| There are may franchise opportunities for people | | | | specialise in bringing single people together. Again this |
| with small budgets. A low cost franchise does not | | | | business can be managed from home. The franchisee |
| necessarily mean a business with low income | | | | has to follow a predefined local marketing |
| potential. Trawling through the franchise market, I | | | | programme that generates enquiries. This is then |
| have discovered that some of the best franchises | | | | followed by a professional consultation so that a |
| only need a small initial outlay. | | | | suitable match can be found. |
| In some cases it is possible to recover the entire | | | | This franchise requires people who have decent |
| franchise fee in the first year of trading. With many | | | | communication skills and are very presentable. This |
| of these businesses, you do not need any premises | | | | business is ideal for people who sincerely like to help |
| as you can work from home. This greatly reduces | | | | other people and do not mind networking. The one |
| overheads and enables you to reach profitability very | | | | downfall of this business is that if you do your job |
| quickly. | | | | properly then you will not get any repeat business |
| Another very important benefit of low cost | | | | although you might get referrals! |
| franchises is that some of them can be run full time | | | | Another interesting business opportunity is providing |
| or part time. This is ideal for people who do not have | | | | asset finance (lease & hire purchase) to local |
| large monthly outlays and only require a small income | | | | businesses. Again you do not need expensive |
| to supplement their existing business. Just be very | | | | premises (and can possibly work from home) but an |
| careful when analysing any new business opportunity. | | | | aptitude for basic arithmetic definitively helps. If you |
| If you can not see a market for the product then it | | | | already have many business contacts then this might |
| probably does not exist! | | | | be right up your street! |
| One low cost franchise opportunity specialises in | | | | This business targets a very specific niche in business |
| cleaning carpets. They use extra powerful industrial | | | | and has well proven marketing strategies to help you |
| vacuum cleaners to remove 80 percent of the dirt | | | | identify your most lucrative clients. The best factor in |
| and dust in carpets before applying specialist | | | | this business is that you can generate a lot of repeat |
| chemicals which dissolves most of the oily and greasy | | | | business with the same client and if the business is |
| particles that still remain. Their specialist equipment | | | | handled correctly then most of your new clients will |
| then removes almost all of the fluids used in the | | | | be generated by referrals. |
| cleaning process. This means that your carpet is bone | | | | In this type of business you will most definitely have |
| dry within a couple of hours. | | | | to be prepared to learn new skills and some cold |
| Householders benefit because they get their carpets | | | | calling is required. From the point of initial contact to |
| cleaned to a high professional standard at a | | | | actually generating new business might take months |
| reasonable cost. This then leads to repeat business | | | | and in some cases years. Patience is a virtue in this |
| possibly every couple of years for the franchisee and | | | | business. |
| his reputation spreads quickly by word of mouth. The | | | | My advice to anyone thinking of buying a franchise is: |
| franchisee also benefits from professionally created | | | | Do not just think about the earning potential. |
| marketing material including leaflets and business | | | | Find a business that suits your personality and |
| cards. | | | | lifestyle. |
| This business also benefits from positive cash flow as | | | | Always take professional advice before embarking on |
| the franchisee gets paid for his work on completion | | | | a new business. |
| and he receives generous term from his suppliers for | | | | Be prepared to "go back to school" and learn new |
| his cleaning materials. The ideal franchisee for this | | | | skills. |
| company is a person who is still relatively strong and | | | | In short, if you have a small budget, are prepared to |
| does not mind the hard physical work involved. | | | | learn new skills and choose the right niche, then one |
| Another franchise for people with low budgets | | | | of these opportunities might be right for you. |