Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i Entrepreneur's Startups

I was always interested in business as a kid, and I knew I would become an entrepreneur one day. What I didn’t realize was that becoming an entrepreneur entails much more than just starting a business. When I moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, back in 1997, I wanted to start a T-shirt business. I borrowed $30,000 from friends and family and found a location to lease in the center of downtown. I spent days completing paper-work and nights doing the tenant finishes, and I screen-printed T-shirts in between. I hired two employees, and it took me about two months to get the store up and running. It was a fun business, but I quickly realized I didn’t have the knowledge that I needed to be successful as a business owner.…

People love chicken—and as it turns out, there are endless ways to cook a bird. New concepts continue to appear with their own twists on chicken sandwiches, tenders, and wings, including what might be the “hottest” trend-within-the-trend right now: Nashville hot chicken. Big Chicken Chicken sandwiches and tenders, salads, sides, desserts STARTUP COST $673K-$1.6M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 4/2 Big Shake’s Nashville Hot Chicken Nashville hot chicken, fried chicken, sides STARTUP COST $321.9K-$535.1K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 2/1 Bojangles Chicken and biscuits STARTUP COST $577K-$3M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 496/277 Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken Korean fried chicken STARTUP COST $483.2K-$1.2M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 385/5 Boss Bird Kitchen Chicken sandwiches, tenders, waffes, wings STARTUP COST $239.1K-$494.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/1 Buffalo’s Cafe Chicken wings…

Ageless Forever Institute Cosmetic and body fitness therapies and medical aesthetic procedures STARTUP COST $403.5K-$784.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/1 American Family Care Urgent care/primary care centers STARTUP COST $1.1M-$1.5M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 205/79 Amramp Accessibility Wheelchair ramp rentals and sales; other accessibility solutions STARTUP COST $130.8K-$211.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 53/2 Any Lab Test Now Health and wellness, drug and alcohol, and DNA lab testing services STARTUP COST $133.9K-$227.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 220/8 ApexNetwork Physical Therapy Physical therapy STARTUP COST $149.2K-$347.2K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 29/61 ARCpoint Labs Medical testing STARTUP COST $103.9K-$308.8K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 112/5 Array Skin Therapy Narrowband UVB light therapy STARTUP COST $139K-$195K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/5 Back Solutions Clinic Physical therapy and exercise…

Altitude Trampoline Park Family entertainment centers STARTUP COST $1.5M-$3.8M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 81/2 American Poolplayers Association Recreational billiard leagues STARTUP COST $22.9K-$29.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 332/6 AR Workshop DIY home decor workshops, parties, and kits; gift boutiques STARTUP COST $89.7K-$164.2K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 137/1 Blue Ox Axe Throwing Indoor ax-throwing STARTUP COST $94.4K-$174.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 2/2 Board & Brush Creative Studio DIY wood-sign workshops STARTUP COST $64.6K-$93.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 252/3 Bud’s Place Social cannabis consumption lounges STARTUP COST $600.4K-$1.4M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/0 Buzz Worthy Pub Trivia Hosted trivia and game events for bars, fundraisers, and private parties STARTUP COST $25.95K-$38.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/1 Child’s Play Challenge Courses Portable obstacle courses STARTUP COST…

The beauty of buying a franchise is that you can bank on other people’s experiences. If a brand already has 50 or 100 units up and running, then there are 50 or 100 examples to gauge the way that company works with its franchises, what monthly costs to expect, how day-to-day operations will look, and where the profits are likely to stand. But if you’re a brand’s first franchisee—or even its second or third—the metrics of past performance are nonexistent. So why would anyone go first? Obviously someone has to, and those who do believe there are opportunities and benefits worth grabbing. In fact, as we emerge from the pandemic with a new understanding about what it means to be financially resilient, more and more people are trying to snag…

