Franchise rankings can often be located with ease online via a wide range of entrepreneurial blogs – crucial to an ambitious entrepreneur’s franchise search. If this is the first time you’ve considered becoming a franchisee, may we advise you to research the subject carefully? Unless you are passionate and knowledgeable about your chosen franchise, it may be advisable to invest your time and energy elsewhere.

What’s Are FDDs?

Prior to making your decision of going into business, it’s crucial to make use of a number of resources, including your solicitor and your accountant. In addition, it is now mandatory that franchises provide you with full Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs). The FDDs will provide you with all of the essential information you need to know in advance of embarking on your new enterprise.

Another key element of your research should include talking to other franchisees about their experiences. You can learn essential information from already established franchisees. There is no better form of research than talking to those that have ‘been there’ and ‘done that’. By speaking to those who have lived the experience, make the best mentors! And without at least one established mentor, you will not be ready to go into business.

Each of the companies listed in our 25 Leading Home-Based Franchises is judged fairly on the same criteria, regardless of the kind of franchise or the size of it. Each franchise is measured up against the same quantifiable measures, including stability and strength, the size of the system, the growth rate as well as many other factors.

Discover the Leading 25 Home-Based Franchises below:

1) Jan-Pro Franchising Int’l. Inc – Commercial Cleaning – $3.15K – 50.41K
2) System4 – Commercial Cleaning – $6.16K – 37.75K
3) Vanguard Cleaning Systems – Commercial Cleaning – $9.85K – 35.83K
4) Snap-on Tools – Professional tools & equipment – $143.68K – 307.7K
5) Jazzercise Inc. – Dance fitness classes, conventions, apparel & accessories – $2.98K – 76.5K
6) Cruise Planners-American Express Travel – Cruise & tour travel agency – $1.6K – 19.49K
7) Anago Cleaning Systems – Commercial cleaning – $8.54K – 65.41K
8) Matco Tools – Mechanic’s tools & service equipment – $77.88K – 243.71K
9) Chem-Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning – Carpet drapery & upholstery cleaning – $34.75K – 131.5K
10) CruiseOne – Cruise & travel agency – $4.63K – 26.27K
11) Novus Glass – Auto glass repair & replacement – $31.57K – 134.8K
12) Home Helpers/Direct Link – Medical & nonmedical personal-care services – $61.5K – 120.8K
13) Heaven’s Best Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning – Carpet & Upholstery cleaning – $44.9K – 65.9K
14) Proforma – Printing & promotional products – $4.73K – 44.7K
15) Weed Man – Lawn Care – $67.04K – 84.1K
16) CertaPro Painters Ltd. – Residential & commercial painting – $129K – 158.5K
17) Buildingstars Int’l. Inc. Commercial cleaning. $2.2K – 52.8K
18) Steamatic Inc. – Cleaning services, disaster-recovery service, insurance restoration – $122.35K – 199.05K
19) Tutor Doctor – Tutoring Services – $67.5K – 170.7K
20) Padgett Business Services – Financial, payroll, consulting, & tax services – 105.96K
21) Kona Ice – Shaved-ice truck – $103.7K – 19.1K
22) Pop-A-Lock Franchise System – Mobile security, locksmith services – $87.27K – 99.42K
23) American Leak Detection – Concealed water – $76.76K – 259.55K
24) Sears Home & Business Franchises Inc. – Carpet, upholstery, air-duct & dryer vent cleaning – $11.03K – 191.55K
25) American Poolplayers Association – Recreational billiard league – $17.08K – 24.15K

Expensive Franchises Vs Low Cost Franchises

Despite the constant advertising via TV, radio and print, expensive franchises, such as McDonalds are not necessarily your best option.

Commonly, when considering investing in a franchise opportunity, they tend to gravitate towards bigger and better known brands. This is due to feeling like the safer options as they are more familiar with and therefore can be easier to put their trust and faith into due to encountering them in their daily lives. Yet, what’s worth remembering is, if you have the skill and knowledge to run a successful franchise, the level of familiarity it has already shouldn’t count.

By choosing a major franchise, you can enjoy the magnificent brand recognition in which it has to offer, their national footprint can mean that they are very expensive to buy into, providing vast difficulties for many as a franchise opportunity unless in possession of hundreds of thousands to invest. Thankfully, for those with a somewhat more justifiable amount of funds, there are low-cost franchises available in practically every industry sector that you could imagine.

What Makes One Franchise Cheaper Than Another?

