Graffiti Removal Service is a mobile franchise responsible for removing graffiti off the walls in Sacramento, California. The company was founded by Paul Watts who’d seen a lot of graffiti when he had to paint over light poles. He noticed that it was a huge issue in the city and was responsible for lowering the value of the real estate.
Since graffiti was everywhere, it made sense to have a lot of graffiti removal trucks. Watts was seeking a Shark Tank investment so he could expand his small business and turn it into a franchise to be utilized in other cities too. He planned on using environmentally friendly products for graffiti removal from one company and had already gotten a franchising license.
Are They Still an Active Company?
The company is still active and in business.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Watts came to Shark Tank with an initial ask of $350,000 for a 15% share of his company. He started his pitch by sharing the story of how he’d noticed the graffiti problem in Sacramento when he volunteered to clean up the community. He decided to start a business around it by utilizing biodegradable and non-toxic removal products.
Watts then demonstrated the effectiveness of his remover by cleaning graffiti on a Stop sign. He shared that the non-toxic nature of the product he used meant that it could be applied directly on the surface and then scrubbed clean with a cloth. He added that the reason for owning so many trucks was to develop a system where the service and product worked in tandem. Watts also shared that the cleaning product itself had been made by another manufacturer, whose identity he kept secret.
The service would generate revenue through royalty and franchise fees. However, up until coming to Shark Tank, Watts hadn’t managed to sell any franchise yet.
The Sharks were interested in the revenue produced by the company if any. Watts responded by sharing that his Sacramento-based business generated $230,000 annually with $75,000 in profit.
Robert was the first Shark to express his doubt since Watts hadn’t managed to sell any franchise yet. Barbara also took up issue with the franchise problem, arguing that Watts will run into legal problems with local governments over it. She was the first to step out, followed by Kevin, who claimed that the model itself was faulty because the franchises will have nothing to gain from the company. Daymond stepped out too, because he didn’t feel that the company had anything solid to offer.
Robert was the first Shark to make a counter-offer. He agreed to $350,000 for a 75% stake in the company. Kevin joined Robert on this one too. However, Watts felt this was too large a share to give up and turned down the offer.
Overall, the Graffiti Removal Service Shark Tank review was negative and they left without a deal. Despite failing to secure an investment at Shark Tank, Watts continued to grow his business. Graffiti Removal Services managed to secure a contract with the graffiti removal company and now also sells their product through the website.
The company is up and running at present. Their services can be availed through their website or their Facebook page.
Our Review of Graffiti Removal Service
We decided to try out Graffiti Removal Service for ourselves to see how it would fare in practice.
The good news is that the service is efficient and quick to respond to customers who require help with removing graffiti. They also quote reasonable prices for their service. It effectively removes graffiti off most surfaces like utility boxes, warehouse walls, and sidewalks. The process of contacting the company and getting a response is simple and straightforward, and most customers are satisfied with the service.
The bad news is that there are many cheaper biodegradable graffiti removers available which means it isn’t necessary to hire a service to do it.
Pros of Graffiti Removal Service
- Quick-to-respond
- Positive customer reviews
- Reasonably priced
- Removes graffiti off most surfaces
Cons of Graffiti Removal Service
- Alternative biodegradable removers are available
Who Is Graffiti Removal Service for?
Graffiti Removal Service is mainly targeted at property owners who want to ensure that the value of their real estate doesn’t go down because of graffiti.
Are There Any Alternatives?
The selling point of Graffiti Removal Service isn’t unique since there are other biodegradable graffiti remover sprays on the market already.
The Rain Guard Water Sealers Remover is one good alternative to Graffiti Removal Service. Building owners might just prefer to utilize this instead of hiring a cleaning service company. This graffiti remover can easily clean any type of spray paint or ink (such as pen, pencil, or marker).
It’s also adaptable to different surfaces such as wood or concrete. It even works on various porous ones, meaning that it will effectively clean graffiti from anywhere, not just walls. The cleaner is also multipurpose, meaning it can be used to clean other impurities. It’s environmentally friendly in many ways because it’s water-based and has low VOC and odor.
It also smells good with a citrus base meaning that surfaces will not only look better but they’ll also smell better after being cleaned with this.
Our Final Thoughts
Although Graffiti Removal Service was an interesting concept and designed to solve a real problem in the community, it would be much harder to implement in practice since the company would’ve run into problems with local governments.
It’s unclear how necessary a graffiti removal service is on a nationwide level. Regardless, on a smaller scale, the service is helpful for store-owners and business owners who don’t want to put off customers with graffiti. Most spray paints are made of difficult-to-remove chemicals, which means that Graffiti Removal Service is a good option to utilize. Plus, the service is quick and affordable, making it easy to use.
