What Is a Home-Based Franchise? 

Even before the pandemic struck, people were starting to look at the benefits of working from home. It was convenient, saved time and money, allowed for cheaper child-care options, and even helped them schedule personal appointments or accept home deliveries during working hours. On top of these benefits, owning a home-based franchise also gives the entrepreneur much lower overhead because they don’t need to lease office space to run the business out of. While many people tend to have a limited view on what type of business can be run out of the home, there is a much wider array of choices than you might think.

There are currently 38 million home-based businesses in the United States, and it’s a model that fits many industries. From home improvement and landscaping, to cleaning and janitorial, marketing services, construction, education and tutoring, senior/home care, management, financial consulting and many more. Over all 52% of small businesses in the country are home based, many of which are franchises. It makes sense, after all, when was the last time you needed to walk into a store front or an office for a business that offers any of these services?

There are many questions people have about home-based franchises, such as how do they attract customers (through advertising and recommendations) and where do you store the business’ inventory (in your garage/basement or a rented storage space), but perhaps the biggest question is do you really work from home? It’s a tricky question because the answer is both yes and no. For some home-based franchises the owners and employees work exclusively from home. Typically, these types of franchises are management, financial consulting, or education. In other cases, the home-based owners and employees mix their time between working from home and at a customer’s job site. These types of home-based franchises generally do their paperwork, marketing, and client communications at their home, with the work performed somewhere else.

While it can be liberating and convenient to have your job and home located in one place, you do need to make sure to avoid a common mistake; it can be hard separating home life and your professional commitment, and at times the two may blur together. You might find yourself getting interrupted when you’re supposed to be working, so much so that you don’t manage to get anything accomplished. On the other hand, you may find yourself so focused that you forget to take breaks or spend time with your family, because you’re so comfortable working from home that you lose track of time. The key is finding the proper balance between the two while maintaining a strict discipline to stay focused, ignoring distractions and keeping to a schedule.

For many, working from home is a gift that suits their lifestyle and gives them the flexibility to spend time with their family and fulfill household obligations, while making a living as well. It’s a cost-effective way to run a business, and one that is increasing in popularity year over year.