Like anything else in life, franchises come with both upsides and downsides. That’s why we recommend that anyone interested in opening a small business should carefully consider the pros and cons of franchising.

This helps potential franchise owners know exactly what to expect before they get started with the process of opening a franchise because the last thing you want is to put money down and sign a contract, only to find out a few weeks into the gig that franchising doesn’t suit your style of ownership.

With that said, let’s take a look at all the benefits of franchising—as well as the drawbacks.

Pros of Franchising

1. A turn-key business model

The one thing that potential franchise owners can be absolutely sure of is that they are buying into a tried-and-true business model. This is thanks to most franchises constantly iterating and innovating on their business models for decades, finding out precisely what works and what doesn’t work. So when you open a franchise, you get the keys to a playbook that works.

2. An established brand

On that same note, new franchisees can sleep well at night knowing that the brand behind their business carries a lot of sway. This is because most franchises have already spent years and years building up brand identity and a well-earned reputation. Having an established brand to fall back on is a whole lot easier than building one up from scratch.

3. High success rates

Franchises have the trifecta of highly developed business models, robust support systems, and strong brand names. And due to the combination of these three things, they also have higher success rates than independent businesses. The key is picking a franchise with a long and proven track record—bonus points for franchises that operate in low competition spaces with low overheads.

4. Be your own boss

Being your own boss is one of the top-cited reasons people open franchises. That’s because franchise owners have a level of freedom that very few other occupations carry. So if you love to make your own hours and don’t particularly like taking orders from others, then self-employment through franchising might be for you.

Cons of franchising

1. Rules and standards

As we mentioned earlier, franchises come with a reasonably rigid roadmap to operate under. While this roadmap provides a clear-cut path to success, it can also be limiting when compared to those who independently own their businesses. Independent owners can stray off course and make executive decisions should they want to. However, franchisees don’t always have this luxury due to franchise rules and standards set out in the franchise disclosure document (FDD).

2. Less creative control

Many entrepreneurs want to start something that is 100% theirs and theirs alone. And, more than that, many of them want to experience taking a simple idea and building it into a fully-fledged business. With a franchise, this journey from concept to a successful real-world business isn’t really the case. Franchisees buy into an already existing idea and business model and put it into action. You sacrifice creativity for more security.

3. Franchise fees

Since franchisors provide franchisees with a successful system to work off of, they expect something in return in the form of fees and royalties. Depending on the details of the licensing agreement, these can sometimes add up. So if you don’t like the sound of paying to operate a business, then self-starting your own business is the better option.

Start a franchise with Screenmobile

At the end of the day, franchising might be the perfect small business opportunity for some and not for others. But, unfortunately, that’s just the way things go.

With that in mind, if you view yourself as someone who’d be a great fit for owning a franchise, then contact our team at Screenmobile. We offer a home services franchising opportunity with low-risk and high-return.