Kim Kavin

Kim Kavin was an editorial staffer at newspapers and magazines for a decade before going full-time freelance in 2003. She has written for The Washington Post, NBC's Think, The Hill and more about the need to protect independent contractor careers. She co-founded the grassroots, nonpartisan, self-funded group Fight For Freelancers.

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More From Kim Kavin

Franchise 500

From Celebrity Investors to AI That Cuts Labor Costs by 90% — How 5 Brands Made Massive Leaps

What drove explosive franchise growth in 2025? Here are the five different growth strategies that helped these franchises rocket up in the Franchise 500 rankings.

Buying a Franchise

The Highest-Earning Franchisees Have These 2 Qualities

When you talk to the top-performing franchisee across many different brands, you will spot some key commonalities.

Buying a Franchise

Gen Z Is Quitting Corporate for a Different Kind of Business Opportunity: ‘The W-2 World Doesn’t Hold the Same Allure’

Young entrepreneurs are changing everything in franchising from training to marketing — and they're teaching older generations a thing or two along the way.

Sustainability

Consumers Say They Want Green Products, But They Won’t Buy In Mass Until Brands Do This

For innovative sustainable companies, there are huge opportunities.

Buying a Franchise

An Expert In Restaurant Acquisitions On What He Looks for In a Spicy Deal

There are a lot of franchise resturants. So how do you know which ones are worth buying? This restaurant veteran says it's all about average unit volume — and here's why.

Buying a Franchise

The Culver Family Opened Their First Restaurant in 1984 — Now Culver’s Has 1,000 Locations. What’s Its Secret?

The Wisconsin-based burger franchise endears itself to the communities it serves.

Buying a Franchise

Wendy’s Has a New Restaurant Design That Lets Them Take 400 Times More Digital Orders

The burger franchise has a new leadership team, and they're ready to deliver way more burgers.

Buying a Franchise

From Dog Grooming to Acai Bowls — What’s Making These Brands Grow So Fast?

These five brands rocketed up the rankings of our Franchise 500 this year. Here's why.

Buying a Franchise

Kumon Is Killing It With Two New Initiatives That Meet Students Where They Are Today

Whether they're rolling out more interactive digital programs or catering to Spanish speakers, Kumon has a finger on the pulse of learning needs.

Buying a Franchise

Hampton by Hilton Now Has Over 3,000 Hotels Worldwide. What’s the Brand Doing to Stay On Top?

From collaborating with Paris Hilton on limited time waffles to sponsoring football and rolling out cost-effective renovations, Hampton by Hilton isn't slowing down.

Thought Leaders

She Wanted to Make Hand Sanitizer Sexy, Long Before the Pandemic. Here’s How She Made It Into Sephora, and Sold 20 Million Bottles.

Back in 2014, Andrea Lisbona set out to make hand sanitizer a daily-use product like skincare. Next year, revenue at Touchland is projected to be more than $100 million.

Thought Leaders

She Saw the AI Revolution Coming — and Created a Company to Help People Use It Easily. Now It’s Worth Half a Billion Dollars.

Lin Qiao's company Fireworks AI lets customers build generative AI products with simple prompts.

Thought Leaders

What Would You Tell a Therapist If You Were Anonymous? A Lot, This Founder Realized, and It Helped Her Raise $53 Million.

Zeera's audio app has the same clinical outcomes as one-on-one therapy, but is done anonymously, which makes more people want to seek out help.

Thought Leaders

After Shocking Himself While Swapping His Light Switches, He Found a Solution. Now His Products Help Homes Sell Faster.

Derek Richardson thought it should be as easy to change light switches as it is to change light bulbs. Now his company Deako's smart modular lighting is being installed in 10,000 homes a month.

Thought Leaders

When The FDA Changed a Rule, This College Dropout Tried Making a Common Medical Device for Cheap. Now He’s In Walmart, With Over 1 Million Customers.

Ishan Patel saw a big business opportunity, and a way to change people's lives. But to get into the country's biggest retailer, his company Audien Hearing needed to jump through some serious hoops.

Buying a Franchise

She Was a Regular at a Struggling Coffee Shop. Then She Bought It, and 4X the Annual Revenue to $1.8 Million.

Kristen Haseotes bought a failing location of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, and then slammed the gas on growth. Here's how she became the franchise's top performer.

Buying a Franchise

How an Idaho State Senator Saved a Beloved Franchise By Hitting the Road In His Camper Van

Peter Riggs' first job out of college was as a Pita Pit franchisee. Years later, he returned as CEO to bring the brand back to life.

Buying a Franchise

Why This Mother Daughter Duo Are Making a Killing on Consignment Handbags In New Jersey

For their business to work, Dianne and Gabrielle Melillo need more than customers. They need a community that has total confidence in them.

Buying a Franchise

When He Immigrated, Math Was the Only Language He Understood. Now He’s Built That Knowledge Into a Franchise Making $30 Million a Year.

