November 4, 2026 – After a run of declining startup sentiment in the second quarter of 2026, October saw the fourth month of strong optimism as 62.5% of persons exploring franchise ownership agree or strongly agree that “now is a good time for startup”, similar to the preceding three months.
June 24, 2026 – Since our last review of expected business startup funding sources, many of the smaller categories changed by a few percentage points. But while maintaining their rank order, two of the top three sources – personal savings and SBA loans – dropped in the range of ten percentage points each.
September 17, 2025 – While the rankings of many of the categories of expected business startup funding changed over the past year, the top three – personal savings, SBA loans, and banks or other loan providers remained in the same order among the top three.
August 6, 2025 – Just under 63% of franchise seekers responding to the FranchiseInsights.com August Startup Sentiment survey cited ‘funding or access to credit’ as their greatest concern in launching their startups, the lowest for that measure since September 2024. This is consistent with the expectation of lower rates by consumers in the University of Michigan confidence survey.
December 11, 2024 — While the rankings of many of the categories of expected business startup funding changed over the past year, the top three – personal savings, SBA loans, and banks or other loan providers remained the same.
July 24, 2024 — With persistently higher interest rates and tighter credit, aspiring franchise owners look to diverse sources for financing their startups, especially from their own sources of capital, including personal savings, retirement funds, and home equity.
December 13, 2023 — As interest rates rose and lending standards tightened, small businesses and future franchise owners have been looking to unconventional sources to finance their growth plans. From available credit card balances to retirement accounts and crowdfunding, entrepreneurs are finding ways to move forward.
August 16, 2023 — With higher interest rates and tightening credit, aspiring franchise owners expect “personal sources” to make up the majority of funding for their business launches, cited among the top three sources by 51.2% of respondents in a July survey.
March 29, 2023 – As March 2023 survey data arrives, aspiring franchisees now expect “personal sources” to make up the vast majority of funding for their business launches, with 47.4% including it in their top three sources. SBA loans and banks and other loan providers were second and third, included by 32.6% and 20.0% of respondents, respectively, to round out the top three choices.
March 23, 2023 — Amid news of bank failures and high interest rates, business startups expect personal sources to make up the vast majority of funding for their business launches. Those planning to take advantage of Small Business Administration loans and bank loans have dropped to 30.1% and 22.8% respectively, given forty-year highs in interest rates and tightening credit conditions.
Norfolk, Virginia – November 9, 2022 — Most aspiring franchise buyers now plan to use their own personal sources of funding for their business launches. Those planning to take advantage of Small Business Administration loans and bank loans are at 39.8% and 35.3% respectively, despite forty-year highs in interest rates seen in the last few …
June 22, 2022 — Most aspiring franchise buyers plan to take advantage of Small Business Administration loans and bank loans, at 48.9% and 45% respectively, despite the rapid rise in interest rates seen in the last few months. Another 14.3% are hoping to take advantage of in-house financing by the franchise they are purchasing. These …
April 27, 2022 – Taking a snapshot of each March since 2020, “funding or access to credit” has increased as the biggest consideration for franchise buyers over the next six months. Most recently in March 2022, 76.6% of respondents indicated that this was their biggest concern. From March 2020 when the total impact of the …
March 16, 2022 — Most aspiring franchise buyers plan to use Small Business Administration loans and personal savings to start their businesses, at 48.9% and 45% respectively, according to the FranchiseInsights.com Small Business Startup Sentiment survey. Loans from banks or other lending institutions were identified as the third most common source at 39.8%. The percentages …
March. 24, 2021 – As the vaccinated share of the population increases, and states ease restrictions on social distancing, respondents to a recent survey of aspiring small business owners chose “funding or access to credit” as the biggest barrier to buying a franchise over the next six months. The survey of future business owners was …
March 12, 2020 – Respondents to a February 2020 of aspiring small business owners cited “funding or access to credit” as the biggest barrier to buying a franchise. This level is just below the 68.5% seen in the month-earlier survey. Franchise buyers recognize that franchise fees account for a relatively small portion of the capital …