's home or business, evaluates the customer's needs, discusses style and functionality, measures the windows, and recommends appropriate products.

Consultations can address factors such as:

• Privacy and light control

• Interior design and aesthetics

• Energy efficiency

• Room-darkening requirements

• Motorization and automation

• Smart-home integration

• Indoor and outdoor applications

• Budget and product preferences

Once the customer selects a product, the franchisee prepares the order and submits it to the appropriate manufacturer. The window treatments are custom manufactured to the customer's specifications and professionally installed once completed.

Because products are manufactured after they are sold, franchisees do not need to purchase and store significant amounts of finished-product inventory.

Products and Services

Made in the Shade franchisees have access to an extensive selection of custom window treatment products, allowing them to serve customers across multiple price points and design preferences.

Product categories can include:

• Custom blinds

• Roller shades

• Cellular shades

• Roman shades

• Woven shades

• Plantation shutters

• Interior shutters

• Draperies and soft window treatments

• Outdoor shades and exterior shading systems

• Decorative architectural grilles

• Motorized blinds and shades

• Automated window treatments

• Smart-home integrated window coverings

Franchisees work with multiple established manufacturers rather than depending on a single product supplier. This allows owners to offer different materials, colors, styles, operating systems, features, and price points.

In-Home Sales Model

The “We’ll Bring the Showroom to You!” model allows franchisees to conduct most customer-facing sales activity inside the customer's home or business.

Rather than maintaining a large showroom containing every available product, the franchisee uses sample books and demonstration products to create a mobile showroom.

This structure allows customers to see products and colors in the environment where they will actually be installed while allowing the franchise owner to operate without the fixed overhead associated with a traditional retail location.

Home-Based Operation

Made in the Shade is designed to be operated as a home-based business.

A commercial storefront is not required. Most franchisees operate without a traditional retail showroom, although owners can choose to add a showroom, office, warehouse, or other commercial space as their business grows.

Approximately 10% to 15% of franchisees operate with some form of commercial location. Some use these locations as customer-facing showrooms, while others primarily use them for office or storage purposes.

The model allows an owner to begin with a relatively simple operating structure and expand based on the needs and growth of the business.

No Inventory Requirement

Made in the Shade does not require franchisees to maintain significant product inventory.

Window treatments are custom manufactured after the customer places an order. This eliminates the need to purchase large quantities of products in advance or maintain a warehouse filled with finished merchandise.

Franchisees primarily maintain product samples, demonstration materials, measuring equipment, and the tools necessary to conduct consultations.

Installation Model

Franchise owners are not required to personally install window treatments.

Owners who are comfortable performing installations can handle some or all installation work themselves, while others can use independent or third-party professional installers.

When installation is outsourced, the installation charge can be passed through to the customer as part of the project. This allows the franchise owner to focus primarily on marketing, consultations, sales, customer relationships, and business development rather than performing technical installation work.

No Interior Design Experience Required

Franchisees do not need previous experience in interior design, window treatments, construction, or home improvement.

The system is designed to teach owners how to evaluate customer needs, understand the available product categories, measure windows, recommend solutions, prepare quotes, place orders, coordinate installation, and manage the overall customer experience.

The owner's role is primarily consultative and sales-oriented rather than technical.

No Traditional Royalty

Made in the Shade does not charge franchisees a traditional percentage-of-revenue royalty.

The franchisor receives manufacturer rebates associated with product purchases throughout the franchise system. This allows the company to operate without taking an additional percentage royalty from franchisee sales.

Franchisees pay relatively modest recurring fees for certain marketing, accounting, technology, website, email, SEO, and brand-related services.

Additional support services are available on an à la carte basis, allowing owners to select higher levels of assistance in areas such as marketing without requiring every franchisee to purchase the same package.

Manufacturer Relationships

Made in the Shade maintains relationships with numerous established window treatment manufacturers.

These relationships provide franchisees with access to a broad product portfolio while allowing the franchise system to leverage its collective purchasing volume.

Franchisees purchase customer products through approved manufacturers and can offer customers multiple brands and product categories rather than being limited to a single proprietary line.

The multi-manufacturer approach also allows franchisees to serve customers with different budgets, aesthetic preferences, functional requirements, and product needs.

Training

New franchisees receive comprehensive training designed to prepare them to operate the business without previous window treatment experience.

Training covers areas such as:

• Window treatment products

• Product selection

• Measuring techniques

• Installation fundamentals

• In-home consultations

• Customer needs analysis

• Pricing and quoting

• Product margins

• Order preparation and processing

• Sales techniques

• Closing strategies

• Marketing

• Lead generation

• Business operations

• Customer service

• Manufacturer relationships

Training includes hands-on education and exposure to the products franchisees will sell.

