Franchisor Stories
15 Brands for First Time Franchisees
1851 looked at 15 brands to watch as potential new franchisees are looking to see what’s out there
As boutique fitness brands continue to dominate the industry, 9Round Kickboxing proves itself as an innovator in fitness sector for its franchise owners through a low investment cost and a simple yet effective business model. All of this along with a network of dedicated support staff and hundreds of other franchisees makes 9Round an excellent brand to invest in for first time franchisees.
Initial Investment: $75,200 - $116,800
Initial Franchise Fee: $24,000
Number of Units: 539
Following up on the growing trend of healthier fast casual options, Coolgreens is committed to providing menu items that cater to all lifestyles. The brand offers customizable soups, salads, wraps, bowls and flatbread made in-house daily from fresh vegetables and house-made toppings. Coolgreens launched franchising in August 2017 and is already looking to expand into untapped marketplaces including Kansas City, Orlando and Nashville.
Initial Investment: $296,732 - $482,600
Initial Franchise Fee: $40,000
Number of Units: 6
Great Clips is the largest haircare name brand in North America with more than 3,700 salons and over 1,000 franchise owners. On average, franchise owners operate 5 to 6 salons within five years of signing on.
Initial Investment: $136,900 - $258,250
Initial Franchise Fee: $20,000
Number of Units: 4,091
Following a seasonal franchise model, offering a flexible lifestyle for franchise owners is pest control solution brand Mosquito Joe. The franchise offers a relatively low initial investment fee and a niche service offering - providing the opportunity for its franchises to saturate any given market through Mosquito Joe’s services.
Initial Investment: $66,600 - $127,500
Initial Franchise Fee: $25,000
Number of Units: 234
Since its founding in 2005, better breakfast chain Famous Toastery now has 15 locations up and running with 30 more restaurants set to open over the next 18 months. It continues to rise above the rest in the better breakfast sector by continuing to saturate the marketplaces of its franchise owners. The brand also has a large amount of open territories available for both single and multi-unit franchise owners across the country.
Initial Investment: $601,500 - $1,044,000
Initial Franchise Fee: $35,000
Number of Units: 13
JAN-PRO Franchising Int'l. Inc
Coming in at number 2 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2016 Top Low Franchises, JAN-PRO is the fastest growing, number 1 commercial cleaning franchise in the world. The brand serves clients in 13 countries through its more than 10,000 franchises in the system. JAN-PRO also offers home-based franchise opportunities for a more lifestyle-focused franchise opportunity.
Initial Investment: $3,985 - $51,105
Initial Franchise Fee: $2,520 - $44,000
Number of Units: 8,486
Molly Maid
Part of the Neighborly house cleaning franchising brands, Molly Maid unit owners experience an average 97 percent customer retention rate. The concept allows for a flexible lifestyle as well with a standard work week of 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday and offers an opportunity for business ownership in an undying industry of professional home cleaning.
Initial Investment: $89,200 - $137,200
Initial Franchise Fee: $14,900
Number of Units: 466
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries, & Shakes is a rapidly growing fast-casual, better burger concept with over 81 units open in the U.S. and internationally. The brand prides itself on the quality customer care each location brings to its guest and offers a low initial investment fee under $500,000.
Initial Investment: $412,750 - $620,000
Initial Franchise Fee: $35,000
Number of Units: 95
Franchising since 2010, Orangetheory Fitness prides itself as the best 1-hour workout in the country and is the first of its kind as the only heart-rate monitored, high-intensity workout interval training based on science.
Initial Investment: $488,405 - $994,360
Initial Franchise Fee: $49,500
Number of Units: 731
The paint-and-sip sector is continuously growing and Painting with a Twist is number 1 in the Paint and Sip Category on Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500 Ranking for the last four years consecutively. With more than 340 locations opened in since it started franchising in 2009, Painting with a Twist offers its franchise owners a low franchise fee and extensive training programs.
Initial Investment: $89,300 - $188,300
Initial Franchise Fee: $25,000
Number of Units: 289
Showhomes offers its franchise owners a low initial franchising cost in the home-staging industry, which has become increasingly in demand as the housing market continues to stay afloat heading in 2018.
Initial Investment: $50,700 - $84,860
Initial Franchise Fee: $39,900
Number of Units: 60
Holding its title as leading education franchise for the past 30 years, Sylvan Learning offers the most advanced, specialized programs to its clients and has the highest market share of all paid tutoring brands. With more than 750 locations globally, Sylvan Learning provides its students with results and franchise owners with success. The brand offers a low initial investment fee at $70,980 to $159,890, and its top 25% of territories bring in an average annual gross revenue of $756,047.
Initial Investment: $70,980 - $159,885
Initial Franchise Fee: $24,000
Number of Units: 95
The modern, Millennial-friendly brand offers a variety of eccentric pizza choices and has continued to prove itself as a leader in the fast-casual pizza industry by expanding quicker and at a larger scale year over year. Annual average gross sales of locations opened for two fiscal years is $909,543, with 41.2% percent of franchise owners meeting or exceeding this average.
Initial Investment: $292,146 - $530,652
Initial Franchise Fee: $30,000
Number of Units: 77
Welcomemat Services is a marketing revolution for small businesses, offering direct mail marketing service for new movers. The brand offers an investment cost starting as low as $45,500 offers a proven business model and network of support for its franchise owners in the system.
Initial Investment: $59,580 - $87,930
Initial Franchise Fee: $45,500
Number of Units: 63
Twenty-four-hour, seven day a week fitness brand Workout Anytime provides its investors with real estate assistance, a national team to network with as well as financing support for equipment, inventory and payroll. Its mission is to create a unique business opportunity for its franchise partners to allow them to achieve their lifestyle and financial goals through their Workout Anytime Business.
Initial Investment: $449,800 - $865,500
Initial Franchise Fee: $29,500
Number of Units: 130
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
