A franchise is way for companies to expand their business by licensing the rights to third-party retailers or individuals -- or franchisees -- who then can use the franchise’s logo, name and business model.  

There are three different kinds of franchises. They include:

• Distributorships, such as with Toyota, which licenses the right for a third party to sell the parent company product.

• Trademark licensing, which allows companies to buy the right to use the parent company’s trademark along with their own brand, such as what Coca-Cola licenses to other companies.

• Business format franchises, such as Subway, which offer its franchisees the right to sell its goods and/or services using its business model.

Popular franchises: Some examples of popular and well-known franchise models are in the food industry -- many which have gone international -- such as McDonald’s, Subway and Dominos. Starbucks, which is commonly thought to be a franchise, is not. 

For more information about top franchise businesses, check out Entrepreneur's "2015 Franchise 500 Rankings," or get the Entrepreneur Franchise 500.