Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFranchise FAQ
We get calls from people who want to put their own name on a gate business. This page answers the questions we hear most. If your question isn’t here, call us at (877) 610-2993 and ask. A live person answers.
Common Questions
Do I need experience in gates or fences to qualify?
No. We’ll teach you the trade, but we won’t teach you how to show up on time or answer your phone. The skills that matter most can’t be trained: you have to be willing to put your name on the work, live in the community you serve, and treat a callback like it’s your own gate that won’t open. If you’ve run any kind of service business or managed a crew, that helps. If you’ve never held a wrench, we start with the basics and you’ll spend real time with Hal in a working shop before you ever touch a customer’s property.
What does it cost to open a location?
Most people will invest between $150,000 and $300,000 to get a location open, including the truck, tools, inventory, and working capital for the first months. Your actual number depends on whether you’re building a shop or running from a truck, the cost of commercial space in your county, and how much equipment you already own. We don’t pad this number with hidden line items. When you sit down with us, you’ll see a written breakdown of every cost before you sign anything.
Can I qualify for financing?
We don’t arrange financing ourselves, but we’ll point you toward the same SBA lenders and local banks other franchise owners we know have used. Your own credit history, assets, and business plan determine what you qualify for. We’ll give you honest numbers to take to a lender. If a lender asks questions about the business model, Hal has answered them personally before and will again.
Do I get an exclusive territory?
Yes. You’ll get a defined territory that’s drawn around real town and county lines, not zip codes you’ll never recognize. We’d rather have fewer owners doing good work in places they actually drive through than a map full of pins. Your territory is yours to build in, and no other Gatewood Fence & Gate location will work inside it.
How long is training?
Plan on four to six weeks, split between working alongside Hal at the shop and time in your own territory before you open. You’ll learn gate repair, gate installation, motor and opener service, access control, and onsite welding. The welding matters. We don’t haul a gate back to a shop when it can be fixed in the driveway, and you’ll learn to do that the same way. Training doesn’t end when you open, either. The phone line stays open, and Hal has been known to answer technical questions at odd hours because that’s the job.
What are the ongoing fees and royalties?
There’s a royalty, which is how we keep the brand alive and the support going. There’s also a modest marketing contribution. We don’t hide either one, and we won’t quote imaginative percentages on a website. The exact numbers come in your disclosure document, where the law requires everything to be stated plainly and you can read them at your own pace. What we can say is that no Gatewood Fence & Gate owner has ever been surprised by a fee.
How soon can I be open?
Most owners open their doors within three to six months of signing, depending on how quickly you find a space, get permits, and finish training. If you’re operating from a truck first, it tends to move faster. We won’t rush you to open before you’re ready. A gate business that opens before it’s ready is a business that spends the first six months apologizing, and that’s not how we operate.
What kind of support do I get after I open?
You get the same thing our customers get: a live person on the phone. You’ll have access to Hal and the team for technical help, pricing questions, and the kind of weird gate problem that only shows up once a year. We help with brand materials, your listing, and the systems we’ve used for over 29 years. What we won’t do is run your business for you. You answer your phone, you keep your promises, and you show up. If you want a call center to handle your customers, this isn’t the right fit.
What kind of person succeeds as a Gatewood Fence & Gate owner?
Someone who wants their name on a truck that’s seen around town. The people who do well here live in their territory, hire from the area, and understand that the customer you fix a gate for today is the neighbor you’ll see at the hardware store on Saturday. If you’re the type who gets annoyed when a job is done wrong and wants to make it right, you’ll fit in. If you’re looking for an absentee business, we’ll tell you plainly: this isn’t it.
What’s the next step if I’m interested?
Call (877) 610-2993 and ask for the franchise line. You’ll talk to a person, not a recording. We’ll send you an information packet, answer your questions, and set up a conversation with Hal. There’s no pressure and no runaround. If it’s a good fit, we’ll both know it. If it’s not, we’ll tell you that too.
Still Have Questions?
Call (877) 610-2993 and ask us directly. A live person answers, and if we can’t answer on the spot, we’ll call you back. You can also submit the form below and we’ll reach out. No voicemail trees, no call centers, no runaround.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, building gates and fences since 2001.