Five Best Home-Based Franchises to Start
This advice guide outlines the most popular types of home-based franchise, looking at the investment and skills needed to start each, and the pros and cons of different types and who they suit best.The most popular home-based franchises are:o Cleaning services o Children’s activities and education o Pet services o Gardening services o Online businessesCleaning services.According to the Cleaning Industry National Training Organisation (CINTO) the UK cleaning industry is worth around £10bn, and employs approximately 820,000 people. Which means we’re talking about a big industry with plenty of opportunity for people like you. When running a cleaning service, you’ll most often be managing a team rather than doing the cleaning yourself. This is ideal for the home-based entrepreneur, because all you need is a small office.Children’s activities & education.If you have young children, but are hoping to start a business, running a children’s activities or education franchise is one of the best solutions: allowing a balance between your work and personal life.The skills needed for these franchises vary, so always research each company thoroughly before investing. You’ll definitely need experience working with children, though in a few cases this can be as simple as raising your own. You will also need to familiarise yourself with child safety laws, and have an up-to-date CRB check.Pet services.More and more pet owners are turning to professionals to make sure their animals get the best care possible. The pet sector in the UK is worth well over the £3bn mark, and research by the Family Pooch Index found the average dog-owning family spends £15,000 per 10 years on their four-legged friend!The required skills will vary depending on the type of business and the particular franchise. You may simply need experience of having pets, or you might need to have worked with animals professionally.Gardening services.Gardening services are becoming increasingly popular for home-based businesses. They’re particularly good if you’re short on space or like getting out and about – administration can be done at home, but all other work involves travelling to your client. You can choose from a wide range of businesses, specialising in anything from garden design to weed killing.Experience is required for whatever type of gardening business you run. We recommended working for a professional gardener, or do training, before embarking on your own business. As with the other businesses, basic management skills, and an understanding of keeping accounts is also required. This may be taught to you by the franchisor.Online businesses.You actually don’t have to worry too much about the technical side of things with an online franchise business, as the franchisor controls that. What you actually do varies hugely between companies, from selling products, online consultancy, managing an auction site and much more, though most are sales-based.
