Top Franchise Opportunities

Would you like to start a business from scratch, but operate within a proven business model with a well-established support system in place? A franchise might be perfect for you. Consider one of these popular franchise opportunities:

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Food Franchises

Denny's

Subway: A fresh and healthier alternative to fast food, Subways can be started up for a modest amount and continually rank among top franchise opportunities. Estimated startup costs: $116,000 to $263,000.
Denny's: This 24-hour-a-day sit-down restaurant chain has a great affinity in towns and cities across the nation. Estimated startup costs: $1.3M - $2.6M
Pizza Hut: Even during the economic downturn, pizza sales remained strong, making a Pizza Hut franchise a safe bet. Estimated startup costs begin at $295,000 plus a $25,000 franchise fee.
Edible Arrangements: Capitalizing on the popularity of healthy foods, Edible Arrangements delivers colorful bouquets of fruit and chocolate. Estimated startup costs: $80,000 in liquidity.
Taco Bell: A strong international brand, Taco Bell offers startup options that range from a small mall kiosk to a freestanding building of 2,400 square feet. Total investment required: $1,193,300-$2,465,600, including franchise fee. And for another side of Taco Bell, check out U.S. Taco.

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Hospitality Franchises

Hampton Hotels: The Hampton brand, including Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn by Hilton, Hampton Inn, Suites by Hilton, and Hampton by Hilton, is an award-winning leader in the mid-priced hotel segment. Total investment required: $3,693,600 to $6,577,500.
Days Inn: Days Inn® is a leading global brand in the economy segment with more guest rooms than any other economy brand in the world and over 1,850 properties worldwide. Under its “Best Value under the Sun” market positioning, Days Inn hotels offer value conscious consumers free high-speed internet and most hotels offer free Daybreak® breakfast. Many hotels also have restaurants, pools, and meeting rooms. Total investment required: $394,700 to $5,725,600

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Fitness Franchises

Crossfit Affiliate Owner David Osorio in his gym — Photo by Samuel Ayide

CrossFit: To be fair, CrossFit is not a franchise, but an "affiliate" system, in which owners pay an affiliate fee to use the name "CrossFit" in one of their affiliated gyms. CrossFit South Brooklyn owner David Osorio started his CrossFit affiliate in 2007 in a local park with a handful of clients. Over the years that bootstrapped operation has grown to a large dedicated space in Gowanus, Brooklyn with 600 members and 20 employees.
Anytime Fitness: Anytime Fitness is a gym chain with modest startup costs, and a low number of failed loans, according to CNN Money. Startup fees are $84,700 to $417,900, with a franchise fee of $20,000 to $35,000.
Jazzercise: If you're looking for a cost-effective fitness franchise with high name recognition, consider Jazzercise. The initial franchise fee is just $1,250.

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Low Cost Franchises

H & R Block: A national tax-prep brand, H&R Block has decades of experience in the tax business. Total Investment: $31,505 - $148,700, plus franchise fee of $2,500.
Vanguard Cleaning: The Vanguard Cleaning Systems® concept offers two distinct commercial cleaning franchise opportunities: the Master Franchise program and the Janitorial Franchise program. Minimum initial franchise fee is $100,000.

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Home Based Franchises

Snap-on Tools: With Snap-On Tools, you'll travel to your customer with a company-branded car. Initial investment ranges from $159,742- $316,254.
Cruise Planners: An American Express Travel Representative, Cruise Planners is the nation’s largest home-based travel advisor franchise network. As a Cruise Planners travel franchise owner, you have the flexibility to run your own travel agency business from anywhere. Total investment starts in the low thousands of dollars.