Your Part-Time Franchise

You may be interested in starting your own business, and buying a franchise is a great way to do it. But perhaps, for one reason or another, you are hoping to do this job part-time. Maybe you have a family that you need to take care of. Or maybe you want to be able to work at home, and you need a little extra income but not a whole salary part time maid. Franchising takes a lot of the risk out of starting your own business, part-time or otherwise. But can you do it part-time? Of course you can. There are several part-time franchise opportunities. But take a close look at these opportunities and think about them carefully, just as you would if you were buying a full-time franchise. And make sure they are as part-time as they seem.

Do your research. Some franchisors will advertise part-time franchising with huge benefits and profits. This is probably not legitimate. Be realistic about what kind of money you can make with part-time franchising, and look into franchisors that are realistic too.

Since you are looking for a part-time opportunity and do not want to get stuck managing a full-time operation, you will need to grill the franchisor even more than the average potential franchisee would. Ask a lot of questions. Then find out about current franchisees, and ask them a lot of questions. Hopefully, you will be able to find out from them how many hours a week they really work, and if they work from home at all. You should also be able to find out what kind of money they make from their part-time work, and should ask them more general questions, like what kind of relationship they have with the franchisor and if they would recommend the company.

Some franchise opportunities are not strictly part-time, but can be part-time by your choosing. It may be an at-home business where you choose how many hours a week you want to work, like a maid service franchise. In this case, be realistic, again, about how much money you will make. The more effort and time you put in, the more money you get out. So if you really want to work only part time and choose one of these opportunities, you will be making part-time income. You should also have a good grasp on your personal speed. These kinds of opportunities often depend on how quickly you can do work. If you can work quickly, you can make more money at a part-time franchise opportunity.

Finally, if you are running a standard store-front franchise but you want to only manage it part-time or work from home, you will need to keep in mind that you have to hire an on-site manager to take care of your managing duties for you. You will have to choose this person carefully - you want someone who is well-qualified and will manage your employees effectively. You will have to be able to trust them to do a good job - and you will have to pay them, which, again, will cut into your personal income. This is the tradeoff you will have to be willing to make if you want to be a part-time franchisee.