16 Top Money Making Businesses for Franchises
“I want to start a business—but have no ideas.” Does this sound familiar? Innovating original business ideas is no small feat. Plus, there’s the possibility the business won’t work out, and then all that time and money is wasted…if only there were tried and tested business models you could use instead.
There are! Franchises are the perfect solution to this problem for those interested in starting a business. With a franchise, you get all the perks of business ownership without having to drum up the latest hot business idea.
To choose the right franchise for you, consider looking at the current market—who’s doing well and who’s driving success—and let that guide your choice. If you’d like to know what businesses will thrive in 2022 and beyond, check out this list of 16 top money-making franchises. All are pulled from the Franchise Gator directory (which you can browse for even more franchise ideas here).
Hot New Business Ideas
Successful new business ideas that spark loyalty with customers early on can easily become a prospering franchise, such as:
Have you ever been in a situation where you desperately needed your phone, but it was out of battery? It can make difficult circumstances even more challenging to figure out!
Brick Technology comes to the rescue in these situations with its power bank sharing technology. You can rent a portable power bank that fits in the palm of your hand (plus a cable) from any of their stations scattered across the globe. This startup has only been around since 2019, but it’s fast growing and already listed as a top power bank sharing app and service.
- Total Investment: $20,000
- Get the latest here
- Unity Rd.
The global cannabis market is seeing insane growth, with an extremely high projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.04% from 2021 to 2028.
If you’d like to get in on this flourishing business model, a franchise like Unity Rd. is a smart way to break into the market. Described as an “elevated cannabis dispensary experience,” Unity Rd. assures its franchisees that they will be with you every step of the way.
- Total Investment: $1,000,000 - $2,500,000
- Number of Current Units: 8
If only our pets could do their business on the toilet. Unfortunately, most pets aren’t that talented, and humans are left to deal with the waste. But guess how much it can pay to be the one picking up that waste? Surprisingly, quite a lot!
In fact, 46% of franchisees for Doody Calls (a pet waste removal service) attained or exceeded average gross sales of $443,454 in 2020. They’ve definitely got something figured out with this business model, as Doody Calls has been saving us from stepping in or picking up poop since 1999.
- Total Investment: $73,000 - $92,000
- Get the latest here
Profitable Home Business Ideas
Looking for small business ideas from home that you can do in your sweatpants? You can stay home to work with any of these franchises:
The founders of Tutor Doctor were frustrated by the educational gaps in traditional classroom settings. So, they decided to start offering tutoring services that filled in those gaps. Each student gets a teacher who specializes in that student’s unique learning style, earning them a 95% customer satisfaction rate.
Tutor Doctor now has a national license, which allows them to offer online tutoring services. This means franchisees can work from home and set a schedule that works with their lifestyle.
- Total Investment: $85,000 - $200,000
- Number of Current Units: 729
Cruise bookings are surging, especially as tourism begins to increase after the COVID-19 pandemic. Even throughout the travel challenges of the pandemic, Cruise Planners continued to thrive. Entrepreneur magazine has even named them the #1 travel franchise for 17 years in a row.
If you’re unsure of how to start a small business at home, you should know Cruise Planners has had a remote work model since the 90s. You’ll soon be able to run your own travel advisory business all from the comfort of your own home—or maybe even the deck of a cruise ship!
And if you’re looking for the best business to start with little money from home, you can take part in the Cruise Planners franchise for as low as a $2,295 total investment.
- Total Investment: $2,295 - $23,617
- Number of Current Units: 2,500
You want a clean home, but you don’t have time or energy to clean it. We’ve all felt this pain before. This is why cleaning services are so successful and why the cleaning industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% from 2020 to 2027.
If you want to contribute to cleaner, more hygienic homes everywhere, a franchise with The Maids might be your calling. The bulk of operations—like scheduling appointments and managing your team—can be done from your home base.
- Total Investment: $64,100 - $154,300
- Number of Current Units: 1,473
Low-Cost Business Ideas With High Profit
Often, the biggest struggle of starting a business is getting funding. Thankfully, not all franchises have high total investment requirements. Check out these franchises with low startup costs that can lead to high profit:
If you love the world of finance, then Vernon Street Capital might be the franchise for you. Total investment requirements are low, and in return you’ll have access to the foundation of a full service financial company.
Vernon Street Capital offers extensive, user-friendly training, covering everything from commercial and business loans to credit score improvement and website development. You can rest assured you won’t be going at this business venture alone—Vernon Street Capital’s support is heavily complimented by franchisees, described as “fantastic” and “top notch.”
- Total Investment: $5,995
- Number of Current Units: 975
It’s anticipated that the medical billing industry will see a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.34% from 2022 to 2030. If you’d like to get in on this booming market, you can with American Business Systems.
As an American Business Systems franchisee, you can work from anywhere, full-time or part-time. Their comprehensive training covers every aspect of practice management and cash flow optimization, putting you on your way to earning that six-figure income other American Business Systems franchisees have reported.
- Total Investment: $28,990
- Number of Current Units: 450
Staining decks and fences is a common homeowner practice for good reason. The stain waterproofs the wood, prevents rot, and improves a home's appearance. And the need for these kinds of services is expected to increase as the home improvement services market is anticipated to rise from $316.8 billion in 2020 to $585.3 billion in 2030.
