The Doctor Is In Make money with: furniture repair, home safety, cruise travel.

Helpless furnishings everywhere sport battle wounds from theoccasional moving mishap. If you have a knack for restoring theirnatural beauty, consider Furniture Medic LP, the Memphis,Tennessee-based franchisor that calls itself "the prescriptionfor damaged furniture."

According to president Todd Vieyra, top Furniture Medic accountsinclude moving companies, the insurance industry (restoring flood-or fire-damaged furnishings), commercial properties, and governmentproperties (refinishing furnishings in courthouses and federalbuildings).

A franchise fee of either $11,400 or $16,400, depending onterritory size, buys your license to practice furniture medicine.Franchisees receive extensive training, including a two-week homestudy course, two weeks of training in Memphis, and a mentorprogram pairing new franchisees with established ones. Annualregional meetings and national conventions help polish skills, asdoes a yearly training-video update.

Additional start-up costs, beginning at $3,500, cover anequipment package and start-up marketing tools. A company van isrequired; if it's purchased through Furniture Medic, thecompany handles the $500 down payment. The monthly royalty fee is$200 or 7 percent of gross sales; advertising royalties are $30 or1 percent of gross sales.

So far, approximately 425 franchisees in North America havefound success as furniture "M.D.s." Those grossing lessthan $250,000 per year typically run their franchises from home;higher revenue usually requires a commercial location. To aidfurniture in distress, call (800)?77-9933.

Sail Away

Modern-day vacationers are far worldlier than theirpredecessors. To keep up, many holiday-handlers, such as CruiseOneInc., are specializing in various types of travel.

CruiseOne franchisees, known as "cruise specialists,"help clients select the cruise of their dreams. New franchiseesattend a six-day training seminar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,covering everything from marketing to making reservations.Franchisees also dine aboard docked vessels and tour their cabins."When you go on different ships, you recognize they're asdifferent as a Days Inn, a Hilton and a Waldorf-Astoria," saysCharlotte Luna, president of the Deerfield Beach, Florida,company.

Start-up costs of $11,730 to $22,170 include a $7,800 franchisefee, plus various equipment and marketing materials. There'salso a service fee of 1, 2 or 3 percent, based on volume. To getyour sea legs, call (800) 892-3928.

Risk Factors

By Shara Lessley

With potential hazards lurking near every staircase and poweroutlet, today's parents are doing more to ensure home safetythan simply putting up child-proof gates. But while some safetyproducts are available in supermarkets and hardware stores, manyfamilies count on experts to point out less obvious dangers, suchas scalding water and excess cords that can trip up tots.

Enter Safe & Sound, a Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, firm whosecompany-certified franchisees inspect and secure homes with acomplete line of protection products. The result? Parents are freedfrom worry and kids from the confinement of playpens."Creating a positive environment lets children explore theirworld safely," says company president and founder RichardShandelman.

Start-up costs of $30,000 to $43,000 cover a $19,500 franchisefee, office equipment, marketing materials and inventory. Backed bya Safety Advisory Council comprised of physicians, engineers andsafety specialists, franchisees are covered both generally andprofessionally by the company's liability insurance program. A2 percent advertising fee helps maintain a national call centerthat introduces company services to potential clients. There'salso a monthly royalty fee of 5 percent. For details, call RonSommers at (800) 332-2229.