Top 10 Home based Franchises of 2013

Home based franchises have been exponentially on the rise since the early 2000’s and now more and more companies are looking to these home based franchises to reduce their fixed cost. What’s even greater is now with such advancements in technology more and more people are looking to start business from home.

Imagine not having to get up every day to go to a job that you really don’t enjoy and instead have the freedom to stay in your pajamas and make breakfast for the kids while earning money from home! It is not as daunting a task as you may think either. The startup cost for these home based franchises are surprisingly low. They can start from as low as three thousand dollars. Not only is the initial investment relatively low but you should require little or no inventory as well.

There is a wide variety of franchises to choose from including commercial cleaning, financial payroll and tax services, to tutoring after school kids. If you are interested in pursuing this avenue there is a wide array of choices for you. Below will be a list of our pick for top 10 home based franchise of 2013. I have organized them by craft and worth and not by specific businesses.

1. Commercial Cleaning

frugalentrepreneur-cleaning-services

This is by far the most profitable group among our top 10 home based franchise of 2013. These businesses earn income by hiring individuals to perform cleaning jobs at a variety of locations. These locations are typically large spaces such as hotels, convention centers, and churches. Jan-Pro Franchising Int’l. Inc. is the leader in this market.

They offer a greener cleaning solution upon being hired to clean churches, banks, schools, and other large buildings. They have over eleven thousand locations spread across the United States and Canada. Systems 4, and Vanguard Cleaning Systems follow close behind Jan-Pro and offer said services at over eight thousand locations. The startup cost for this type of business ranges from around $4,000 to $50,000.

2. Tools and Equipment

frugalentrepreneur-tools

This is the second most profitable group among top 10 home based franchise of 2013. These franchises provide professional and custom made tools and equipment to a wide range of retailers. This market is a rapidly growing one and many franchises have been started in recent years. The number one leader in this market is Snap on Tools. This franchise was founded by Joseph Johnson and William Seideman who together developed a variety of sockets that would snap on to different wrench handles. They would personally go around to local businesses and would demonstrate their product right there in front of them.

To this day they still carry on that tradition by bringing their mobile trucks filled with their products weekly to their dealer’s stores. Matco Tools is a close second with over a thousand locations in all fifty states, along with franchises in Puerto Rico and Canada. This company focuses more on automotive equipment although they do manufacture tools as well. To buy one of these franchises it would cost anywhere from $88,000 to $310,000.

3. Dance Fitness Classes

frugalentrepreneur-danceclass

Dance Fitness Classes, clothing, conventions and apparel is the third most successful in the list of top 10 home based franchises of 2013. These businesses choreograph and teach dance routines to over eight thousand locations in the United States and in over thirty different countries. The leader in this market is Jazzercise Inc. who’s CEO, Judi Sheppard Missett, to this day still teaches dance routines.

Starting out as a professional jazz teacher Judi invented a just for fun class that transformed into a money making machine! Teaching out of California this franchise has taught it’s total body conditioning programs to half a million American and is still going strong. You must become certified instructor before operating one of these franchises. The startup cost for company like these ranges from $4,000 to $75,000.

4. Tour and Travel Agencies

frugalentrepreneur-cruise-ship

The fourth most profitable franchise we cover in the top 10 home based franchises are the one sin tours and travel sector. These agencies provide ways for business travelers and tourists to travel. Whether that may be a train, plane, cruise, or backpacking guide! This is an excellent way to earn money from home just by simply organizing travel arrangements for your clients! Cruise Planners – American Express Travel is the biggest money maker in this market. They deal strictly with organizing and arranging cruise details for their clients. They have now branched out to own over four thousand locations in the United States.

Another major player in this market is Cruise One which arranges travel packages for their customers. This can include cruise arrangements, hotel reservations, tour guides, shore excursions, and more. The startup cost for a franchise of this nature is surprisingly low! You can buy in for as low as $2,000 and up to $26,000.

5. Lawn Care

frugalentrepreneur-lawn-care

This may come as a surprise, but yes lawn care is the fifth most profitable of the top 10 home based franchise. These companies provide yearlong pest control services, manicured lawn services, tree care and much more. The leader in this field is Weed Man who now has over four hundred locations across the United States and Canada. This company has a knack for converting existing businesses into their own Weed Man franchises. The runner up in this market is the Lawn Doctor, which specializes in tree and shrub care along with yearlong pest control.

This company started as a single hardware store in 1967 and has now flourished into a national chain of home based franchises with over four hundred locations. The startup prices for a business like this is anywhere from $40,000 to $67,000.