The training team includes individuals with direct experience owning and operating window treatment businesses, providing franchisees with instruction based on practical experience within the industry.

Ongoing Support

Support continues after initial training.

Franchisees receive access to corporate personnel, manufacturer representatives, continuing product education, sales and marketing resources, online training, owner communications, group meetings, and other franchise support resources.

Manufacturer partners provide additional education as products and technologies evolve, particularly in areas such as motorization, automation, outdoor shading, and smart-home integration.

The system also provides opportunities for franchisees to interact with other Made in the Shade owners and exchange operating, marketing, sales, and product knowledge.

Marketing Support

Made in the Shade provides franchisees with centralized branding and marketing infrastructure designed to support local customer acquisition.

Support can include:

• A localized franchise website

• Search engine optimization

• Branded email addresses

• Digital marketing resources

• Marketing templates

• Print materials

• Advertising resources

• Brand standards

• Social and digital marketing support

• Paid search and online advertising options

Franchisees can choose different levels of marketing assistance depending on their needs.

Owners who want the corporate marketing team to manage more of their digital marketing can select expanded services, while franchisees with their own local marketing resources can maintain greater control over those activities.

Sales and Customer Acquisition

The Made in the Shade business is built around consultative selling.

Franchisees develop customers through a combination of digital marketing, local networking, referrals, repeat business, relationships with complementary professionals, and community-based marketing.

Potential referral and relationship sources can include:

• Interior designers

• Realtors

• Homebuilders

• Remodelers

• Property managers

• Home stagers

• Contractors

• Furniture retailers

• Commercial property professionals

• Previous customers

Because customers may have multiple windows, rooms, homes, businesses, or future projects, the business also provides opportunities for repeat and referral sales.

Protected Territories

Made in the Shade franchisees operate within protected territories.

Territories provide franchisees with a defined geographic area in which to develop the brand and customer base.

The franchise has established locations throughout the United States and Canada while continuing to have available development opportunities in numerous metropolitan markets.

Flexible Ownership Model

The franchise can accommodate several different ownership structures.

An owner can operate as a hands-on owner-operator, personally conducting consultations and managing customer relationships while outsourcing installation.

As the business grows, the franchisee can add:

• Sales consultants

• Administrative personnel

• Customer service staff

• Installers

• Operations personnel

• Additional territories

• A showroom or office

The business can therefore remain relatively lean or be developed into a larger organization.

Owners can also build the infrastructure necessary to transition toward a manager-run or semi-absentee structure as the operation grows.

Ability to Transition From Employment

Made in the Shade allows franchisees to begin developing the business while maintaining another job or business.

An owner with sufficient schedule flexibility can begin building the operation, generating leads, conducting consultations, and establishing the business before making a complete transition into full-time ownership.

The system also permits franchisees to own other businesses, making the model capable of operating alongside complementary or unrelated business interests.

Family Ownership

The business can also be structured as a family-operated enterprise.

The franchise system includes husband-and-wife teams, siblings, parents and children, and other family partnerships.

Responsibilities can be divided among family members based on their strengths, with one person focusing on areas such as sales and consultations while another manages administration, marketing, scheduling, bookkeeping, or operations.

Scalability

Made in the Shade can be scaled through several avenues.

A franchisee can increase sales within an existing territory by adding sales consultants and expanding marketing activity. Owners can also build additional operational capacity, add commercial space, develop additional territories, and create a larger management structure.

Because the core business does not require significant inventory or a mandatory storefront, additional revenue does not necessarily require the same physical infrastructure associated with traditional retail expansion.

Lifestyle and Scheduling

Window treatments are primarily an appointment-driven home service.

Consultations, measurements, sales appointments, and installations can generally be scheduled in advance. The business does not typically involve emergency service calls or 24-hour customer response requirements.

This provides owners with the ability to structure their calendars around scheduled customer appointments and business development activities.

Revenue Model

Franchisees generate revenue through the sale of custom window treatments and related products and services.

The business operates with an approximate 45% product margin. Installation can be treated separately when outsourced, with the customer charged for the installation service.

The combination of custom products, limited inventory requirements, home-based operations, and the ability to outsource installation creates a business structure centered primarily around sales, marketing, customer acquisition, and project coordination.

The franchise's Item 19 reports an average territory revenue of approximately $730,000, while the system's highest-producing franchise operation generates more than $3 million in annual revenue.

Initial Investment

The estimated total initial investment to establish a Made in the Shade franchise is approximately $78,000 to $107,000, including working capital and startup expenses.

The model does not require a traditional retail buildout, significant finished-product inventory, specialized vehicles, or a large initial employee base.