There are more and more businesses wanting to promote their brand name, but without sufficient resources to launch newer branches, franchising can be a prime solution. Developing businesses who offer lesser start-up costs to their potential franchisees, can also offer more flexibility when it comes to the manageability – providing additional perks, certainly to those who are new to franchising.

Of course, each industry sector has varying requirements. For instance, the start-up capital requirement costs are likely to vary dependant on specific factors of the business, such as, whether the business is run from an office or home, whether equipment needs to be purchased, the average number of employees needed to run the franchise, the overhead costs, the cost of initial supplies and so on.

Typical Investment Costs for a Low Cost Franchise

The cost of a franchise can vary greatly dependant on the factors listed above. For instance, a home based franchise can start from $25,000, whilst a retail franchise may start at $150,000+. Fast food franchises can start from as much as $1,000,000, which surprisingly is actually classed as cheap in comparison to restaurant franchises (of which can cost over $5,000,000). In other words, every franchise will be considered in terms of the category that it falls within.

Franchises are apparent in pretty much every industry, from fast food to real estate and financial services to advertising and promotion. As a potential franchisee, it helps to have a passion for the category in which you wish to pursue.

An attractive option for current business owners are conversion franchise businesses as they provide a lower start-up cost and are therefore a more affordable option. By doing so, start-up costs are lower, as is the capital for equipment, not to mention staff recruiting and so on.

You may not think it, but there are many industries that have affordable franchises. In fact there are hundreds of business categories that a probable franchise owner could contemplate, many of which are reasonably priced. Franchise opportunities requiring no more than a $50,000 liquid capital are far more common than you may think, take a look below:

1) Automotive

2) Business Opportuinities

3) Business Server Franchises

4) Kids Franchises

5) Tax Preparation Franchises

6) Food Franchises

7) Healthcare Franchises

8) Home Improvement Franchises

9) Handyman and Maintenance Franchises

10) Spa Franchises

11) Sports Franchises

12) Computer and Internet Franchises

13) Tutoring Franchises

Click here for more information on franchises and other business opportunities.

The franchises listed above work so that a franchisee buys the shop premises yet sells the goods of the franchise company they have selected. What many don’t realise however is that franchise businesses don’t have to be bricks and mortar – they can in fact be home-based, just as they can be internet based. There is a wide range of advantages for an online franchise, which explains why many entrepreneurs are choosing to start-up franchises online. Cost Advantages of an Online Franchise? By running an online franchise, you can save yourself the expense of costly overheads. In fact, you can save a substantial amount of money. Traditional franchise businesses can be expensive due to the level of overheads that need to be accounted for, including purchasing the commercial space, decorating it, covering day-to-day maintenance costs not to mention paying your staff’s wages. Each of these factors make online franchises far cheaper to run, especially as all you need to pay for is the domain and the website. This enables further funds to afford web development, advertising, marketing and so on.

Cost Advantages of an Online Franchise?

By running an online franchise, you can save yourself the expense of costly overheads. In fact, you can save a substantial amount of money. Traditional franchise businesses can be expensive due to the level of overheads that need to be accounted for, including purchasing the commercial space, decorating it, covering day-to-day maintenance costs not to mention paying your staff’s wages. Each of these factors make online franchises far cheaper to run, especially as all you need to pay for is the domain and the website. This enables further funds to afford web development, advertising, marketing and so on.

Your Online Franchise Can Be Open 24-7

The opening hours of your franchise are what make it even more of an attractive business proposition – as it can be open 24-7, enabling revenue to be generated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! The facility of an ‘online shop’ is that there are no opening or closing times to abide by, instead your online store can be open all the time and accessible to anyone. Online franchises have very little restrictions – unlike traditional franchises – providing more customer convenience. An online franchise can be accessed by all, from any given location on a global scale, yet traditional franchises are restricted by the location as well as the hours it can operate.

Online Franchises Are Fast Moving

Another huge benefit of online franchising is that they can move at a fast pace – that’s if you want them to! You can implement changes across the franchise at speed. This means if you are looking to re-brand your company, there’s no need to change the protocol across hundreds of potential stores, instead you can make changes, with minimal effort. So, have you considered running an online franchise as opposed to a conventional franchise – if not, why not? As the business owner of an online franchise, you can gain a highly supported network of franchises at minimal cost. New online franchises are being attracted on a daily basis and with such a low initial investment it’s not surprising. It’s only a matter of time before online franchises become even more popular.