Shea Coleman is no stranger to new situations. She joined the military out of high school and was regularly outnumbered by men on her teams. That included her stint doing airfield security during the Obama administration, protecting high-level offcials as they flew in and out. When she left the military in 2014, she pursued what seemed like it would be familiar territory: She became a physical fitness trainer at The Camp Transformation Center, which at the time was a small fitness program chain designed to help people lose weight and improve their health. Then the company grew and started to franchise—and Coleman stepped out of her comfort zone to become one of its first franchisees. “I was a little nervous,” she says, because she had no prior business experience. But…

When most people think about buying a franchise, they imagine opening a brand new one: new location, new staff, new everything. But if you want to be a franchisee, don’t forget that you can also buy an existing franchise location from a franchisee who’s looking to sell—and it might end up being a better deal. When you start a franchise from scratch, there are lots of unknowns. Will the concept resonate? Will you find a good location? You must hire and train an entire team. The whole process can take up to three years to ramp up. But with a resale, you can tour an existing site or territory. You can assess existing marketing campaigns and spending and revenue. You can review multiple years of business results. You can even…

Where are the best business opportunities of 2023? We have some ideas. Each year, we at Entrepreneur project where franchising is going. To do this, we start with some big questions: What’s happening in the world, and what’s predicted to happen? Which industries are attracting new franchises? Which established industries are experiencing high unit growth? Where’s the most spending and excitement? Then we add a bit of the intuition we’ve gained over decades of covering this industry—and identify 10 categories we believe will thrive in the coming year. This year’s list includes some categories that are regular winners, like chicken, health and well-ness, pets, and restoration. But it also includes some that haven’t been on our radar in a few years, like breakfast, fitness, and recreation. From there, we look…

The drink goes by many names: bubble tea, boba tea, pearl milk tea, tapioca tea. But whatever you call it, you’ve surely seen it all across America—with its colorful liquids and tapioca balls. The drink originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and then made its way to America, where brands are now recognizing its huge consumer demand. One of the leaders in the space is Kung Fu Tea—a brand founded by four Taiwanese entrepreneurs who opened their first store in April 2010, spent a year perfecting the concept, opened for franchising in 2011, and now have more than 300 locations. Marketing manager Matthew Poveromo spills the tea on how it happened. What’s fueling bubble tea’s popularity in America? It was traditionally very big in cities, and it still is. But…

What does productivity mean to you? Like, literally? What does it mean for you to have a productive day? Here’s my answer, which is typical: “Productivity” means I complete a list of tasks. That’s because I organize my day around my to-do list, and I feel productive when I check stuff off. But what if…there’s another way to look at it? “To me, productivity is about energy management—not time management,” says my friend Katherine Morgan Schafler, a psychotherapist and author of the great book The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control. To appreciate that, start by considering the days when you are not productive. Why didn’t you finish more tasks? “It’s not really because we run out of the time to do them,” Katherine says. “We run out of the energy…

Over the past decade, selling franchises has become an extremely competitive business. Any advantage that one brand can develop, cultivate, and deploy can make or break its success. And now more than ever, video marketing and production is a critical piece of franchise growth. According to an internal survey from Franchise IQ, 87% of its customers indicated that the use of video—especially testimonials—was an important factor in their decision to purchase a franchise opportunity. Why? Because videos create lasting impressions in the minds of current and future franchisees. Visuals are an incredibly powerful tool for conveying information and creating a connection with franchisee candidates—which isn’t surprising, considering people spend a third of their time online watching videos. But to make them a powerful part of your marketing mix and help…

Another Broken Egg Cafe Breakfast, brunch, and lunch cafes STARTUP COST $847.1K-$1.2M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 45/37 Aroma Joe’s Coffee, espresso, tea, energy drinks, baked goods STARTUP COST $494.3K-$1.2M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 101/0 Barry Bagels Bagels, sandwiches, soups, salads STARTUP COST $96K-$505K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 9/6 Beans & Brews Coffee, tea, specialty drinks, food STARTUP COST $400K-$647K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 45/25 Between Rounds Add-On Kiosk Bagels, sandwiches, baked goods, coffee, hot and frozen drinks STARTUP COST $45.5K-$61K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/0 Between Rounds Bakery Sandwich Cafe Bagels, baked goods, deli items, sandwiches STARTUP COST $165.5K-$525K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1/3 Big C Waffes Waffes STARTUP COST $197K-$352K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/1 Biggby Coffee Specialty coffee, tea, smoothies, baked…

