Some of the largest and most successful businesses in the United States, including McDonald's, are owned and operated by franchisees. While the fast food business represents some of the best franchise opportunities, there are many others in categories such as retail and home-based businesses.
Fast Food
If you have experience in the food industry, opening a fast food outlet could be made to order. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the top-ranked fast food franchises in the United States are Subway, McDonald's, Sonic Drive-In Restaurants, Pizza Hut and Papa John's. Fast food outlets are considered safe because they provide instant name recognition and a large pool of potential customers no matter where you are. And, as sales at most fast food outlets have shown in recent years, they are nearly recession-proof. You can find information about how much money you'll need upfront to start a franchise at each company's website. Subway's website suggests you can start one with as little as $10,000.
Retail
Opening and operating a retail store is a tricky business but there are several large retailers that have built their businesses through the franchise concept. More than half of Ace Hardware's stores are franchise-owned and the company has an excellent reputation for training and supporting its franchisees. UPS and The Mail Box outlets are two of the top-ranked franchises in the country--they're tied for the No. 8 spot on Entrepreneur's 2009 Top 10 List. According to USA Today, other hot franchises include Cartridge World (a printer cartridge refill business) and Wireless Zone.
Home-Based Franchises
If you want to run your own business and work out of your home, dozens of opportunities are available and many cost under $50,000 to start. Entrepreneur Magazine ranks Jani-King, a commercial cleaning service, as its top home-based franchise. ServiceMaster Clean and ServePro are two more cleaning services it listed among its Top 10. Other top-ranked franchises on the list include Snap-On Tools and Matco Tools and California-based exercise chain Jazzercise.
Tags: fast food, Entrepreneur Magazine, food outlets, top-ranked franchises, United States