Franchise versus New Business Startup

At this point you may be considering a very important and valid question: should I start a business from ground zero or consider a franchise?

At some point most people will come up with this question. Before you move forward, you must answer this question for yourself.

One thing we have found is that many people have a very narrow idea of franchises. Often that idea may begin and end with McDonald's. While that is certainly a very successful example of franchising, there are hundreds (in fact thousands) of others to explore.

Many people do not know that franchising is an established business model that represents 75 different industries. Franchising growth is tied to successful franchise companies and their ability to continue to improve their technology and skills. A sampling of industries that utilize franchising include:

Education	Computers
Sports	Printing/Copying
Signs	Real Estate
Pets	Financial
Automotive	Management
» see franchise types

These are only a small sampling of the industries available to you through Best Franchise Solutions, LLC.

Of the hundreds of franchises available to us, we look for stability, financial strength and proven track records. Our strength lies in the strength of the franchises we can access.

Let's explore some franchise facts.

Depending on which survey/study you select, some of these facts may change slightly but most should not be over looked.

   Approximately 92% of franchise operations are still in business after 5 years. 86% of these still have the original owner.

   Only 20% of 'start up' companies remain in business after 5 years.

   Franchising represents about 42% of all retails sales in the United States today. Current estimates suggest this will be more than 50% in the next 5-10 years.

   A new franchised business opens every 8 minutes in the United States.

   In 2000 (the latest statistical year reported) the median annual, gross income of franchisees was in the $75,000 to $124,000 range. Over 30% of franchisees reported earnings OVER $150,000 per year.

Conventional wisdom supports the fact that franchises represent a safer business model than an individual start up (see chart on side bar). From industry growth, income earned to failure rates, franchises bear up as superior survivors.

It is often said that buying a franchise is "being in business for yourself, but not BY yourself." When someone purchases a franchise they are purchasing the support, the experience and proven business model as well. These opportunities are not available in an individual start up project.

Ready to move forward now?