Get All Access for $5/mo

Franchises You Can Start for Less Than $50,000 (Infographic) These business range from dog training to event planning and more.

By Tracy Stapp Herold

This story appears in the August 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Shutterstock

Think you can't afford to be your own boss? Think again. On the following pages, you'll find our list of top franchises that can be started for less than $50,000. Some can even be started for less than $5,000. And with 87 companies listed, from pet-sitting and property management services to popcorn carts, you're sure to find an affordable franchise opportunity that sparks your passion.

These businesses are listed based on their ranking in Entrepreneur's 2015 Franchise 500®, which is determined using objective, quantifiable criteria such as system size, growth and financial strength and stability. The listing is not intended as a recommendation of any particular business. Always conduct your own research, including reading a company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant and talking to experienced franchisees to get the lowdown on any low-cost franchise you might be considering.

Image Credit: Entrepreneur | Shutterstock

1. Jan-Pro Franchising International
Commercial cleaning
jan-pro.com
Startup cost: $3.1K-$50.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 11,676/0

2. H&R Block
Tax preparation, electronic filing
hrblock.com/franchise
Startup cost: $31.5K-$148.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 4,846/6,165

3. Cruise Planners
Travel agency
cruiseplannersfranchise.com
Startup cost: $2.1K-$22.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,757/1

4. Vanguard Cleaning Systems
Commercial cleaning
vanguardcleaning.com
Startup cost: $10.9K-$35.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 3,113/0

5. Jazzercise
Dance-fitness classes, conventions, apparel and accessories
jazzercise.com
Startup cost: $3.5K-$75.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 8,370/3

6. CleanNet USA
Commercial cleaning
cleannetusa.com
Startup cost: $9.8K-$97.95K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 2,951/14

7. Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System
Commercial cleaning
coverall.com
Startup cost: $14.1K-$47.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 7,996/0

8. Chem-Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
Carpet, drapery and upholstery cleaning; tile and stone care
chemdryfranchise.com
Startup cost: $40K-$140K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 3,565/0

9. RE/MAX
Real estate
remax.com
Startup cost: $37.5K-$279.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 6,751/21

10. Cellairis Franchise
Cell-phone and wireless-device accessories and repairs
cellairis.com
Startup cost: $43.1K-$397K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 577/51

11. Anago Cleaning Systems
Commercial cleaning
anagocleaning.com
Startup cost: $10.5K-$65.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 2,456/0

12. Proforma
Printing and promotional products
onlyproforma.com
Startup cost: $4.7K-$50.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 703/0

13. Heaven's Best Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
Carpet and upholstery cleaning
heavensbest.com
Startup cost: $44.9K-$65.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,259/0

14. Rooter-Man
Plumbing, drain and sewer cleaning
rooterman.com
Startup cost: $46.8K-$137.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 497/17

15. Buildingstars International
Commercial cleaning
buildingstars.com
Startup cost: $2.2K-$52.4K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 566/0

16. Bricks 4 Kidz
Lego-engineering classes, camps, parties
bricks4kidz.com
Startup cost: $33.8K-$51.1K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 649/1

17. Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Home inspections
pillartopost.com
Startup cost: $33.2K-$42.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 460/0

18. Novus Glass
Auto glass repair and replacement
novusfranchising.com
Startup cost: $46.8K-$229.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,627/17

19. Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services
In-home tutoring
clubztutoring.com
Startup cost: $32.6K-$56.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 390/0

20. Sculpture Hospitality
Liquor inventory-control services
sculpturehospitality.com
Startup cost: $43.4K-$57.1K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 376/5

21. N-Hance
Wood floor and cabinet refinishing
nhancefranchise.com
Startup cost: $24.3K-$131.98K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 347/0

22. HomeVestors of America
Home buying, repair and selling
homevestors.com
Startup cost: $42K-$347.3K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 587/0

23. Coffee News
Weekly newspaper distributed at restaurants
coffeenews.com
Startup cost: $9.3K-$10.3K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 785/5

24. CruiseOne
Travel agency
cruiseonefranchise.com
Startup cost: $3.2K-$21.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,000/0

25. Mint Condition Franchising
Commercial cleaning, building maintenance
mintconditioninc.com
Startup cost: $4.9K-$45.4K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 306/0

26. MaidPro
Residential cleaning
maidpro.com
Startup cost: $45.9K-$202.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 187/1

27. CPR-Cell Phone Repair
Electronics repairs and sales
cellphonerepair.com
Startup cost: $24.6K-$228.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 198/5

28. Soccer Shots Franchising
Soccer programs for ages 2 to 8
soccershotsfranchising.com
Startup cost: $31.7K-$38.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 156/10