AKT Dance cardio and strength fitness studios STARTUP COST $320.6K-$495.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 31/1 Anytime Fitness Fitness centers STARTUP COST $381.6K-$783.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 5,056/16 The Bar Method Barre fitness studios STARTUP COST $237.6K-$499.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 82/1 The Barre Code Barre-based fitness and workout studios STARTUP COST $268.2K-$420.7K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 25/3 Basecamp Fitness Fitness studios STARTUP COST $435.9K-$846.1K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 9/5 Bodybar Pilates Reformer Pilates studios STARTUP COST $310.4K-$588.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 12/0 Body Fit Training Functional fitness training STARTUP COST $362.7K-$548.6K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 195/0 Body20 Fitness training using electrical muscle stimulation STARTUP COST $409K-$478.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 15/1 Burn Boot Camp Gyms STARTUP COST $200.3K-$486.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED /…

Aussie Pet Mobile Mobile pet grooming STARTUP COST $179.98K-$198.7K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 78/0 Bark Busters Home Dog Training In-home dog training STARTUP COST $65.7K-$99.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 124/0 Bubbly Paws Pet grooming and self-service pet washing STARTUP COST $197.4K-$370.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/5 Camp Bow Wow Dog daycare, boarding, training, grooming STARTUP COST $928K-$1.7M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 195/7 Central Bark Dog daycare STARTUP COST $552.8K-$934.2K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 35/0 Dogdrop On-demand dog daycare STARTUP COST $259.4K-$425.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 0/1 The Dog Stop Dog care services and products STARTUP COST $289.5K-$813.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 18/4 Dogtopia Dog daycare, boarding, and spa services STARTUP COST $688.3K-$1.8M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 226/2 Dog Training Elite Dog training…

All Med Search Health care industry recruiting and placement services STARTUP COST $61K-$83K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 12/1 American Recruiters Recruiting/staffng STARTUP COST $85.99K-$142.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 11/0 ATC Healthcare Services Medical staffng STARTUP COST $132.9K-$214.2K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 64/0 AtWork Group Temporary, temp-to-hire, and directhire staffing STARTUP COST $161K-$223K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 9⅓ Express Employment Professionals Staffng, HR solutions STARTUP COST $140K-$400K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 857/1 Fortune Personnel Consultants (FPC) Executive recruiting STARTUP COST $74.7K-$133.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 61/1 i4 Search Group Healthcare recruiting STARTUP COST $51.8K-$109.8K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 20/0 Jomsom Staffng Services Temporary staffng, direct hire, and payroll services STARTUP COST $86.8K-$147.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 4/1 Labor Finders Industrial staffng STARTUP COST…

Shawn Shariff’s journey is like a page out of the American dream playbook. He immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan in the ’80s, and at age 18 he got a minimum wage job at KFC. He worked there for four years before making his way into the insurance industry. Then, in 2002, Shariff was presented with the full-circle opportunity to operate a KFC of his own. And he has only grown from there. Many franchisees come to own units of multiple brands, but Shariff decided to expand exclusively inside his corporate parent. KFC is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill. Shariff became the first franchisee to own all four brands in Southern California, and now operates three locations in Universal…

Expansion can either be the best thing for your business, or the absolute worst. It all comes down to this question: Are you really prepared for your new locations to be successful? Back in 2010, when Orangetheory was a new company entering the franchise fitness space, its cofounders thought they’d prepared for success. But then their new units started failing. “We just weren’t getting the same traction, and we weren’t happy with the level of the customer experience,” said CEO and cofounder David Long in a 2019 interview. “We were alarmed and questioning whether or not we could really scale this brand.” To fix the problem, they had to pause expansion, step back, and deeply investigate what was going wrong. What they discovered changed the course of Orangetheory—and ultimately put…