6. Tutoring

frugalentrepreneur-tutoring

These home based franchises have grown in the past few years due to the recent advances in technology. You can now tutor a child online or in person in today’s world and this has been extremely profitable for these types of home based franchises. Tutor Doctor, the leader in this field, works interactively with students and teachers online and at over three hundred locations across the United States. This is a great and feel good way of making money quickly from the comfort of your home. The runner up in this category is Club Z! In Home Tutoring Services.

This franchise sends a tutor to the child’s home for a one on one interactive learning experience that helps to encourage dialogue between the parent’s and their children. These types of home based franchises are growing rapidly and I would expect to see more of them develop in coming years and stay in the list of top 10 home based franchises. To startup a business of this nature it will run you anywhere from $27,000 to $157,000.

7. Medical and non-medical in home senior care

frugalentrepreneur-senior-care-services

As the seventh most profitable among top 10 home based franchise of 2013, these companies aim to provide personal care services to a wide variety of people. The majority of these companies cater to senior citizens, although some of them have been tending to new mothers, people with mental disorders, and others with a range of physical disabilities. These franchises hire licensed caregivers to attend to people in the privacy of their homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals. The number one leader in this field is Home Helper/ Direct Link.

They offer their services for up to twenty-four hours a day or as needed. The second in this industry is Senior Helping Seniors. This is a great organization that was founded by Kiran Yocom. She had previously worked alongside Mother Theresa for a span of fourteen years. The program she founded is based around compassion and trust. A senior citizen goes into the home of one of the company’s clients and will be the caregiver for other senior citizen. This helps to establish a sense of security and comradety. It also helps to gives our older generation a chance to work again. The startup price for a company such as these ranges from $86,000 to $123,000.

8. Specialty Services

Eighth in our list of top 10 home based franchise is specialty service sector which include a multitude of different types of companies. For instance there is Novus Glass. , a franchise that provides auto glass repair and replacement at over a thousand locations across Canada and the United States. There is Steamatic Inc a company which specializes in mold remediation and restoration. Pop-a-Lock Franchise System which is a business that insures mobile security, biometrics, and other related lock picking services. N-Hance is another business that specializes in wood finishing and cabinet restoration. Another example is Rooter-Man which specializes in plumbing, drain, and sewer cleaning. I included this wide array of companies under one category because they all require a specific skill set.

All of these franchises mention above have either one or no (usually the latter) other franchise offering the services that they provide. All franchises that are included in specialty services are companies that require knowledge of a particular skill and in order to preform said skills a specialist of sorts must be hired. The startup price range for a franchise such as this varies. You could pay anywhere from $19,000 to $139,000 to begin one of these businesses.

9. Payroll, Financial, and Tax Services

frugalentrepreneur-kids-runnning

The ninth most profitable and popular franchise of 2013 is payroll, financial, and tax services. These companies usually provide payroll alternatives to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The biggest player in this field is Padgett Business Services. This company started off providing their payroll and tax services to small business owners and has now expanded to a business that offers business advice, credit card processing financial management and more. They have now had over four hundred locations throughout the United States and are still growing.

This is a perfect case of small business helping small business and is a trend that is sure to continue. The startup price for one of these franchises is anywhere from $40,000to $100,000.

10. After school activities and event planning for kids

Last but certainly not least is the tenth most profitable franchise of 2013. Planning events and after school activities for children is an area that includes a lot of variety and opportunity. A lot of mothers who have wanted to start working from home have taken these franchises on in recent years. It is a wonderful way to make money and be involved in your children’s lives. Happy Feet Legend Int’l is a franchise that plans soccer programs for kids eight and younger. This program teaches children how to play soccer with the help of nursery rhymes and songs.

This franchise also has a side project that helps to teach older children the more advanced stages of the sport. High- Touch High-Tech is a business that organizes science activities for school events and parties. Bricks-4-Kids provide Lego engineering classes runs camps and plans parties for children. Guard-a-Kid is a business that manufactures technological children safety products. This company also throws educational events at schools, daycares, offices, and local businesses at over two hundred locations across the United States. This is a fun, productive, and great way to make money. Especially if you are a parent! You can own one of these franchises with a startup cost of $15,000 to $35,000.

These are the top 10 home based franchises of 2013, but there is a much wider selection of franchises to choose. Home based franchising has grown at a much higher rate in the past ten years and can only move onwards and upwards as technology and motivation increases.

I hope that this provided a decent overview of what options you have and the wide range of services these franchises provide. Imagine owning your own business, setting up your own work schedule, and picking your own clients. It no longer has to be a dream. Small business owners and entrepreneurs are the future.

More and more people are making the decision to take control of their financial future. If you are interested in having that freedom start doing a little research, I am sure you will be surprised at what you find. The possibilities are endless.