Franchise development

Two Thirds of Franchise Prospects Say AI Impacts Their Interest in Business Ownership

April 1, 2026 – The 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey showed that more than 88% of franchise brands surveyed will be using at least one AI tool for lead generation by the end of 2026. But what are prospects themselves thinking will be the impact of artificial intelligence on their path to business ownership? The Franchise  Insights Small Business Startup Sentiment Index™ (SSI) survey completed the last week in March revealed that two thirds of respondents believe AI will have an impact on their interest in business ownership (34% said there would be “no impact”). 

Timelines Compressed and More Full-Time Employees Seeking Franchises Amid Startup Sentiment Dip

February 4, 2026 – Business buyer surveys in the last week of January 2026 showed a record low 30% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agree that “now is a good time for startup”, down from 42.9% in December and the lowest in our survey history. Despite their own perceptions of the current business climate, this hearty group of individuals is pursuing dreams of business ownership while others pause.

Startup Sentiment Rebounds in November

December 3, 2025 – Business buyer surveys in the last week of November 2025 showed 64.3% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agreed that “now is a good time for startup”, up dramatically from 43.9% in October.  

A Surprising Number of Franchise Prospects Already Own Businesses

November 19, 2025 – In almost six years of monthly surveys, the data show that  15-25% of franchise prospects already own at least one business. That percentage has varied month-to-month over this time span, but consistently represents a significant slice of aspiring candidates to franchise ownership.

Layoffs Propel Skilled Workers to Business Ownership

October 28, 2025 — Headlines this week report layoffs at Amazon, UPS, and Paramount, while a government shutdown continues for almost a month. Tens or hundreds of thousands of skilled workers will be looking for better opportunities, with many taking advantage of this opportunity to take control of their destinies and “be their own boss.”

Aspiring Business Owners Much More Likely to Launch Startups than Three Months Ago

June 4, 2025 – Entrepreneurs seeking business ownership are more inclined to take action today  than they were just a month ago. In the May 2025 Small Business Startup Sentiment Index™ survey, 75.9% of respondents said they are “more or much more likely to launch their startups than three months ago,” compared with 57.1% for the same measure in the prior month. 

Franchise vs. Startup or Existing Business: Which is preferred?

May 29, 2025  – Individuals seeking business ownership preferred the option to “buy a franchise” over acquiring an existing business by a wide margin in the April 2025 Startup Sentiment survey. While over 61% indicated interest in the franchise purchase option, only 39.5% were interested in buying an existing business for sale.

Advertising Your Franchise Brand In the Dawn of AI-Enhanced Search

May 20, 2025 — With the growth of chatbots and AI-enabled research, the pathways that lead to discovery of your franchise are certainly changing. Since Google’s launch of AI Overviews just over a year ago, search queries have grown by almost 50%, yet click-throughs have dropped by 30%. 

Startup Sentiment Among Franchise Seekers Stays On Uptrend Despite Market Volatility

May 7, 2025 – Startup sentiment among entrepreneurs exploring franchise ownership in April was a bit less sanguine than the record set in March, but remains in an upward trend despite market volatility tied to tariff negotiations. Surveys in the last week of April 2025 showed 71.4% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agreed that “now is a good time for startup”, following the 84.5% record set in March.

Full January Impact — Franchise Lead Generation Throttled By Natural Disasters

February 25, 2025 – Retail sales dropped 0.9% in January 2025, the largest drop since March 2023,  given that much of the country was covered with snow and the Palisades fires raged from January 7-31. If your franchise development team noticed a marked decrease in lead generation and prospect responsiveness in January, weather across the U.S. and fires in California were key among the reasons.

Startup Sentiment Data Shows Franchise Seekers Leaving Full-time Jobs and Planning Launches in 2025

February 12,  2025 – The rising trend in near-term intentions to start businesses bodes well for franchise development in 2025. In late December surveys, 63.4% of aspiring business owners either agreed or strongly agreed that “now is a good time to start a business,” showing optimism about conditions now and in the near future. In the same survey, 90.0% of respondents see conditions for business and franchise startups “the same or better in three months.” 

Franchise Development Propelled by More Prospects Leaving Full-Time Jobs

February 5, 2025 – Franchise development faces reduced competition from employers for the best candidates. Return-to-work mandates, cost-cutting, and increasing automation by employers are compelling more individuals to conclude that now is the time to buy a franchise and move forward on the path of “being my own boss”, the leading motivator for business ownership.

