Prepackaged Business

The housing industry hit the skids, so real estate agent Patrick Logue sought a venture that could take a bite out of a different market. His search ended with Bark Busters, an international dog-training company. As a franchisee, Logue found a situation that offered flexibility and the opportunity to be his own boss, but with support, training and resources from a parent company.

Franchising has grown significantly across the country in the past few years.

"It’s probably the fastest way of getting in the business and starting to make some money," says Craig D. Peden, president of Fort Myers-based Rib City Group Inc., whose franchisees have helped pave the company’s expansion outside of Florida.

Rib City opened its first franchise in 2005, joining 900 companies—new and existing—that began franchising in the United States between 2003 and 2005, according to the International Franchise Association. More than 760,000 franchised establishments in the country generate in excess of $1.5 trillion in economic activity, according to the IFA.

Landscaping, public relations, packaging and shipping, and, of course, restaurants are among the myriad of new franchise businesses in Southwest Florida. Real estate is one of the main reasons they’re booming, says Eric Stites, founder and president of Franchise Business Review, a Maine-based company that provides market research for the industry. Not only has the real estate downturn caused struggling agents to seek other employment opportunities—such as franchises—but more commercial space is available here compared with other areas of the country.

Training and Track Records
The No. 1 benefit for franchisees is working with a proven model of success, Stites says. "Franchising is a great opportunity for people that want to own and operate their own business without having to jump through all the hoops of actually creating a business from scratch," he says.