Mo Khalil now owns 70 Mathnasium locations.

Buying a Franchise

How to Know If a Local Business Has Franchise Potential, From a Guy Who Built One Into 80 Locations

Wade Brannon had already built and sold one franchise when a kid's hair salon in his area caught his interest.

Buying a Franchise

Her Son Struggled In School. After Helping Him Become an ‘A’ Student, She Started a Business to Replicate Their Success.

Maria Washington and her husband Aaron realized they were on to something.

Building a Business

Consumers May Love Your Brand’s Mission But That’s Not Why They Buy from You — Here’s What You Should Focus On Instead

Don't fall into this strategic trap.

Buying a Franchise

He Began Selling Insurance to the Hispanic Community in the 1970s. Now His Family Owns a National Franchise With a Smart Strategy.

"The evolution of the immigrant community has changed everything."

Buying a Franchise

After Being Laid Off Twice in 2 Years, He Realized He Could ‘Be Brave,’ or ‘Fail to Attain My Potential.’ Now His Business Makes Over $1 Million a Year.

At 41, Josh Grinstead knew he was at a crossroads.

Buying a Franchise

The CEO of a Disaster Restoration Company On How the Business Has Changed: ‘Today, at Least 50% Is About the Emotional Damage’

When Miri Offir became CEO of 911 Restoration, she planned to do things differently.

Buying a Franchise

Kim Kavin

More From Kim Kavin

From Celebrity Investors to AI That Cuts Labor Costs by 90% — How 5 Brands Made Massive Leaps

The Highest-Earning Franchisees Have These 2 Qualities

Gen Z Is Quitting Corporate for a Different Kind of Business Opportunity: ‘The W-2 World Doesn’t Hold the Same Allure’

Consumers Say They Want Green Products, But They Won’t Buy In Mass Until Brands Do This

An Expert In Restaurant Acquisitions On What He Looks for In a Spicy Deal

The Culver Family Opened Their First Restaurant in 1984 — Now Culver’s Has 1,000 Locations. What’s Its Secret?

Wendy’s Has a New Restaurant Design That Lets Them Take 400 Times More Digital Orders

From Dog Grooming to Acai Bowls — What’s Making These Brands Grow So Fast?

Kumon Is Killing It With Two New Initiatives That Meet Students Where They Are Today

Hampton by Hilton Now Has Over 3,000 Hotels Worldwide. What’s the Brand Doing to Stay On Top?

She Wanted to Make Hand Sanitizer Sexy, Long Before the Pandemic. Here’s How She Made It Into Sephora, and Sold 20 Million Bottles.

She Saw the AI Revolution Coming — and Created a Company to Help People Use It Easily. Now It’s Worth Half a Billion Dollars.

What Would You Tell a Therapist If You Were Anonymous? A Lot, This Founder Realized, and It Helped Her Raise $53 Million.

After Shocking Himself While Swapping His Light Switches, He Found a Solution. Now His Products Help Homes Sell Faster.

When The FDA Changed a Rule, This College Dropout Tried Making a Common Medical Device for Cheap. Now He’s In Walmart, With Over 1 Million Customers.

She Was a Regular at a Struggling Coffee Shop. Then She Bought It, and 4X the Annual Revenue to $1.8 Million.

How an Idaho State Senator Saved a Beloved Franchise By Hitting the Road In His Camper Van

Why This Mother Daughter Duo Are Making a Killing on Consignment Handbags In New Jersey

When He Immigrated, Math Was the Only Language He Understood. Now He’s Built That Knowledge Into a Franchise Making $30 Million a Year.

How to Know If a Local Business Has Franchise Potential, From a Guy Who Built One Into 80 Locations

Her Son Struggled In School. After Helping Him Become an ‘A’ Student, She Started a Business to Replicate Their Success.

Consumers May Love Your Brand’s Mission But That’s Not Why They Buy from You — Here’s What You Should Focus On Instead

He Began Selling Insurance to the Hispanic Community in the 1970s. Now His Family Owns a National Franchise With a Smart Strategy.

After Being Laid Off Twice in 2 Years, He Realized He Could ‘Be Brave,’ or ‘Fail to Attain My Potential.’ Now His Business Makes Over $1 Million a Year.

The CEO of a Disaster Restoration Company On How the Business Has Changed: ‘Today, at Least 50% Is About the Emotional Damage’

She Cashed in $100K of Her Retirement Savings to Start a Business. Here’s What Happened.

This Looming Regulatory Change Is Endangering Your Entrepreneurial Livelihood. Here’s What You Can Do About It.

How This Mom-Daughter Team Drove More Than $7.5 Million In Sales In Their First Business Year

These Franchises Are Big-Time Earners Right Now, and They’re Fun!

He Used To Train Horses. Now His Business Does $11 Million In Annual Revenue.

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