To buy a franchise business allows you to shorten the learning curve considerably. Not only will you instantly be trading under an established name – which has most likely taken years, if not decades, of nurturing and promoting to establish – but you will also have access to the business know-how and experience which has made the franchise a success. The person who founded the business into which you may buy a franchise would have possessed a whole lot of sheer bloody-mindedness and extraordinary drive to not only have created the business concept in the first place, but to steer it to where is now – a (hopefully) successful franchise. If you do buy a franchise opportunity, you will be buying into, and be able to benefit from, the same culture of success.

So what are the reasons to NOT buy a franchise? The two main reasons are cost and restrictions.

Starting a franchise will often cost more upfront than starting an original business concept. This is because you will have to pay a franchise fee which covers the franchise development costs, franchise marketing expenses and the franchise training program. There will the be additional costs of a franchise royalty and usually you will need to contribute to the franchise advertising fund. Additionally the franchisor may insist on a minimum amount of working capital to be available.

Whilst these expenses may seem high, they will normally be realistic and help ensure that your new business is successful. On the other hand starting your own business may be possible on a shoe-string budget, but it will be a lot tougher to get to the break-even point.

Some of the restrictions that the franchise agreement imposes on their franchisees are there for a good reason: The franchise business model has been finely honed, possibly over decades, and one of the constant battles a franchisor has is resisting the implementation of every new bright idea that franchisors want to try. Uniformity is important in the franchise world. Every customer who is familiar with the franchise chain expects to see the same products, the same branding and the same “look and feel”. It is one of the aspects of franchising that appeals to customers.

Another restriction that may apply is one of territory. Although this is becoming less prevalent these days, many franchises still make it a requirement to define a territory in which the franchise may operate. Such a practise may have the effect of reducing competition in a particular territory and so give a new franchise a better chance of success. On the other hand owning a franchise territory may place heavy burdens on the franchisee who may be expected to develop the territory and reach certain milestones within a given period.

So there are many factors to consider when making the decision whether to buy a franchise or start a brand new business concept, but for many, the discipline and guidance from the franchisor will make buying a franchise a wiser choice.

One industry that can be entered into very cheaply is the commercial cleaning business. Commercial cleaning requires little equipment and few employees. It is even possible to operate a commercial cleaning franchise as an owner operator. Because of the extremely low overhead many of these franchises can be opened or $10-$15,000. Commercial cleaning franchises are unique in the fact that many of these franchises will acquire your initial accounts for you and your franchise fees be based on the size of these accounts. These types of franchises are perfect for the individual who hates to sell.

Another cheap franchise idea would be the use of the kiosk. If you are a frequent visitor to the mall you will undoubtedly have seen many of these kiosks lining the middle of the walkways. Several franchisors are available that specialize in kiosk sales. Kiosks are easy to maintain and relatively small. In addition, the kiosk will normally require one employee or an owner operator. There are a number of franchisors who sell a variety of items from kiosks ranging from hats, candy, chocolates, and other merchandise to name a few.

Finally, another industry that is suited for cheap franchising is the carpet cleaning business. Many carpet cleaning franchises specialize in financing the purchase price of a franchise and offering low payments. In addition, many of these franchises can be operated by an owner or with one technician. Carpet cleaning is an industry that is always in demand. A certain percentage of households will have their carpets cleaned every six months to one year. Like the commercial cleaning business, this type of repeat customer can provide a wonderful consistent stream of income throughout the year.

No matter what type of cheap franchise you decide on it should be something that interests you. If you buy a franchise and then find out later that it is not suited to your liking then you may be stuck with something that can be far worse than a boring dead-end job since you have a great deal of financial investment at stake. One way to determine if a franchise is right for you is to find a similar franchise outside of the area you are considering and offering to work for the owner for free for a short time to determine if it is something worth pursuing. No matter if it is a job or a franchise if you’re doing something you love it is sure to be a success.