Top Professional Services Franchises Over 50 Units

Anyone who has been working for at least the past five to 10 years at more than one company knows that the office environment has changed dramatically. Individual offices have given way to the open office concept, for one, and employees are being given portable computers so they can literally take work with them everywhere they go. Numerous studies are coming out about all of these topics and studying all perspectives involved.

But of course, there’s way more to an office than where people sit and how people are expected to work. Offices need a variety of things to keep them going, from financial assistance to recruitment services to cleaning services. One thing is for sure: offices don’t maintain themselves, and it practically takes a village to keep one up and running.

Here are 10 professional services businesses that have more than 50 units.

Office Evolution*

Unit count: 52

Investment range: $288,000 - $853,000

This 1851 Franchise client provides working spaces for smaller companies that typically have employees working from home. Rather than spending a whole lot of money on an office, Office Evolution clients can occasionally rent out professional-looking spaces when they actually need them. Indeed, this company’s major clients aren’t companies that will outgrow the space, but rather, smaller companies who need a longer-term solution, since they don’t necessarily plan to have offices. The average client is a member for three years. The company has been around for 15 years, but has only been franchising for the past five years, and it reached its 50th location in June 2018.

Liberty Tax Services

Unit count: 4000+

Investment range: $58,700 - $71,900

Liberty Tax was ranked No. 485 on Entrepreneur’s top franchise list of 2018. The tax preparation franchise offers personal tax preparation, business tax preparation and Hispanic services in its offices. That said, you can also go the online route to file your taxes. The brand’s website provides free tools such as a tax return and refund calculator and a mileage reimbursement calculator. They keep a fairly active tax blog that provides tax information in easy-to-consume bites. They have locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Low operating costs for high profits, innovative marketing tools and making taxes fun are reasons the company lists for becoming a Liberty Tax franchisee.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service

Unit count: 6,000+

Investment range: $39,721 - $105,375

This tax preparation service is based in New Jersey and has 3,000 locations in Walmarts across the country. Jackson Hewitt also offers business conversion opportunities to individual tax business owners. The brand’s News and Events page is quite active and already has special promotions for 2019 listed. Benefits for franchisees include multichannel operation, top-notch financial products and no fee to use the company’s tax-prep software, ProFiler. The company was acquired by Corsair Capital earlier this year. In August 2018, Jackson Hewitt announced it hired specialist digital agency Friday to be its digital partner and give the Jackson Hewitt services a boost.

H&R Block

Unit count: 9,000+

Investment range: $31,557 - $149,398

H&R Block has prepared more than 720 million tax returns since it was founded in 1955. In June 2018, the company announced they would close 400 locations, with CEO Jeff Jones saying that no job cuts were planned because those locations are within five miles of other H&R Block offices, according to a Fortune report. The company also offers tax business conversion opportunities for franchisees and tax preparation classes to customers, where taking such classes can possibly lead to a job with H&R Block. The brand also sells tax preparation software and its Dollars & Sense website contains information about educating young people about personal finances and taxes.   

SVN Commercial Real Estate Advisors

Unit count: 200+

Investment range: Not listed

This commercial real estate firm was started in 1987 and currently operates in 500 markets. SVN Commercial Real Estate Advisors’ specialty practices include auction services, distressed assets, hospitality, institutional capital markets and retail. SVN’s core values include diversity of thought, open access to knowledge and leveraging global networks. SVN ranked No. 7 in Commercial Property Executives’ Most Powerful Brokerage Firm list this year. The company is committed to gender equality; in 2014 it became a founding sponsor of 5050X2020.org, a campaign to have men and women in an equal number of leadership roles by 2020. The company is also affiliated with CREW Network, Women on Boards 2020 and the Asian Real Estate Association of America.

PrideStaff

Unit count: 80+

Investment range: $154,083 - $260,500

PrideStaff staffing agencies provide temporary staffing and recruiting services. The company has more than 10,000 field associates and focuses on serving small- and medium-sized employers. The brand maintains an active blog about managing issues in the workplace, including employee engagement. In terms of franchising, potential franchisees should have a high energy level, be open to training and supervising junior executives and be willing to run a sales-driven business. Franchisees are given a protected territory, as well as multiple options for field support. PrideStaff also has a billing and collections department that does the first outreach to clients who are overdue on their bill.

Patrice & Associates Hospitality

Unit count: 125+

Investment range: $90,950 - $108,000

This recruiting company focuses on the restaurant and hospitality management space. Patrice & Associates Hospitality was founded in 1989 and started franchising in 2010. Today, it has more than 80 franchisees and 12 regional developers in its system. Franchisees are allowed to develop clients in any market regardless of where their franchise is located, but they are forbidden from targeting another franchisee’s market. Patrice & Associates franchisees are able to place candidates in jobs in different states and provide job interview advice for candidates. They offer a “No-questions” 60-day replacement guarantee if candidates don’t work out. Ideal franchisees must have relationship-building skills and leadership skills and be proactive, among other things.

JAN-PRO

Unit count: 10,000+

Investment range: $4,170 - $54,700

Commercial cleaning enterprise JAN-PRO has more than 10,000 franchises to serve clients in 13 countries. It is committed to helping provide a clean, hygienic workspace. The company cleans offices, schools, religious facilities, medical offices and restaurants, to name a few. Tools used by employees include hospital-strength cleaning products and color-coded microfiber cleaning cloths. Benefits for national account customers include a single point of contact and consolidated billing and flexible financial reporting. JAN-PRO was founded by a U.S. military veteran and the brand prides itself on being a viable franchise option for veterans. Veterans must prove an honorable discharge as part of the qualifying process.

AtWork

Unit count: 90+

Investment range: $154,000 - $214,500

Recruiting firm AtWork places candidates in home health care, administrative and management-level positions, among others. There are three revenue streams: AtWork Personnel services, AtWork Search Group and AtWork Medical Services. The company maintains an active blog that includes tips on the recruitment and interview processes, as well as information on new office openings. In 2018, the company was ranked as one of the largest staffing firms in the U.S. by Staffing Industry Analysts. An ideal franchise candidate is willing to learn, driven and interested in producing results. AtWork offers the VetFran 20 percent franchise fee discount to military veterans who are looking to franchise.

Spherion

Unit count: 150+

Investment range: $110,000 - $190,000

Staffing firm Spherion fills administrative and clerical jobs, customer service jobs, light industrial jobs and more. The company staffs temp-to-perm, temporary, full-time and contract positions that can pay by the hour, by day or by year. Spherion helps more than 3,000 clients and more than 150,000 employees annually. Each staffing office is individually owned and operated, and the company prides itself on being locally-focused and serving communities. Spherion currently has several markets available for franchising. The company has been recognized as a World-Class Franchise by the Franchise Research Institute. Benefits for veterans looking to franchise include a 25 percent discount on the franchise license fee and no charge for initial technology requirements.

*Brands marked with an asterisk are clients of 1851 Franchise or No Limit Agency*.