Many Franchise-Seekers Already Own Other Businesses
By: Michael Alston for Franchise Insights
September 30,2026 – In over seven years of monthly surveys, the data show that 15-25% of franchise prospects researching on franchise directory websites (portals) already own at least one business. That percentage has varied month-to-month over this time span, but consistently represents a significant slice of aspiring candidates to franchise ownership.
The “word cloud” graphic above illustrates the variety of businesses owned by survey respondents over the eight months from January to August 2026. They range from retail sales (flooring, tires, generators) and services (financial services, insurance, legal, travel agency, and real estate) to auto salvage. They are as disparate as military contracting and a recording label. The variety represented here is a small sample from the wide breadth of choices available in the franchise industry itself.
In August, over 16% of franchise prospect survey respondents said they already own at least one business.
We don’t know exactly why these current business owners are also seeking franchises, but they may be pursuing a desire to upgrade or complement their existing businesses, supplement income, or find more lucrative ventures. The fundamental motivations for business ownership have been very consistent over time.
In the most recently completed survey in August 2026, 16.1% of respondents said they were current business owners. Of those owners who reported on the type of business, about 25% said they owned franchises, 50% owned non-franchise businesses, and 25% said they were operating “business or licensing opportunities” already.
Over 12% of prospects surveyed who already own a business own at least one franchise.
The “Mystery Shopping” and Startup Sentiment Index™ surveys of franchise inquirers from which we collect this data are conducted monthly on the Franchise Ventures lead generation platform.
Franchise Ventures is the leading franchise lead-generation platform for potential franchisees to thousands of growing franchise systems in the United States and Canada. Its franchise lead generation brands include Franchise.com, Franchise Solutions, Franchise Gator, Franchise Opportunities, Franchise For Sale, SmallBusinessStartup.com and BusinessBroker.net, and together they provide the largest aggregation of prospective franchise buyers in the U.S.
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Published on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026.