Funding and Political Concerns Drop Among Aspiring Business Owners

December 3, 2024 – While funding is perennially the biggest concern, 41% of respondents think financing will be easier in three months. Now 68.9% of aspiring business owners surveyed either agree or strongly agree that “now is a good time to start a business,” showing optimism about conditions now and ahead. In the November 2024 survey, 86.9% of respondents see conditions for business and franchise startups “the same or better in three months.” 

Franchise Development Prospects Share Their Perceived Strengths

November 13, 2024 — Almost 57% of franchise prospects in recent surveys attested to their “willingness to follow a proven system”, an essential ingredient for succeeding at franchise ownership.  Grit, or “persistence towards a goal despite obstacles” was cited by over half (53.2%) of respondents, followed by “team leadership experience” at almost 40%.

Franchise Prospects Indicate Preferred Sequencing for Initial Contact Channels

March 27, 2024 – Most franchise prospects (42.4%)  prefer to be emailed on initial contact by a franchise they have expressed interested in according to fresh data in the March 2024 Franchise Insights Mystery Shopping survey. Another 30.6% indicated a desire for a phone call for the initial contact. This order preference is consistent with prior monthly “mystery shopping” surveys, including when we last shared franchise prospect contact preferences data.

Franchise Development Teams Expect to Increase Google Spending More than Meta and LinkedIn in 2024

February 28, 2024 – When asked about advertising plans for 2024,about a third of franchise development teams expected to increase their spending somewhat or significantly at Google, Meta or LinkedIn. This is following 2023 wherein, despite tumultuous business conditions and shocking news headlines, more than 58% of franchisors surveyed either stuck to their growth plans (50.0%) or increased them.

Middle Tiers of Franchise Systems Revved up Their Expansion Plans the Most in 2023

February 21, 2024 – Despite sagging consumer confidence, tighter credit and labor, and a volatile year in the financial markets, most franchise systems either stuck to their growth plans and ad budgets for 2023 according to a December survey by FranchiseInsights.com. But the adjustments to expansion plans varied significantly by the size or maturity of the franchise system.

Franchise Development Teams “Lean In” To LinkedIn for Franchise Lead Generation

February 14, 2024 – Signs from a number of metrics (time spent, monthly active users) and media reports are that we may have reached “peak” social media as measured by postings, monthly active users and time spent. The Wall Street Journal posits in a recent article that users are doing a lot more lurking than posting these days and foresees more of the same in this election year, along with mounting concerns about privacy.

Small Business Startup Sentiment Surges to Highest in Over a Year

February 7, 2024 – Prepare for launch! January startup sentiment data show 84.5% of aspiring franchisees plan their launches in the next twelve months, the highest percentage seen since December of 2023. The first of our Predictions for Franchise Development and Lead Generation for 2024 is looking very much on target.

Predictions for Franchise Development and Lead Generation for 2024

January 31, 2024 – The most reliable options for franchisors to directly acquire prospects in recent years – email and text marketing, paid search and social media – are all undergoing significant change, as are the dominant mobile and desktop platforms offered by Google and Apple (and a few others hardly worth mentioning).

A Pivotal Year Ahead For Google’s Role in Franchise Development

January 17, 2024 – One of the most reliable pathways to filling the franchise sales funnel is under siege in 2024. Not only has it fallen to second place behind Microsoft in consumer “mindshare” regarding AI, it faces potentially disruptive regulatory threats, while committing unforced errors of its own in the name of privacy.

How “Peak Social Media” May Impact Franchise Development

January 10, 2024 – Signs are that we may have reached “peak” social media as measured by posting activating and consumer surveys. The Wall Street Journal posits in a recent article that users are doing a lot more lurking than posting these days and foresees more of the same in an election year along, with mounting concerns about privacy.

Top Ten Topics In Franchise Lead Generation

December 28, 2023 – From a review of web traffic to content viewed over the past year, we developed a “Top Ten” list of the most popular topics among our insights in 2023 based on the readership of articles by category. 

Rising Tide in Business Startup Sentiment At The Highest In Fifteen Months

December 6, 2023 – More than two-thirds of survey respondents (67.2%) either agree or strongly agree that “now is a good time to start a business,” the highest for that measure of startup sentiment since the 69.2% reading in August 2022. Now 83.6% of respondents see conditions for business startups “the same or better in three months.”

Impact of Facebook’s Outage on Franchise Lead Generation

October 13, 2021 — Over the past few years, paid Facebook advertising has become an attractive source of paid franchise leads for development teams, given its broad reach and extensive targeting options. But 2021 has become a challenging year for this resource. On Monday, October 4th beginning just before 12 pm Eastern time, Facebook and …

Which Business Categories Will Grow Most in 2021?

