Top 5 Franchises for the Passive Franchise Owner

Starting a business is a scary proposition and a lot of people do not want to quit their job until they feel confident they can make money running their franchise. Whether you want to hire a general manager or work on your franchise part time, you will be looking for a franchise that allows a passive investor. Here are my picks for the Top 5 Franchises for the Passive Franchise Owner:

1. Doc Popcorn
Doc Popcorn built their organization around one of America's most popular and enjoyable snacks. Add in their proprietary blends of all natural delicious flavors and ingredients, and we are talking about a smile that goes ear to ear. Healthy and Natural, Doc Popcorn fills a unique niche in high traffic venues such as malls, stadiums and events including farmer markets, art festivals and any/all sporting activities. Doc Popcorn has several business models ranging from approximately $50K-150K. They have developed a scalable, profitable, simple business model that is ideal for an individual (or family) that is looking for an opportunity to take control of their life and finances.

2. Gamin Ride
Gamin' Ride is an entertainment theater on wheels. The adventure rolls up to doorsteps hosting events from birthday parties and corporate functions to community and fundraising events around town. Gamin' Ride is an affordable alternative to traditional parties offering something new and exciting. Best of all, it's all held in the convenience of the host's own location. Their air-conditioned and heated unit has the latest and greatest gaming systems such as XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. All of the events are hosted by a Game Guru who brings all participants together regardless of skill level.

3. Great Clips
Great Clips, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, is the largest single salon brand in the $50+ Billion-a-year hair care industry. It is also one of the fastest growing franchise companies in the United States. Established in 1982, Great Clips has perfected a system for delivering high quality haircuts and perms to the entire family in a convenient no-appointment environment. Today, with over 2300 salons and new salons opening almost every business day, Great Clips is well positioned to reach their goal of becoming clearly the #1 hair care brand. Here's an interesting tid bit: On December 22, 2010 Great Clips announced their 100th new franchisee for the year.  Not bad in a stalled economy!

4. LaVida Massage
The fastest growing segment in business today is the Health & Wellness industry. Did you know that Americans indulge more today on anti-aging and health products than ever before? In fact consumers (especially aging baby boomers) spend over 6 billion dollars on massage therapy each year! Research shows that since 1988, the number of Americans relying on the benefits of massage therapy has doubled. Therapy by massage is now recognized as a legitimate medical treatment. The awareness of the effects of stress through everyday events and the link between stress and disease is extraordinary.

5. Pack and Ship Specialists (PASS)
PASS is a family business, run by Mike who opened his first store in 1981 and his daughter. Since licensing the concept in 1984, they have opened over 900 locations. PASS is different than other pack and ship concepts because they do NOT charge a royalty or advertising fee, saving business owners 7% of gross sales a year, on average. The other thing that makes PASS different is their product mix. Licensees, with help from corporate, figure out the product mix that will work best for their location. Sign making, inkjet cartridge refill, digital photo processing, and mailbox rentals are just a couple of things PASS licensees can choose from in addition to standard packaging and shipping services.

Meta-Franchise Consulting can help you determine whether a passive franchise investment is right for you, and which opportunity best meets your other requirements.

Franchise 500: The Top Franchises for 2011

Entrepreneur.com has released their 2011 Franchise 500 Rankings*. Meta-Franchise Consulting is proud to work with many of the franchises on the Franchise 500 list. Here are a couple highlights:

• Servpro made the "Top 10 Franchises for 2011" list
• Servpro and Stratus Building Solutions are both on the Franchise 500 list as the "Top 10 Homebased Franchises for 2011"
• Stratus Building Solutions and ServiceMaster Clean are on the Franchise 500 list as the "Top 10 Low Cost Franchises for 2011"
• Always Best Care Senior Services and The Senior's Choice made the "Top 10 New Franchises for 2011" list
• Stratus Building Solutions is the #1 "Top 10 Fastest-Growing Franchises for 2011" and Liberty Tax Service is #7 on that list

Contact Meta-Franchise Consulting for more information about these or any of the other franchises on the list. I look forward to helping you identify which "top" opportunity is the best fit for your unique requirements.

*Every year Franchisors submit data to Entrepreneur.com, including their full FDD. Only franchises that have at least 10 units will be considered and a franchise will not be considered if it has filed for bankruptcy. All companies are judged on objective and quantifiable data and Entrepreneur.com uses their proprietary formula to give eligible franchises a score. The franchises are then ranked based on their cumulative score. Entrepreneur.com makes it clear that their ranking is "not intended to endorse, advertise or recommend any particular franchise. It is solely a research tool you can use to compare franchise operations."

Stratus Building Solutions Recognized as "Top" Franchise

Stratus Building Solutions opened their first unit franchise in 2005, and since then they have been included in many "top franchise" rankings including:

• #1 Top New Franchise
• #3 Top Fastest Growing Franchise
• #4 Top Home Based Business
• #5 Top Low Cost Franchise
• #11 Top Global Franchise
• #13 Franchise 500

Stratus Building Solutions recently added another accolade when they were named one of the "50 Top Franchises for Minorities" by the National Minority Franchising Initiative. As reported by NMFI founder Rob Bond, only 5-6% of franchises were owned by minorities in 2000. Today, minorities accounts for over 15% of franchisees. Stratus Building Solutions is leading the way with their Master and Unit programs that make business ownership more attainable.

Stratus Master franchisees are former business executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs looking for the next great opportunity in a recession-resistant industry. Master franchisees benefit from quick cash flow and return on investment, multiple recurring revenue streams, high-volume sales growth, high-margin earnings, exclusive territories, national accounts, and multiple franchise concepts under one roof. Stratus Master franchisees provide the contracts, training, billing, and financing for Unit franchisees.

Stratus Unit franchisees are small business owner/operators. Unit franchisees benefit from comprehensive training, guaranteed contracts (and guaranteed income!), the ability to start their business part-time, and the flexibility to execute the contracts or hire a team. Unit franchisees can get started for as little as $1,000 down payment.

Stratus Building Solutions Master and Unit franchisees are part of a $140 Billion industry. Few industries are that big, and even fewer are recession-resistant. Stratus franchisees provide their clients with a "one stop shop" for all maintenance services that include "touchless sanitization", specialty floor care, pressure washing and exterior cleaning, "green" recycling, lawn care and landscaping, pest control, energy conservation, and security/safety. Contact Meta-Franchise Consulting for information on how you can be part of the Stratus Building Solutions team.