29. My Gym Children's Fitness Center
Early-learning/fitness programs
mygym.com
Startup cost: $34.3K-$247.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 329/0

30. HappyFeet Legends International
Soccer programs for ages 2 to 18
happysoccerfeet.com
Startup cost: $21.3K-$25.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 171/4

31. WIN Home Inspection
Home inspections
winfranchising.com
Startup cost: $33.9K-$54.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 182/0

32. Mr. Sandless/Dr. DecknFence
Interior and exterior sandless wood refinishing
mrsandless.com
Startup cost: $26.8K-$87.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 258/11

33. Kitchen Tune-Up
Residential and commercial kitchen and bath remodeling
kitchentuneup.com
Startup cost: $45.8K-$55.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 173/0

34. Fresh Coat
Residential and commercial painting
freshcoatpaintersfranchise.com
Startup cost: $49.4K-$76.95K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 112/0

35. Just Between Friends Franchise Systems
Children's and maternity consignment events
jbfsale.com
Startup cost: $26.97K-$39.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 145/1

36. Estrella Insurance
Auto, home and business insurance
estrellainsurance.com
Startup cost: $49.95K-$84K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 93/0

37. Dale Carnegie Training
Workplace training and development
dalecarnegie.com
Startup cost: $26K-$182.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 202/2

38. The Glass Guru
Window and glass restoration and replacement
theglassguru.com
Startup cost: $30.2K-$119.99K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 92/0

39. Doc Popcorn
Kettle-cooked popcorn
docpopcorn.com
Startup cost: $39K-$355.1K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 94/2

40. Acti-Kare
Nonmedical home care
actikare.com
Startup cost: $32.6K-$51.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 90/0

41. Certified Restoration DryCleaning Network
Textile restoration
crdn.com
Startup cost: $45.6K-$235.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 156/0

42. Plan Ahead Events
Corporate event planning
discoverplanaheadevents.com
Startup cost: $45.9K-$71.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 129/0

43. Jet-Black Franchise Group
Asphalt maintenance
jet-black.com
Startup cost: $46.5K-$113.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 86/10

44. Aire-Master of America
Restroom deodorizing and maintenance
airemaster.com
Startup cost: $36.1K-$124.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 102/4

45. American Poolplayers Association
Recreational billiard league
poolplayers.com
Startup cost: $16.7K-$19.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 307/6

46. Sit Means Sit Dog Training
Dog training
sitmeanssit.com
Startup cost: $45K-$123.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 82/1

47. Young Rembrandts Franchise
Art classes for ages 3 to 12
youngrembrandtsfranchise.com
Startup cost: $40.2K-$48.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 107/0

48. Amazing Athletes
Educational sports programs
amazingathletes.com
Startup cost: $34.2K-$55.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 85/0

49. KidzArt
Art-education programs, products and services
kidzart.com
Startup cost: $46.1K-$52.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 107/0

50. AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services
Home inspections
amerispec.com
Startup cost: $44.3K-$75.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 290/0

51. TSS Photography
Youth sports, school and event photography
tssphotography.com
Startup cost: $42.3K-$77.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 229/0

52. Unishippers Global Logistics
Shipping services
unishippers.com
Startup cost: $48.2K-$2.2M
Total franchises/co.-owned: 222/92

53. Heits Building Services
Commercial cleaning and maintenance
heits.com
Startup cost: $9K-$71.95K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 201/0

54. Hallmark Homecare
Caregiver search, recruitment and placement
hallmarkhomecare.com
Startup cost: $13.9K-$26.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 75/0

55. Homes & Land
Real-estate advertising magazine
homesandland.com
Startup cost: $47.1K-$127K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 224/18

56. Happy & Healthy Products
Frozen fruit bars
happyandhealthy.com
Startup cost: $37.2K-$113.1K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 63/0

57. Jantize America
Commercial cleaning
jantize.com
Startup cost: $49.7K-$253.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 236/0

58. National Property Inspections
Home and commercial property inspections
npifranchise.com
Startup cost: $38.7K-$42.1K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 216/0

59. Techna Glass International
Windshield repair and replacement
technaglass.com
Startup cost: $41.6K-$175.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 30/22

60. Green Home Solutions
Environmentally friendly mold cleaning, pest control and odor elimination
greenhomesolutions.com
Startup cost: $21.1K-$72.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 102/1

61. DKI
Insurance/disaster restoration
dkiservices.com
Startup cost: $47.1K-$164.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 347/0

62. The Decor Group
Holiday and event lighting
thedecorgroup.com
Startup cost: $18.1K-$40.3K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 242/0

63. CEO Focus
Peer consulting groups
for small-business owners
ceofocus.com
Startup cost: $41.5K-$63K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 27/5