Coming Boom in Travel, Personal Care, and Restaurants Dec. 16, 2020 – Making a range of assumptions about recovery to interest levels prior to the pandemic, inquiries to Personal Care and Travel and Lodging franchises are likely to grow geometrically in 2021.  Per the chart above, future owner interest in Travel and Lodging franchises and …

Among Millennials and Gen X, Women Outpace Men in Share of Franchise Interest

No Glass Ceiling: Women are a Greater Share of Franchise Inquiries than Men Sept. 24, 2020 – Owning your own business holds similar appeal to men and women alike, as both are fairly evenly represented among entrepreneurs who are exploring potential franchise ownership this year. Among younger generations in particular, women lead in the number …

Marital Status Appears as Key Factor for Aspiring Franchisees

Above-Average Marriage Rate May Signal Financial Stability, Value of Family Support  Sept. 24, 2020 – Nearly two-thirds of prospects interested in buying a franchise are married, an above-average rate that may add extra financial flexibility and the value of family stability to the startup process. The current marriage rate is 63.2% for entrepreneurs contacting franchises …

Financial Services Category Leads August Growth in Franchise Interest

Other Franchise Development Growth Categories Include Health and Fitness, Home Services and Automotive September 10, 2020 – Aspiring franchise owners were focused on “taking care of business” last month, thinking ahead about seasonal changes in consumer needs as interest in Financial Services franchises led August growth of investment inquiries, followed by increased interest in Health, …

August’s Prospective Business Owners Display Highest Readiness Seen Yet in 2020

Has Business Buyers’ Pandemic Pessimism Peaked? Updated 12:24 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2020 August 27, 2020 – In a strong sign of growing economic optimism amid the pandemic, responses collected August 20-26, 2020 for the FranchiseInsights.com Small Business Startup Sentiment Index™ revealed a new high point for buyer readiness in 2020. Over 23% of the …

Hardest-Hit Franchise Categories Lead July Growth in Inquiries

August 19, 2020 – The volume of entrepreneurs contacting franchisors to explore owning a franchise strengthened for the third month in a row in July, with the highest growth occurring in categories most affected in prior months by social-distancing and uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.   Many categories also saw gains in the average …

Home Services Surge in Popularity, Rank No. 1 in Q2 Franchise Investment Inquiries

August 13, 2020 – Home Services surged past Food and Restaurant franchises to rank as the No. 1 most popular category for aspiring franchisees in Q2 2020, while Real Estate franchises experienced the greatest increase of investment interest over the previous quarter.  The Franchise Insights rankings are proprietary data drawn from the Franchise Ventures’ demand-generation …

Franchise Interest in COVID-Impacted Categories Strengthens Again in June

July 16, 2020 – Investment interest from potential franchise buyers strengthened for the second month in a row in June, with rising prospects in several categories that were previously hard-hit by coronavirus concerns, such as Personal Care and Food franchises.  Many categories saw double-digital percentage gains over May in the number of prospects who contacted …

Google Searches Confirm Uptrend in Franchise and Business Startup Interest

June 18, 2020 – Interest in franchise and business ownership has been rebounding in Google search trends over the past two months, rising steadily after a steep slide during the early weeks of coronavirus uncertainty and mandated state and city shutdowns.  The search gains are confirmed by positive sentiment and increased investment inquiries from prospective …

Franchise Inquiries Rise in Most Categories as States Reopen

June 11, 2020 – After months of economic uncertainty driven by the coronavirus, investment interest rose in May in most franchise categories in the United States. While the most growth occurred in categories that are less affected by mandated closures and social distancing, even some categories more directly affected by the pandemic saw positive signs …

Small Business Startup Sentiment Index™ (SSI) Shows Growing Readiness in May

May 28, 2020 – The highest percentage of aspiring franchisees plan to open a business within the next three months than at any time in 2020. Data collected May 23-27, 2020, for the FranchiseInsights.com Small Business Startup Sentiment Index™ show that 39.5% of aspiring owners are planning to start a business in the next three …

Franchise Prospects Report Higher Contact Attempt Rates in 2020

May 21, 2020 – According to a May survey of interested franchise buyers, more franchisors are consistently following through with each inquiry and attempting to make contact.  In May, 62.5% of respondents report being contacted by each of the one or more franchises to which they inquired. This is all the more important, considering that …

Boomers Lead Potential Business Buyers in Resources for Funding New Franchises

May 11, 2020 – Baby Boomers interested in buying franchises may not claim the same high growth rates of Millennial and Gen X entrepreneurs, but the sizable Boomer segment holds an attractive lead in assets to fund new franchise businesses. Baby Boomers accounted for 27% of prospects contacting franchisors through the FranchiseVentures demand-generation platform in …