Contrary to popular belief, the study demonstrated that entrepreneurs who begin their own business are not motivated by numerous other factors than making money, hard to believe right? In fact, when considering the reasons the majority of entrepreneurs start their own business – Money doesn’t even make the top 3 (it’s in fact in 4th place).

Reason 1:

In actual fact, the top reason entrepreneurs look to start their own business, is… freedom. They wish to gain the freedom to track new and thrilling opportunities. The idea of being tied to one thing, or having to rely on an external source for an income, is the complete opposite to what an entrepreneur looks for in a business opportunity.

Reason 2:

Entrepreneurs want to follow their own personal dreams and desires – it’s in their blood. They love doing what they do and although this may not be enough to maintain a business in the long-term, this factor certainly plays an important part in keeping the modern day entrepreneur receptive, energised and eager to strive forward.

Reason 3:

Entrepreneurs like to be in control – as reason 3 proves – so they seek to avoid the control of others. An entrepreneur sees control as being more significant than money. Therefore an entrepreneur is someone who relishes their independence whilst wanting to take charge of their own destiny and perhaps even the destiny of others. So if you love your independence and hate being told what to do, entrepreneurism could perhaps be your forte?

Little Caesars Pizza – Michael Llitch (Net Worth: $1.5 Billion)

First up, we have Michael Llitch. He’s the incredibly successful Detroit native and founder of Little Caesars Pizza franchise. Initially a Baseball player, once his baseball career came to an abrupt end (as a result of a knee injury), Llitch started up his first Little Caesars Pizza in Michigan with his wife Marian. With a range of innovative ideas, Llitch created the no-fuss concept of takeaway pizza. No need for tables, chairs or waiting staff. Just order a pizza and with the use of modern gadgetry, customers gained affordable pizzas at their convenience. With use of heated conveyor belts to keep pizzas warm and to cope with high customer demand, this unique pizza selling tactic resulted in multiple Little Caesars forming.

Rent-A-Car Enterprise – Jack C. Taylor (Net Worth: $6.5 Billion)

Taylor started a company of his own that offered replacement cars for those who had experienced damage or theft of their vehicle. This step into entrepreneurship led to a billion dollar enterprise – not bad for a college school dropout eh?

The concept of replacement vehicles and vehicle rentals proved advantageous whilst highly competitive, making it a rival for all other automotive based companies. Starting a business with just 7 cars and 1 single employee, this self-made millionaire witnessed his car company grow substantially which has now resulted in the largest car provider in North America, employing over 68,000 people and netting almost $13 billion in yearly revenue.

Hilton Hotels – William Barron Hilton (Net Worth: $2.5 Billion)

William Barron Hilton is the son of hospitality legend Conrad Hilton, a former World War II Navy veteran and the former chairman of Hilton Hotels. In 1966, after a string of unsuccessful attempts to create a successful business venture of his own, William Barron decided to dedicate his career to expanding the Hilton Hotel empire. Today, the Hilton Worldwide Group includes multiple hotel franchise concepts not to mention 500+ Hilton hotels and resorts.

Subway Sandwich Shops – Fred DeLuca (Net Worth: $1.8 Billion)

Fred DeLuca opened his first sandwich shop in 1965 with a mere $1,000 (which he borrowed from family friend Dr. Peter Buck). Shockingly, the original name for Subway was in fact Pete’s Super Submarines, which didn’t quite fit, hence the name change. Story has it that in the first day of opening, Fred and Dr. Buck sold a staggering 315 sandwiches! Before too long, DeLuca and Buck set a goal of starting up 32 stores in less than 10 years and turned to franchising as their method of growth. Now Subway is the largest restaurant chain in North America, boasting a presence in excess of 34,000 locations throughout 96 countries, whilst they continue to expand.

Marriott Hotels – John W. Marriott (Net Worth: $1.3 Billion)

Mr J.W. Marriott Jr is both chairman and CEO of Marriott International. Not only did he inherit his Father’s name, but also his Father’s global hospitality chain. Despite this, Marriott Jr was a key component in transforming Marriott into one of the planet’s most prosperous hotel franchises, totalling a grand 3,000 properties and 300,000 employees.

Jr was given the opportunity to run the very first Marriott hotel and by the 1970’s, he had gained amazing success within the hotel market. After realising the potential in growing the Marriott hotel brand, he turned to franchising in order to help afford expansion.

• Lost Password