BUY A FRANCHISE: 10 Franchises Perfect for Keeping Weekends Free

Goddard School URL: http://www.goddardschool.com/ What It Will Cost: $701,400 - $721,400 (includes $200,000 working capital) Why We Like It: What is there not to like about The Goddard School? Take a look at their Entrepreneur Magazine rankings, and you will see a common theme year after year. No. 1 in category over and over again. The reason? This brand provides more support to franchisees than we have ever seen. Talk about a franchisor that has your back – Goddard School does just that. Additionally, franchisees don’t get crushed by heavy hours and exhausting weekends. Sure, you have to come to the table with a higher amount of capital, but you have to spend to make.   Anago Cleaning Systems URL: http://www.anagousa.com/ What It Will Cost: $8,540 - $65,410 Why We Like It: Commercial cleaning is the most underrated, lowest cost and yet highest return business that exists. Many new franchise owners want to own a “sexy” business. Commercial cleaning is not sexy, yet does provide great returns in lifestyle and wealth. In fact, the way most commercial cleaning franchise brands are set-up, you get your weekends free. Anago is the up-and-comer in the segment. One of the coolest parts of this opportunity is the leadership. The brand’s founder and CEO, David Povlitz, envisioned a brand that made a difference in the lives of his franchisees and his customers. His appointed leader, and son, Adam Povlitz is charging that mission. Family business, lifestyle rewarding and affordable to many would-be franchisees. This is a solid franchise opportunity.   Fetch! Pet Care URL: http://fetchpetcare.com/ What It Will Cost: $25,900 - $39,500 Why We Like It: One of the hottest trends in franchising these days are low cost investments. Another hot topic is passion. Blend the two together and you have Fetch! With Fetch!, franchisees bring oodles of passion for pets. This drive starts at the top, as Founder Paul Mann signs his emails with “For the Pets.” Additionally, it’s a business you love and live.   H & R Block URL: http://hrblock.com/ What It Will Cost: $35,510 - $138,200 Why We Like It: Tax preparation is still a very interesting category of franchise brand. While IRS regulations have stiffened, it has almost made existing franchisees stronger. H & R Block has owned the category and is very aggressive on incentives – for CPA conversions, veterans and minorities. Additionally, lifestyle should be added to every tax preparation franchise, as the flexibility of tax season provides a work-free life for over half the year. You want your weekends as a business owner? How about 30 + of them? Work hard and then do what you want.   Mathnasium* Learning Centers URL: http://mathnasium.com/ What It Will Cost: $93,250 - $131,000 Why We Like It: With Mathnasium, at the end of the day, you can very confidently say you made a difference in people’s lives. Life is too short, so why waste it doing something you don’t want to do? We like the scalability of the brand, the commitment to education and the ability to be flexible with hours. Additionally, with many educated teachers finding themselves out of work or having to take on different career, Mathnasium can fill the void where you do what you love, and you own what you love.   Forever Yogurt URL: http://www.foreveryogurt.com/ What It Will Cost: $277,000 - $478,000 Why We Like It: Over the last two years, self-serve yogurt franchisees have been all the rage. Unfortunately, very few of the concepts have evolved into brands. Since barriers to entry are limited, many would-be franchisees turn to opening their own independent yogurt store. Problem is, most fail. With Forever Yogurt, the brand is doing things a little differently. They are focusing on the evolution of experience, as each location takes on a life of its own. Additionally, founder Mandy Calara is a serial entrepreneur, meaning he has tested and tested again every nook and cranny of the business. His vision with Forever Yogurt isn’t just satisfying the needs for the next few years; it’s building a forever brand. New additions like a Froth Bar (hot chocolate) has netted award winning results. Plus, it’s yogurt. Talk about nostalgia. Lifestyle plus wealth are realistic with a brand like Forever Yogurt.   Workout Anytime URL: http://workoutanytime.com/ What It Will Cost: $211,000 - $383,000 Why We Like It: Founders John Q. and Steve Strickland spent much of their careers figuring it out. Working at major fitness chains, the entrepreneurial duo continuously thought bigger was better. Then the economy dipped and the partners realized something – paying a premium price for all the bells and whistles of the workout club was not as necessary anymore. In fact, people just needed simple for a simple price. Thus, Workout Anytime took the important pieces - a little cardio, a little weights and a little experience - and developed a cost effective (memberships are $15/month) with no commitment (they realized customers did not desire the yearly contract). With the model perfected, Workout Anytime doubled in size and then doubled again. Franchisees love the flexibility of concept (open 24 hours/7 days week), the overhead (only 1-3 employees – period - per location), and the opportunity (many franchisees are quickly becoming multi-unit). Today, with 43 clubs, the duo has their eyes 100 units awarded by end of 2012. Flexibility, lifestyle and wealth are all present in this brand.   America’s Swimming Pool Co. URL: http://asppoolco.com/ What It Will Cost: $49,200 - $89,500 Why We Like It: When founder Stewart Vernon created the concept, he did so to fill a niche and a much needed service gap. Pool owners in Macon, GA, needed someone to service their pools. Vernon was just the guy. Fresh out of college, Vernon built a monster of a local business. And, then, naturally decided to franchise it. In 2012, Vernon added 21 more locations. With ASP, prospective franchisees have an opportunity that eats and breathes fun. And with flexibility of work schedule and hours, it allows for flexibility of life.   Wireless Zone URL: http://www.wirelesszone.com/ What It Will Cost: $80,250 - $268,500 Why We Like It: There are two key words that come to mind when exploring owning a Wireless Zone: “innovation” and “service.” On the innovation side, the brand is the premium retailer of Verizon Wireless. However, innovation doesn’t just stop at the big guys. The booming franchise brand (which added more than 200 units in the last two years; effectively doubling in size) has created its own retail line and retail experience. Additionally, before becoming Wireless Zone, the brand was called The Car Phone Store. Talk about modernization. On the service side, the locations are locally owned and operated, which means the consumer doesn’t have to deal with corporate Verizon employees who don’t have any real skin in the game. With low overhead as well as the model being scalable, Wireless Zone is a great brand to fit lifestyle and business growth.   Watermill Express URL: http://watermillexpress.com/ What It Will Cost: $53,000 - $138,000 Why We Like It: Thirty years ago, founders Lani and Don Dolifka were shocked to learn the drinking water in their town was so impure that the municipal provider recommended pregnant women and infants under six months of age not consume it. But rather than dwelling on that unsettling information or spending hard-earned cash on bottled water, they created Watermill Express, a fully automatic, self-serve water purification system that converts tap water into exceptionally pure drinking water. Today, there are 1,300 Watermill Express kiosks across the U.S. You want ease of operations, you got it. The experts in everything H₂O, Watermill Express has two-types of kiosks: an amazingly fresh water kiosk and a crystal clear ice kiosk. In doing so, the franchise has created two technologically advanced models that allow franchisees to do most of the work from the comfort of their own homes. Talk about multi-unit franchise opportunity plus lifestyle plus opportunity, Watermill is perfect for people passionate about making a difference.