Top Franchise Categories Retain Relative Ranking in Q1

Food and Restaurants Maintain Most Popular Rank, as Automotive Leads Quarterly Growth April 28, 2020 – Despite coranavirus-driven volatility in key business sectors in March, the relative ranking of top franchise categories remained the same in Q1 of 2020, compared with Q4 of 2019. Food and Restaurant franchises continue as the most popular category drawing …

Online Portals Drive Franchise Discovery

April 24, 2020 – According to an April 2020 survey of interested franchise buyers, online franchise opportunity directories and their associated mobile apps play an integral role not only as a tool for comparison shopping, but also for discovery and consideration of less familiar franchises.  Over 79% of prospective buyers chose to submit an inquiry …

Nevada Edges Past Georgia To Lead Q1 Franchise Interest Index™

April 22, 2020 – Nevada edged past Georgia to lead the nation with the highest adult per capita interest in buying a franchise in Q1 2020, according to new data from Franchise Insights. Georgia had claimed the top spot in the The Franchise Interest IndexTM  for the full year of 2019. The Franchise Interest IndexTM …

Franchise Prospects Report Higher Contact-Attempt Rates in March and April 2020

April 16, 2020 – According to a survey of interested franchise buyers, more development teams are following through with each inquiry and attempting to make contact.  In April, 59.6% report being contacted by every one of the one or more franchises to which they inquired. This is all the more important, considering that almost 43% …

Franchisors Adapt Budgets to Coronavirus Impact in March

April 16, 2020 – A comparative analysis of February and March advertising spending of FranchiseVentures clients revealed a spectrum of mindsets toward development investments, as brands contended with the financial and operational challenges wrought by the coronavirus.   The two determinants of spending are 1) budget, and 2) the availability of leads (buyer demand). Some of …

Coronavirus Drives More Interest in Some Franchise Categories, Less in Others

April 10, 2020 – As the sudden spread of coronavirus has changed so many aspects of daily business and personal life in recent weeks, entrepreneurial interest in different types of franchises has shifted as well. Franchise Insights examined how investment inquiries for different categories changed from February to March, and it seems that potential franchisees …

Southeastern Cities Lead Top 100 Metros in New Franchise Interest Index™

March 10, 2020 – Atlanta, Ga., enjoys the nation’s highest interest in buying a franchise, according to the latest analysis of the Top 100 metropolitan areas. Southeastern metros dominated the top 20 leaders in the  Franchise Interest Index(TM), with multiple major metro areas ranked in Florida and Texas, as well as high-interest from mid-sized metros …

Smaller States Post Big Gains in Q4 Growth of Franchise Interest Index™

Alaska, Hawaii lead overall gains, Georgia tops growth among large-population states February 12, 2020 – Small- and mid-sized states with adult population under 5 million showed some of the strongest year-over-year growth in franchise-buying interest, according to the latest data  from Franchise Insights. And among the largest states, Georgia tops the Franchise Interest Index™ for …

Gen X Claims Largest Group of Franchise Prospects, Ranks High for Income, Home Ownership

February 14, 2020 – While Millennials are the fastest-growing group of franchise prospects, Generation X was far and away the largest age group interested in buying a franchise last year.  Generation X claimed 44.9% share of prospects contacting franchisors through the Franchise Ventures demand-generation platform in 2019. Here is a demographic profile of the 39- …

New Mobile App Helps Franchise Development Teams Improve Contact Rates

Norfolk, Virginia, February 7, 2020 — Franchise Ventures released a new tool to help franchise development teams improve early engagement  with prospective franchisees. The Franchise Insights mobile app makes it easier to quickly respond to new prospects, and helps unify each prospect conversation across phone, email and text. “The mobile app helps franchise development teams …

Georgia Leads the Nation in New Franchise Interest Index™

January 13, 2020 – Georgia, Nevada and Florida led the nation with the highest levels of interest in buying a franchise in 2019, according to new data from Franchise Insights. The Franchise Interest Index™ reveals  the relative interest of entrepreneurs making an investment inquiry by indexing proprietary data with state population on a per capita basis. …

Development Budgets Increasing For Franchises Across All Growth Stages

Over 63% of franchise systems plan to spend more to recruit new franchisees in 2020, and a closer look at key segments shows that confidence is strong in franchise systems in all stages of growth.  Plans to maintain or increase spending were strong across emerging, established and large franchise systems, according to a survey across …

