The Top Low-Cost Franchises This Year

If you’re interested in franchising a business but are intimidated by high investment costs and franchise fees, the franchises listed below are some of the top low-cost franchises this year. Though this list is not holistic, it covers a wide range of franchises that have a low barrier to entry. 

Footprint Floors

Footprints Floors* is a 160-plus unit flooring company.  Founder and CEO Bryan Park started Footprint Floors in December 2009. Park is a veteran who was laid off from the flooring company he worked for. The company couldn’t pay him but allowed him to keep a set of flooring tools. Park initially walked through neighborhoods handing out flyers to promote his skills. By 2013, the brand was ready for franchising. Park is committed to integrity, duty and leadership. 

Initial investment for Footprint Floors is $78,505–$113,030. The bulk of this cost is the franchise fee, which is $68,000. You can view a breakdown of investment costs here. The average of multi-unit gross sales is $586,795, and the average multi-unit gross profit is $247,619.

Junk King

Junk King was founded in 2005 by friends Michael Andreacchi and Brian Reardon. The pair realized that people needed junk removal services, but the market was sparse. They founded their company out of their garage. Today, Junk King is the second-largest junk removal company in North America. Despite the rapid growth, Junk King’s service remained top-notch and now has over 100 territories in the U.S. 

Investment in a Junk King franchise ranges from $89,850–$175,440, depending on the size of the market you’re located in. The franchise fee is $54,000–$78,000. According to item 19 on the 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), franchisees could potentially earn $219,420–$2,707,714.

Hot Box Pizza

Gabe Connell founded the pizza brand Hot Box Pizza in 2004. Since then, the franchise has been perfecting the brand, systems, products and training to put franchisees in the best position for success. Currently, Hot Box has 22 locations with target markets in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio.

Opening a new store costs around $217,000–$462,000, and the franchise fee is $35,000. 

Sir Grout

Sir Grout was founded in 2004, started franchising in 2007 and has now spread to over 40 locations around the U.S. The hard surface restoration and maintenance franchise was founded by Jeff Gill and Tom Lindberg. The estimated initial investment required for a Sir Grout business ranges between $99,795–$152,530. According to Entrepreneur, the franchise fee is $60,000. According to the 2020 FDD, Sir Grout franchisees earned $278,494–$642,070.