Franchise and Business Opportunities Articles

Each year, Entrepreneur, a prominent online and print source for everything business, releases its list of the top 10 new franchises. While it’s unclear exactly what the criteria is for this list, one thing that’s clear is that every business that makes it onto the list has a solid business model and business plan and has proven itself to be a viable business option in the current market.

What’s particularly interesting about the 2009 list is that in the midst of our current global recession, many entrepreneurs are looking for anything from work at home franchises to retail businesses that can profit in the midst of recession. While Entrepreneur is not claiming that any of these top 10 are "recession-proof", there is something to be said for any business, particularly a new business, that’s making headway in the midst of our current economy. Here’s a quick look at 5 franchises recently featured in Entrepreneur’s top 10 and some detailed information about what’s involved in each franchise.

Instant Tax Service
Quickly approaching its tenth year in operation, Instant Tax Service began franchising in 2004 and has quickly risen to become nationally recognized as a top competitor to some of the bigger name tax preparation services. Touting more than 1200 locations nationwide, and one of the lowest startup costs of any tax preparation franchise, you’ll be supported by a central staff that has experience training and answering nearly any tax-related or business-related question, without breaking the bank. It should be noted that you don’t need to be a CPA to start an Instant Tax Service franchise, you don’t even have to know how to do your own taxes, you just need the desire to own your own business and run it successfully, all of the other necessary training will be provided by the franchisor.

Snap Fitness
As obesity and health problems increase in America, so does the desire for a convenient way to get some good cardiovascular and fat burning exercise. One of the major problems for many Americans, however, is that their local gym may not be open when they need to work out. Whether you start out work early in the morning, want to go work out late or night or simply like waking up at 3am and climbing the stairmaster, Snap Fitness exists to provide 24/7 access for it’s clients to a fully equipped gym. This safe and secure gym has received plenty of top rankings from sources like Entrepreneur Magazine and with their "big box" health club mentality on the smaller scale, you can bring this successful franchise to nearly any neighborhood and find success for yourself, regardless of size and population.

Chester’s
While it’s unfortunate if you happen to be a chicken, Americans eat more chicken than any other kind of meat. On average, each individual American will eat over 80 pounds of chicken in a year. Whether baked, bbq’ed or fried, Americans can’t seem to get enough, and Chester’s is taking advantage of our love of chicken by offering some of the tastiest fried chicken on the planet. With a menu filled with delicious fried chicken, tempting tenders, sandwiches, wraps, breakfast items and more, there’s something for just about everyone (sorry vegans), and with Chester’s, you’ll have a tasty product, a strong business plan and the brand recognition that comes along with that chicken in the blue cowboy hat, your franchise will be memorable to customers and passers by alike.

Goin’ Postal
With A wide array of shipping services, printing and copying services, ink & toner supplies, office supplies. mailbox rentals, packaging materials & services and even tax services, Goin’ Postal is way more than your typical shipping store. For less than $4,000, you can start a Goin’ Postal express kiosk, or go up to a mere $45,000 for a complete store, both of which are drastically lower that the cost of their competitors. Goin’ Postal may be new to the shipping center game, compared to some of the bigger names out there, but their strategy of offering a plethora of services in one location for a good price is sure to put them at the top of the list of shipping centers in the years to come.

Senior Helpers
Believe it or not, senior care is one of the fastest growing sectors of the healthcare industry. Why, you ask? The major contributing factor is that baby boomers are heading into retirement age and many are approaching the age where in-home healthcare assistance is needed. If you choose to start a Senior Helpers franchise, you’ll get much more than just a little training or a website, Senior Helpers has a proprietary marketing system, detailed demographic research by region and customizable systems to make integrating your lifestyle into the franchise, or vice versa, as smooth as possible. Best of all, you can open your Senior Helpers franchise as a home based business, or in a small office setting; the choice is yours.

Whether you choose a home business or a retail location, each of these franchises offers great profit potential, coupled with strong business plans that will hold water in a rocky economy and will hold up in the long term. If any of these franchises spark your interest, take a closer look into the fine print details and see which franchise is best for you and your personal goals.