For prospective business owners looking to purchase a franchise, the number of opportunities can be daunting. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 2,500 franchise brands. A new report from StartupJournal.com, The Wall Street Journal's guide for entrepreneurs, helps make that process a little easier.
The StartupJournal.com report, in partnership with research firm FRANdata -- an Arlington, Va.-based independent franchise information company -- identifies 25 high-performing franchise brands that do business in the U.S. Based on data analyzed by FRANdata, the 25 brands on our list are well established, have experienced leadership, exhibit overall financial health and have a proven record of franchising success. The list is below. The debut of the list kicks off an increased focus on franchising coverage on StartupJournal.com.


-- Abbey Carpet System
-- Assist-2-Sell
-- Banfield, The Pet Hospital
-- Batteries Plus
-- CiCi's Pizza
-- Cruise Planners
-- Curves For Women
-- Del Taco
-- Domino's Pizza
-- Friendly's Restaurants
-- Home Instead Senior Care
-- Huntington Learning Centers
-- Jimmy John's
-- Keller Williams Realty
-- Mighty Distributing System
-- Pizzeria Uno
-- Rita's Water Ice
-- Round Table Pizza
-- Servpro
-- Sport Clips
-- Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaner
-- Subway
-- Two Men And A Truck
-- United Country
-- Vision Source

"Franchising can be a fulfilling and financially rewarding career," says Tony Lee, publisher, StartupJournal.com. "But franchises aren't for everyone who dreams about leaving the corporate fold. When buying a franchise, you should carefully review the fees, the long hours, the financial commitment and the terms of ending the franchise agreement if things don't work out."

More than 320,000 U.S. small businesses are operated as franchises in 75 different industries, employing approximately eight million people. One of every 12 retail business establishments is a franchised business, and sales from franchisees account for 40% of all U.S. retail sales, according to the International Franchise Association.

For more information and guidance on starting and running a business or franchise, visit www.StartupJournal.com.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060223/nyth017.htm ...