Three-Quarters of Franchise Prospects Own a Home, Most for 5+ Years

Dec. 10, 2019 – Nearly 3 in 4 prospective franchisees own their own home, and more than three-quarters have lived at the same address for more than 5 years, according to the latest data analysis by Franchise Ventures. Those are important indicators of financial wherewithal and stability for franchisors recruiting new owners for their franchise. …

‘Lifestyle Rewards’ Rank as No. 3 Reason to Own a Small Business

Dec. 5, 2019 – Owning a small business can give you the freedom and flexibility to match different lifestyles, and that’s important to more than half of entrepreneurs answering a survey across the Franchise Ventures demand generation platform. More than half, or 56.5%, say “lifestyle rewards” are one of their top motivations as they think …

Income Potential Ranks as No. 2 Motivation to Own a Business

Nov. 25, 2019 – While a desire to “by my own boss” is the No.1 motivation for people thinking about buying a business, the potential to earn more money ranks a strong No. 2, according to the business-buyer survey across the Franchise Ventures demand generation platform.  Nearly three-quarters of respondents, or 72.5%, cite “income potential” …

Franchise Prospects Top $100k in Household Income

Nov. 22, 2019 – One-third of prospective franchisees have at least $100,000 in annual household income, according to the latest data analysis by Franchise Ventures — and income is clearly a key factor in finding franchisee candidates who are qualified for different opportunities. For this analysis, Franchise Ventures combined its pool of investment inquiries with …

One Third of Prospective Small-Business Buyers Ready to Switch From Corporate Life

Nov. 18, 2019 – More than one-third of potential business buyers are motivated by a desire to stop “climbing the corporate ladder,” according to the survey across the Franchise Ventures demand generation platform.  “In many cases, experienced managers and executives are ready to run their own show,” said Michael Alston, president of Franchise Ventures. “That …

‘Be Your Own Boss’ Tops List of Small-Business Ownership Motivations

Nov. 11, 2019 – The No. 1 reason that budding entrepreneurs want to own their own business is to “Be your own boss,” according to the survey across the Franchise Ventures demand generation platform.  A full 87% of users starting a franchise search said that being the boss was a primary motivation for them, beating …

Franchise Daypart Data Helps Unravel the Mystery Behind “Low” Contact Rates

Oct. 10, 2019 – Ask any franchise development team what the No.1 franchisee recruitment challenge is, and chances are you’ll hear “contact rate” mentioned. The percentage of franchise inquiries with a successful return phone call is consistently lower than targets in industry Mystery Shopping surveys.  This is even more astounding when you realize that the …

Who Buys Franchises? Digital Prospects Show Focused Intent

March 20, 2019 – With so many different franchise options available to a local investor, it’s easy to assume that a typical franchise prospect is talking to lots of different franchisors at the same time. But that’s a wrong assumption. The largest analysis to date of prospective franchise buyers shows the majority are focused on …

67% of Franchisors Plan Higher Recruitment Budgets As Economy Improves

Feb. 19, 2019 – According to a survey of active franchise systems conducted by Franchise Insights, franchisors plan to raise their recruitment budgets this year as favorable growth conditions continue. More than 86% of franchisors plan to spend at least the same amount in 2019 as they spent on franchise lead generation in 2018. And …

4 Tips to Improve Your Franchise Contact Rate

Feb. 1, 2019 – What’s smarter than a smartphone? Two smart phones – yours, and the one in the hands of the local entrepreneur who wants to know more about owning one of your franchises. In less than a decade, smart phones connected to the Internet have skyrocketed to become the No. 1 channel for …

Sales Advice For Emerging Franchisors

Jan. 29, 2019 – If you’re an emerging franchise, making the leap from an owned-and-operated business to the franching model, you’ve got a tough task. Your first few sales are based on the promise of your concept, not a track record in serving franchisees. Fortunately, many prospective franchisees are looking for ground-floor opportunity, and may …

Franchise Marketers, Do You Know WHERE Your Prospects Are?

Jan. 11, 2019 – Franchisors, there’s a huge mismatch in your new-unit sales funnel – 67% of all franchise inquiries are sent outsite of business hours, times that don’t lend themselves to an immediate phone conversation. And that problem gets tougher for national franchisors, when you consider the vast expanse of the 50 states and …

Prospect Data Shows Contact Opportunity Beyond Business Hours

Jan. 2, 2019 – If you work in new franchise development, you know how crucial the first phone call is – and how hard it is to make that phone connection. Year after year, contact rates for the franchising industry remain challenging, and now we know why. It boils down to this: There’s an eye-popping …

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