As a fence and deck staining service franchise, Wood Defender gets franchisees started with all the equipment, products, and training needed to provide high-quality staining services. And if you’re looking for the best business to start with little money, Wood Defender offers franchise packages to fit all kinds of budgets.
- Total Investment: $10,000 - $150,000
- Number of Current Units: Get the latest here
Ideas to Make Money With Food
People will always need to eat—why not be on the other end, serving up tasty dishes? Here are some franchises that will make your mouth water:
Candy Industry reports that more than 80% of adults will consume chocolate this year. That’s a lot of people eating chocolate! If you’d like to be making money off of this love for chocolate, consider starting a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise.
This franchise goes beyond offering mouthwatering chocolate for you to sell—they offer a whole experience. They will guide you on store design specifications, marketing support, team training, day-to-day operations, and everything else you need to know to satisfy customer cravings.
- Total Investment: $250,000
- Number of Current Units: 300
Ever thought about opening up your own pub? Get a running start with the well-known brand and food from the Beef 'O' Brady's franchise.
They serve all the pub classics people love—hand-breaded pickle chips, award-winning wings, prime rib sandwiches, molten chocolate cake, and more. And by joining the “Beef family,” you’ll get access to numerous other benefits, like additional certification programs and the famous annual retreat.
- Total Investment: $668,000 - $1,157,000
- Number of Current Units: 183
Ah, the cookie—a crisp, yet chewy, baked good that makes mouths water. Gourmet cookies take it one step further and make the perfect gift to show appreciation, celebrate, sympathize, or show someone you care.
Mrs. Fields has been getting in on this gourmet cookie market since 1977. Now you, as a franchisee, can own a Mrs. Fields kiosk or storefront and serve these gooey treats to the masses. Through Mrs. Fields’ ongoing support, training, and marketing services, you’ll find it’s easy to be passionate about their brand and delicious products.
- Total Investment: $151,000 - $416,500
- Number of Current Units: 275
Most Profitable Companies in Home Care
The home care provider industry was expected to grow 4.1% in 2022 in the U.S, and when it comes to home care, there are quite a few franchises to choose from:
Since 1999, Synergy HomeCare has strived to bring “life-energizing care to as many people as possible – on their own terms, in their own homes, no matter their situations.” If you’d like to combine a love for business and a passion to care for others, then Synergy HomeCare might be a good franchise option for you.
Franchising with Synergy HomeCare gets you access to insight and training from home care industry experts, a personalized start-up coach, protected territories, and multiple revenue streams to make your business recession-resistant.
- Total Investment: $44,286-$170,912
- Number of Current Units: 400
Home Helpers offers home care with their Cared-4 program, which is “a holistic approach to meet the four primary areas of need, helping your loved one stay safe and independent at home.” These areas of need include:
- Care and Companionship
- Wellness Calls
- Safety and 24-Hour Monitoring
- Nutrition and Well-Being
If you’d love to learn from the home care experts at Home Helpers, they make it easy to get started. Home Helpers encourages its franchisees to bring passion every day, love what they do, and be driven by excellence.
- Total Investment: $96,350 - $139,250
- Number of Current Units: 308
Most Successful Small Business Ideas in Tech
It’s no secret that the tech industry is growing. Overall, the tech industry is estimated to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% through 2024. Get in on the need for tech services now with these franchises:
In 2009, a 21-year-old co-founded uBreakiFix out of his bedroom to repair cell phones. Now, there are UBreakiFix storefronts all across the U.S. and Canada. They also just started offering a “We Come to You” mobile van service, expanding the number of clientele their business model can reach.
Franchisees of UBreakiFix come from all walks of life. They emphasize that you do not need to be an engineer by any means to get started. Some of their most successful franchisees come from sales backgrounds and understand how to team build and network. If that describes you, then UBreakiFix might be a good franchise option to consider.
- Total Investment: $90,000 - $135,000
- Number of Current Units: 100
TeamLogic IT offers IT services to help businesses stay productive, safe, and profitable through the smart use of technology. For over 15 years, numerous companies have relied on Team Logic IT for comprehensive IT solutions.
If you become a TeamLogic IT franchisee, you’ll have three revenue streams to enjoy—project work, managed IT services, and software and hardware sales. The ideal TeamLogic IT candidate will have some hands-on technical experience or at least a keen interest in technology.
- Total Investment: $110,000 - $160,000
- Number of Current Units: 125
Need Some More High Profit Business Ideas? Check Out Franchise Gator
Sometimes, the hardest part of franchising is simply choosing the franchise that works best for you. That’s where Franchise Gator comes in! Franchise Gator offers one of the largest directories of franchise opportunities on the internet.
And we don’t just list famous brands—we include many successful, smaller business models as well. Whether you’re looking for the most profitable companies and franchises or one that suits your passions (or both!), Franchise Gator has you covered.
We hope one of the franchises on this list spoke to you, but if not, no worries! You can start browsing thousands of franchises by industry and category on our website to find the right fit.
*All information in this blog may have changed since first published. We recommend that you always verify fees, investment amounts, and offers with the business opportunity directly prior to making a decision to invest.
Most Popular Industries & Categories
As of April 26, 2024: