Small business and home business franchises

Who doesn’t want to be your own boss and work from home?

As the SoHo (Small Office Home Office) trend continues to grow, which is characterized by work that usually entails telecommuting as well as self-employment, more and more people are looking at ways to get out of the rat race and into the comfort of their own home environment.

Entrepreneur Magazine recently listed the Top 10 Home-based Franchises for 2007. These leading opportunities include franchises that provide:

• Commercial and residential cleaning services - seven of the top home-based franchises provide this service!
•  The distribution of professional hand tools and equipment.
• Consulting and installation of blinds in homes.
• Dance-fitness programs

Financial services franchises include: ATM machines, college fund consulting, real estate purchases, financing, equipment leasing, and payroll and taxes.

You’d be surprised just how much you can distribute from your home by buying a franchise: everything from greeting cards and bulk propane to vending machines and wheelchair-accessible van rentals.

The Internet obviously lends itself well to home-based franchises. Some of the services you can offer through franchising include:

• Web hosting
• Web design
• Web advertising
• Search engine optimization (SEO) practices
• Web-based software

Home-based =“Women’s opportunities”

In your search for franchising information, you may run across the marketing of home-based franchises as “women’s opportunities.” Some of those franchising options include:

• Child care/childhood learning and nannies/tutors
• Spas and laser centers
• Gourmet cookies
• Healthcare home support/elder care
• Massage
• Women-only gyms
• Pet care