Current Business Owners Represent a Significant Share of Franchise-Seekers
By: Michael Alston for Franchise Insights
June 25, 2025 – In the span of surveying aspiring franchise owners for over five years, data show that about 15-20% of prospects 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 for franchise expansion.
The “word cloud” graphic above illustrates the variety of businesses owned by survey respondents from the period February through May 2025. They range from retail sales (hardware, picture framing, clothing boutique, insurance and convenience store) and cleaning to several business services like food service equipment, trucking, and small business consulting. They are as disparate as spiritual consulting and children’s education and child care. The variety represented here is a reflection of the breadth of choices in the franchise industry itself.
One survey respondent in this period reported owning three businesses already. They included a rental business, a plumbing contractor supply shop, and a hardware store. Another owned both a quick-serve franchise and a non-franchise business opportunity.
We don’t know exactly why these individuals 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.
In the same February to May 2025 survey period, 16.7% of respondents said they were current business owners. About 85% said they owned non-franchise businesses, and 6.4% said they were operating “business or licensing opportunities” already.
Of the 8.5% who already own franchises, a quick-serve restaurant, insurance brokerage, and a landowner were represented, among others.
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. This survey was conducted February through May 2025.
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, June 24th, 2025.