Is A Work From Home Franchise Business Right For You?

If you're interested in opening your own business, you should definitely consider the potential rewards of a business that would allow you to work from home. A home based business offers an amazing level of autonomy, and there are a surprising number of work at home franchise opportunities. In this article we will discuss some of the pros and cons of working from home as well as some of the available home based business franchises.

Pros and cons of a home business:

One major advantage of home based business franchises is that the initial investment required is typically much lower than a traditional franchise. Work from home franchises are usually in the £15,000-£50,000 range. You can occasionally even find a work at home franchise for as little as £6,000.

 
Another advantage is that a home based business has very few overhead expenses. Of course you will have to maintain a home office, but your chief operating tools will be things such as a computer, telephone or fax machine. If you choose to employ one or two people, there would, of course, be some payroll.

Home based business franchises require you to stock little to no inventory, which is advantageous because it alleviates the responsibility of keeping up with an inventory system.

Many prospective franchisees find the lifestyle associated with working from home to be the key advantage. There are a number of work at home franchise opportunities that only require a part-time commitment to be successful. This provides franchisees with a great deal of flexibility in their schedules and often affords them more time to spend with their families. This flexible schedule also allows business owners to conduct business at times that are most convenient for them as opposed to adhering to the traditional "retail-style" hours of operation.

However, working at home does have some disadvantages, too. There is staggered revenue potential associated with these types of businesses. Because there is no walk-by traffic, home based businesses are dependent upon a loyal client base for repeat business.

As the owner of a home business, you will have limited exposure due to municipal law, which prohibits home based franchises from maintaining "street signage" on residential properties. You can get around this restriction if your home has been zoned for commercial use, but for the most part your business's exposure will depend on your ability to market it through various advertising media.

National advertising campaigns are not commonly associated with home based franchises. Normally, marketing the business is the sole responsibility of the franchisee, and this may limit the reach of your marketing campaign to your own town or city.

Finally, as a home-based franchisee, your business practice will be isolated. This can curtail the number of networking opportunities you will have. If you do not maintain an active and effective advertising campaign, you are likely to lose potential customers to any competitor who operates a street-front or retail business.

Available home based business franchises:
If you've weighed the pros and cons and decided that a home based franchise is right for you, you might consider some these franchise opportunities:

PosiGrip is a turnkey, home based franchise that offers its customers protection from dangerous slip-and-fall accidents. PosiGrip is a process that creates a tread design on almost any hard surface including tubs and showers. The process does not discolor or change the look or feel of floors or showers. It simply makes them safer. For an initial investment of £8,000-£10,000, you will receive training and support, national advertising and a complete marketing program. PosiGrip imposes no franchise or royalty fees on its franchisees.

Guard-A-Kid Child ID Systems is a franchise that allows the franchisee to choose working from home or from a mall kiosk. The services and products they provide their customers are essential for child safety. For example, a complete child ID and safety package that includes two wallet-size printed IDs, a large file-size ID and a CD-ROM containing all the child's information in digital format is available to patrons. The initial investment for this franchise is £19,900.

Your start-up kit will include numerous technological tools to ensure your success including a state-of-the-art laptop PC and an FBI-quality digital fingerprint scanner. Guard-A-Kid was included in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 list and was also recently named one of the top 100 new franchises by Franchise Market Magazine.

You can even work from home in the travel industry. For example, Cruise Planners is a nationally recognized cruise planning agency, and they were ranked number one in their category in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The initial investment required for this home based business franchise is $20,000. Franchisees in this system enjoy training programs, marketing and advertising programs, exclusive lead and website programs as well as the highest commission levels in the industry.

Final thoughts concerning home based businesses:

The possibilities for entrepreneurs seeking a work at home franchise opportunity are virtually limitless. You can see the diversity in available franchises just from the short list above, and it is a short list. Many other opportunities exist.

If you've done your research and concluded that a home based franchise business is for you, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a franchise to meet both your personal and your professional needs.

Find more work at home franchises, low cost franchise opportunities and information for entrepreneurs at Franchise Gator.

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The Franchise Opportunity

Buying a Franchise is a fantastic way to get yourself out of the humdrum daily toil of your working life and become independent and much more motivated. Today, with the economy as it is, there can be no doubt at all that there is no longer such a thing as job security, and just turning up to work each day can feel a little like a gamble - will you still have a job, or will the company have gone under, or slimmed down, with the loss of your job?

It's a reality that is hard to face, and incr easingly people are worried about their futures, their financial obligations and their security. In addition, many people are increasingly disenchanted with the daily slog of work, feeling very much that work is something which gets in the way of life, rather than seeing work as being a positive part of life.

Which sounds like you? Do you get up in the morning and go to work, thinking about coming home even before you've done a minute's work? Do you get up feeling energized and positive about your day? Would you like to?

Starting a business is an opportunity to inject enthusiasm and personal fulfillment into your working life, at the same time as becoming much more independent and personally responsible for your success and financial security. It puts you in the driving seat, no longer looking at everyone else pass you by, but able to have a hands on understanding of every aspect of life, and this can do wonders for lowering stress and anxiety levels and creating more happy, fulfilled individuals. Your work shouldn't be a hurdle, but an enjoyable experience which you can be proud of.

A franchise is an arrangement which combines the best of both worlds. One the one hand it's an opportunity to say goodbye to your boss, and work in a way which suits you, working the hours that suit you, in an environment that suits you, and with personal responsibility for your own salary. At the same time, it takes away the inherent risks associated with entrepreneurism and starting out completely on your own, setting up your own business.

This is because a franchise opportunity allows you to sell and market a product or service which has already been established, the issues worked out, and the advertising and promotion already in place to ensure a confident and interested customer base.

There are so many different franchises available today, largely because of the increased number of us who are turning to such business arrangements as a way of improving our working life. This growing number of opportunities provides a wide range of different opportunities, and if you like the sound of ditching a traditional job working for someone else, but aren't confident enough to embark on a completely solo venture, then it is well worth looking at the range of franchise models available.

This will require you to have an honest discussion with yourself about why you have become motivated to consider franchising, and what it is that really makes you tick. For some people it is the pleasure of being able to work at home, on your own, without the pressure of hundreds of office workers and managers all around you, the constant ringing of phones and managers shouting to get more sales, work faster or remember the deadlines.

On the other hand, there are other people who choose a franchise to become involved in a people oriented service or retail business, and there are certainly plenty of these available too. You can choose a high street franchise, with an established name and brand, an established business model which has had any problems or issues already worked out, and plenty of advertising and consumer confidence in place. Or you could try an online or work at home franchise that will allow you to work in quieter, more independent way, either carrying out all your work online, or perhaps using the phone to talk to customers. The options are there and the choice is yours.

Once you have thought seriously about whom you are personally, and why you feel that franchising is something which could definitely work for you, and you have had a look at some of the more suitable franchises available, it will be important to look more deeply into the terms and contracts which will form the business arrangement. As long as you enter the arrangement understanding the way in which the business, and your part of it, will work, you can look forward to a more fulfilling and personally satisfying way of working, and one which is far more likely to motivate you to get out of bed in the morning.

Author: Nazir Daud

Naz Daud is the founder of CityLocal. This Franchise Opportunity is for people who would like to Work from Home and Be their Own Boss.

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