Ready to Start Your Own Business?

The mission of this blog, started by the Founders of www.helpamericaspeople.com is to provide you, the burgeoning entrepreneur, with the most current and useful information, research, tips, tools, techniques, advice, etc. you’ll need to start your own business.

This post will cover four types of Franchise Opportunities:  Maintenance, Personal Care, Pet Care and Recreation.

Maintenance

The subcategories for Maintenance franchises are:

• Air-Quality Services
• Asphalt Maintenance
• Carpet, Upholstery & Drapery Services
• Commericial/Residential Cleaning
• Restoration Services
• Restroom Hygiene Services
• Vinyl Repair
• Window Cleaning
• Miscellaneous Maintenance Products & Services
• Duct Maintenance
• Grout Repair

Unlike essental maintenance services like plumbing and electrical, the maintenance services listed above are non-essential, routine maintenance services.  Your customers can be either commercial or residential, or both.   Obviously, you need to be good with your hands and enjoy fixing things.  Demand will always be steady because many homeowners and businesses don’t have either the skills or the time to keep up with routine maintenance.

Bonus:  most maintenance services are home-based businesses which means you can avoid the high fees of leasing and maintaining a retail space.

Personal Care

• Cosmetics Stores
• Fitness Centers
• Hair Care
• Modeling Schools
• Senior Care
• Tanning Salons
• Massage Services

Sometimes referred to as the health and beauty industry, personal care services focus on taking care of your customers’ bodies, i.e., fitness, massages, elder care, cosmetics, hair and tanning. Demand is high especially from the aging population who want to feel and look better.  In-home personal care is also a high growth area because seniors want to stay independent and in their homes for as long as possible.

Pet Care

If you want to parlay your love of animals with starting your own business, a variety of pet care franchise opportunities await you — in-home pet sitting and walking, pet boarding/lodging, pet grooming, training.  Also if you have the financial resources, you may want to consider opening a retail pet store.

As a pet care franchisee, your target audience is significant.  There are 77.5 million pet dogs in the U.S. and 93.6 million cats.*

*Source:  American Pet Products Manufacturers’ Association, 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey

Recreation

Subcategories:

• Campgrounds
• Children’s Fitness Programs
• Fitness Centers
• Sports Equipment & Apparel
• Recreational Rentals
• Sports Teams
• Cruise Ship Travel
• Miscellaneous Travel & Recreation

Pick a sport or recreation activity that you’ve always loved.  Chances are there’s a franchise opportunity for you to consider.  And, as a recreational or sports franchisee –will you actually be working or playing everyday?  Opportunites run the gamut from  a personal training studio, a home-based personal trainer, dance studio, sporting goods and apparel storefront to a golf training franchise, sports award and trophies business or a flip flops and sandals store.

Next posting:  Which Franchise is Right for You? part 4