Franchise and Business Opportunities Articles

This morning I got out of bed.  Verb selection is everything here: I didn’t bound out of bed, or spring out of bed, or even simply rise out of bed with a mild degree of remote enthusiasm.  But what if you could?  What if your work were so intriguing, so invigorating, so downright fun that you were inspired every morning to wake up and go to work out of the sheer opportunity for enjoyment?

Alright, so maybe that sounds like a bit of an exaggeration—and in fact, it may be—but finding pleasure in your work isn’t as far-fetched as most of us think.  For the entrepreneur there is a long list of franchise opportunities available to you that may just be liable to get you out of bed in the morning with maybe just the slightest hint of a smirk on your face.  Here are what we consider to be this year’s top ten FUN franchises.

When I was a kid, the most fun my friends and I had generally happened on or around our bikes.  Our first fun franchise provides others with the same enjoyment we had as children.  Wheel Fun Rentals is America’s premier recreational rental chain.  Considered one of Success magazine’s hottest new franchises, Wheel Fun makes summer afternoons great for both customers and business owners because all the fun that clients are having inevitably spills across the counter to employees who are already doing what they love: playing with bikes, kayaks, pedal cars, and an array of other fun vehicles.

If pedal cars aren’t your thing, but you do like being physically active and you’re a woman, try out an IMX Pilates franchise.  Leading a small gym designed to help other ladies slender down and firm up is a great way to serve the community, make some money, and get a whole lot of great workout time for yourself.  And with Pilates being the hip, booming market that it is right now, IMX is both fun and profitable.

As odd as it sounds to some, nothing is more enjoyable and relaxing for many American men than rolling up their sleeves, grabbing a bag a fertilizer and a mower, and diving into some good ol’ lawn maintenance.  We’ve all seen these special guys out in the yard on a Saturday, every Saturday, but did we know that they could use that passion as a career?  Whether that passion is doing the work himself or watching others put money in his pocket while doing the work themselves, franchisees with Lawn Doctor cash in while flexing a green thumb.

Physical activity and the outdoors, though, aren’t fun for everyone; some of us much prefer to stay inside for a little entertainment.  But staying inside doesn’t mean you have to stay inside your house.

Gamers, look no further; your dream job is waiting for you at the helm of your own Play N Trade franchise.  This is the business opportunity of a lifetime for videogame fanatics.  What could be more fun than playing games, selling games, learning all you can about games, and making the paycheck of a business owner and not a sales-floor lackey?  Any franchise with the word Play in the title is a no-brainer.

If not selling the media itself, though, maybe the franchise up your alley deals in the chemicals that make all-night gaming possible.  Forget mainstream energy drinks; the aspiring small business owner looking to tap this limitless and energized market needs to get onboard with Mad Dog Buzz Bites.  They look like innocent little chocolate chews, but each one packs as much of a caffeinated wallop as a whole cup of coffee!  Run this home-based business from the comfort of your living room, sell out of vending machines, and know that customers are just as fueled by your product as you are.  And for the coffee elitist who feels deprived by anything less than a real caffeine high from a professional barista behind a big-time espresso machine, another great option for brewing up a good time for franchisee and client alike is opening your own Biggby Coffee shop: fast, fun, and energized, just like life should be.

One industry that’s always popular is food, and for the edible-minded business-owner, the enjoyable opportunities are endless.  A particular favorite right now is the smoothie bar.  Starting up an Emerald City Smoothie franchise is sure to attract the mildly health-conscious, urban hipster as well as the hardcore fitness-nut.  But while a smoothie is definitely enjoyable, let’s not forget those of us who would much rather go full-bore, running rabidly into the nearest Baskin Robbin store for that same triple-scoop, rocky-road/pistachio/mint-chip monstrosity we’ve ordered for the last twenty years.  Who wouldn’t want to make people smile like that?

One food franchise not to be overlooked on the fun-chart is U-Turn Vending.  That’s fine, go ahead and laugh; your laughter now is only the beginning with this home-business opportunity.  For an incredibly low start-up cost and even lower overhead, a vending machine salesman laughs all the way to the bank on nothing more than the joy of selling candy without actually having to be present to make the sale!  Now that’s fun.

Finally, for the entrepreneur who’s finally admitted that, no matter what he tries to act like, he’s still a child inside: one of the most fun franchises that could ever be found is owning your own Remote Control Hobbies store.  Selling toys sometimes capable of reaching highway speeds (of regular cars) to kids and grown-up kids alike is nothing to scoff at, and really everything to smile at.  Few franchises can offer you anything like that.

In fact, really, few franchises can offer a franchisee the simple yet undeniable pleasures that any one of these fabulous opportunities can afford.  Granted, for each of them to really be the blast that it’s capable of being, it takes just the right kind of owner to fit the bill.  So pick your pleasure, start your franchise, and maybe think about setting your alarm just a little bit earlier each morning—it’s not like it’s going to affect your wonderful mood.