64. Snaggle Foot Dog Walks & Pet Care
Pet-sitting, dog-walking
snagglefoot.com
Startup cost: $12.2K-$21.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 26/5

65. The Senior's Choice
Nonmedical home care
theseniorschoice.com
Startup cost: $38K-$55K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 170/1

66. Duct Doctor USA
Residential and commercial air-duct cleaning
ductdoctor.com
Startup cost: $41K-$136.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 25/0

67. Colors On Parade
Mobile auto paint and dent repair
colorsonparade.com
Startup cost: $39.7K-$525K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 266/8

68. Flower Tent
Flower store
flowertent.com
Startup cost: $28.2K-$82.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 83/10

69. Engineering for Kids
Math, science, technology and engineering activities
engineeringforkids.com
Startup cost: $33.1K-$88.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 126/2

70. 360clean
Commercial cleaning
360clean.com
Startup cost: $13.9K-$21.4K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 82/0

71. Window Gang
Window, exterior, dryer-vent and chimney cleaning; deck and fence sealing
windowgang.com
Startup cost: $34.4K-$81.1K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 151/36

72. Computer Troubleshooters
Technology consulting for small businesses
comptroub.com
Startup cost: $17.2K-$82.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 344/0

73. Baby Boot Camp/Karna Fitness
Prenatal and postnatal fitness; women's private and small-group training
babybootcamp.com
Startup cost: $4.8K-$10.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 128/1

74. Sunbelt Business Brokers
Business brokerage
sunbeltnetwork.com
Startup cost: $41.7K-$96.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 200/1

75. i9 Sports
Youth sports leagues, camps and clinics
i9sportsfranchise.com
Startup cost: $44.9K-$69.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 123/16

76. Brickhouse Cardio Club
Fitness studio
brickhousecardio.com
Startup cost: $18.95K-$31.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 53/1

77. MindsAhead Academy
Enrichment and tutoring programs
mindsahead.com
Startup cost: $8.7K-$75.2K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 611/1

78. You've Got Maids
Environmentally friendly cleaning
youvegotmaids.com
Startup cost: $34.9K-$108.9K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 47/0

79. Critter Control
Wildlife management, pest control
crittercontrol.com
Startup cost: $25.1K-$85.4K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 110/0

80. Pet Butler
Pet-waste cleanup and removal
petbutler.com
Startup cost: $30K-$42K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 101/0

81. Oxi Fresh Franchising
Carpet cleaning
oxifreshfranchise.com
Startup cost: $37.7K-$65.6K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 268/6

82. Drama Kids International
After-school drama classes and summer camps
dramakidsfranchises.com
Startup cost: $28.5K-$46.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 193/0

83. Ident-A-Kid Franchise
Children's safety products and services
identakid.com
Startup cost: $34.1K-$44.3K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 132/0

84. ACFN-The ATMFranchise Business
Automated teller machines
acfnfranchised.com
Startup cost: $40.4K-$67.8K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 238/0

85. Complete Weddings and Events
Photography, DJ, video and photo-booth services
completewedo.com
Startup cost: $30.4K-$48.7K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 200/2

86. Property Management Inc.
Commercial and residential property management
propertymanagementinc.com
Startup cost: $20.3K-$61K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 93/2

87. Abrakadoodle
Art-education programs
abrakadoodle.com
Startup cost: $37.8K-$80.5K
Total franchises/co.-owned: 170/2

Tracy Stapp Herold

Entrepreneur Staff

Tracy Stapp Herold is the special projects editor at Entrepreneur magazine. She works on franchise and business opportunity stories and listings, including the annual Franchise 500.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Growing a Business

How Connecting With the Right Audience Drives Long-Term Business Success

Here's how targeted lead generation can help you unlock higher conversions, stronger brand loyalty and scalable growth.

Leadership

Should I Stay or Should I Go? 8 Key Points to Navigate the Founder's Dilemma

Here are eight key signs that help founders determine whether to persevere or let go.

Starting a Business

They Bought an Ice Cream Truck Off eBay for $5,000. Now Their Company Has 70 Shops and Sells Treats in Over 12,000 Stores.

For the episode of "The Founder CEO," the co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream explains how one ice cream truck grew into a successful nationwide brand.

Marketing

Your Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Is Hiding in the Finance Department — Here's Why

Transform your marketing leadership by turning finance from a barrier into a strategic ally. Learn how aligning with your finance team can drive unprecedented growth and innovation.

Business News

'You Own Nothing Here on Social': Meta Outage, Looming TikTok Ban Has Creators Questioning How Much of Their Business They Really Control

With repeated tech outages and a possible TikTok ban on the horizon, creators are looking for new ways to influence. Turns out, one old-school way still reigns supreme.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.