Ten Franchises I Like for 2013

by Ed Teixeira

Here are ten solid franchise opportunities that did well during 2012 and are poised for continued growth in 2013 and beyond.

As a matter of course I rarely promote franchise opportunities, however, since I’m typically aware of what’s happening in the franchise industry I felt it appropriate after the end of 2012 to list ten franchises that I believe are on the right path. For those interested in pursuing one of these franchise opportunities be sure to perform the appropriate due diligence and confirm that your financial and business profiles match up with the specific franchise you may choose to pursue. This are not listed in order of preference.

1. CMIT Solutions:

CMIT serves small business customers with IT service packages for small business clients. The franchise grew by 15% in 2012. Sheri Vandermause, CMIT Solutions head of franchise development states: “We attribute our strong growth to the strength of our business model, the space in the market that we are in, and the fact that many talented executives are interested in having something of their own at this stage in their career – that allows them to see the direct benefits of their efforts. Additionally, there is consolidation in the industry for IT services companies that support small businesses and CMIT’s systems, support and collaborative environment provide the perfect environment for those independent firms to grow at an accelerated pace.”

2. Kona Ice

This franchise headed by Tony Lamb experienced 50% growth in 2012. The franchise program is based upon a fixed royalty program that enables its franchisees to increase earnings when their revenues grow. I interviewed Tony this past year and found Kona to be an excellent franchise opportunity that has had continued growth over a number of years and can boast having a network of satisfied franchisees.

3. Children's Lighthouse

Children's Lighthouse awarded 15 franchises in 2012 with 3 more awarded in December. A record year, and 36% more than 2011) According to Stephen Dixon, head of franchise development : "Children's Lighthouse Learning Center's growth is fueled by our strong field support practices that assist our franchise owners in all areas of operations and continues to encourage them to either start an additional location or recommend the company to others. We have proven our model in many markets and our opportunity for continued growth is excellent because we are still a mid-sized company."

4. Visiting Angels

As one of the leading home care franchises VA opened 2012 with 434 franchisees and ended the year with 470 franchisees for a gain of 36 new franchises. Pat Drea Chief Operating Officer of Visiting Angel states: “Visiting Angels’ success starts with branding through national advertising. Name recognition is critical to the generation of initial inquiries by prospective franchisees. We put them in front of franchisees who can talk from experience about how the company works to support them, especially the talented support team that conducts initial and on-going training, including one-on-one and group consultations. The company uses a developmental stage coaching model that customizes business training based on the stage of growth that the franchisees have reached. “

5. Christian Brothers Automotive

 Christian Brothers Automotive is one of the nation’s leading automotive service and repair franchise systems with more than 100 locations open and an additional 35 under development in 17 states. Mark Carr, president and CEO, opened the first location in Houston, Texas, in 1982. Christian Brothers Automotive began selling franchises in 1996 and continues to grow at a pace of 15 to 20 stores annually. The company also continues to maintain a 100 percent success rate with its store operations, never having closed a location.

6. Papa Murphy's

Papa Murphy's is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country that operates over 1,300 franchised and corporate-owned locations in 37 states and Canada. Papa Murphy’s was recently voted “#1 Rated Pizza Chain” by surveyors in Zagat Survey’s 2010 & 2011 Fast Food Surveys and is a four-time recipient of Pizza Today’s Chain of the Year award

7. Instant Imprint

Instant Imprints added 8 additional units this year with 2 new area developer agreements. Christian Colluci of Instant Imprint said, "We had a strong year for a few key reasons, primarily the changes we made to the system with our new equipment package, training programs, and smaller footprint, are working well and franchisees are ramping up quickly out of the gate and are excited and validating well. Older locations are witnessing these changes and, they like what we are doing as a group and are upgrading equipment and getting better results from the upgrades."

8. Griswold Home Care

The Griswold Home Care franchise reports that they provide large protected territories to their franchisees. With 175 franchise locations Griswold added 34 new franchisees during 2012. Within the home care franchise sector Griswold is rather unique in that they refer caregivers to clients who pay the caregivers. The franchise features a franchisee royalty program that is a departure from the majority of home care franchises.

9. Sloans Ice Cream

Sloan's Ice Cream, a luxury ice cream, toy and candy concept based in South Florida and started by Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, Sloan Kamenstein.2012 was the company's first year in franchising and sold 5 units in Southern California. "We're thrilled to speak with entrepreneurs and investors interested in bringing the Sloan's concept to markets across the country. With the right franchisees on board, we're anticipating an even stronger 2013." – Sloan Kamenstein

10. Patrice and Associates

 Awarded 16 new franchises in 2012 which increased their active franchise community by 57%. The Patrice and Associates franchisees are capitalizing on the size and growth of the hospitality industry. Started by Patrice Rice in 1989, Patrice franchisees recruit and staff management positions, including IT, for restaurants, hotels, casinos, resorts, national chains and catering companies. “We offer four different options for a franchisee. They can be a home office recruiter, hire virtual recruiters, open an office or buy multiple territories. A franchisee can operate from their kitchen table or from an office”

As the franchise industry continues to face the challenges brought on by the great recession and tight credit markets those franchisors that achieve continued growth reflect sound franchise systems including these ten franchise opportunities.

© 2011 FranchiseKnowHow, LLC

Ed Teixeira is the President of FranchiseKnowHow, LLC. He can be reached at franchiseknowhow@gmail.com