Home-based franchises are businesses you can run from your home, or that have a mobile vehicle such as a branded truck, from which you can operate and sell products and services. Many of these businesses can start as a home-based franchise and eventually grow to include several employees and even office space.
We reviewed work-from-home franchises considering training and support offerings, initial investment, number of locations, and growth and came up with a selection of 10 franchises below across various industries. While you don’t need a physical location for any of these businesses, most require franchisees to either service customers at a location or network with potential customers outside of the home. So, your chance for growth and profit will increase if you’re willing to travel to where your buyers are.
1. Estrella Insurance
Estrella Insurance is a property and casualty insurance agency. It promises low rates and offers coverage for home, automobile, health, business, travel, pet, and other types of insurance. Estrella provides step-by-step assistance to new franchisees, plus ongoing support from their management staff. It also provides regular training sessions. Online reviews of Estrella Insurance consider it to be a generally high-performing franchise without any serious issues.
- Total initial investment: $12,250 – $84,000
- Franchise fee: $10,000 – $25,000
- Royalty fees: 10% – 14% plus 7% ad royalty fee
- Liquidity requirement: $50,000
- Training and support: Classroom and on-the-job training; marketing and operations support
- Number of locations: 200+ in the US
- Annual business revenue: $62+ million (company-wide)
2. Fibrenew
Fibrenew is a leather, vinyl, and plastic restoration company with a mobile-based business model and an emphasis on encouraging and supporting franchises. Franchisees can operate entirely from their personal vehicles. Expertise in restoration is not necessary to begin working with Fibrenew, as the company provides training for restoration, sales, marketing, and business growth.
It claims to have franchise partners who have been growing their businesses for decades and has over 300 individual locations across the US, Canada, and elsewhere.
- Total initial investment: $100,595 – $120,595
- Franchise fee: $47,000
- Royalty fees: $795+ per month
- Liquidity requirement: $15,000 – $25,000 (Required net worth: $100,000)
- Training and support: Support line, field operations, franchisee intranet platform, social media and website development
- Number of locations: 300+ worldwide
- Annual business revenue: Around $100,000 per franchisee
3. CertaPro Painters
CertaPro Painters is a professional painting business that services exterior and interior spaces for both residential and commercial properties. It also offers limewashing, drywall repair, carpentry, refinishing, power washing, and wallpaper removal services.
Each CertaPro franchise receives support from a General Manager and a Regional Marketing Manager as well as vendor discounts and recommendations and lead generation assistance. The company’s training program includes two weeks of classroom, online, and field learning.
- Total initial investment: $171,000 – $320,500
- Franchise fee: $65,000
- Royalty fees: 4% – 6% plus 2% – 3% ad royalty fee
- Liquidity requirement: $85,000 – $100,000
- Training and support: On-the-job and classroom training, business operations, marketing strategies, proprietary software, regular check-ins
- Number of locations: 350+ in North America
- Annual business revenue: $2,086,740 (gross sales in 2023)
4. Kitchen Tune-Up
Kitchen Tune-Up is a kitchen renovation franchise business with over 275 locations across the US and Canada. The company specializes in residential kitchen updates including painting, refacing, re-dooring, and customization of cabinets. Customers first design and visualize their ideal kitchen using the company’s Online Design Tool on its website and then send their preferences and orders to the franchise owner’s team.
Kitchen Tune-Up offers several weeks of training for new franchisees, plus oversight by a Regional Operations Manager and a personalized Launch Coach for months afterward.
- Total initial investment: $129,930 – $188,850
- Franchise fee: $19,950
- Royalty fees: 4% – 7% plus 1% ad royalty fee
- Liquidity requirement: $81,930 – $140,850
- Training and support: 6 weeks of virtual and live training for marketing, sales, and accounting; 12 weeks of post-training with Regional Operations Manager supervision; personalized Launch Coach
- Number of locations: 275+
- Annual business revenue: $547,765 per franchisee
5. Huntington Learning Center
Huntington Learning Center is a tutoring and test preparation company that claims to be the highest-performing tutoring franchise in the US. It also claims to have experienced double-digit revenue growth over the past several years. The Center assesses each student and then creates an individualized learning plan to match their skills and needs.
Huntington Learning Center not only provides weeks of training plus ongoing support but can also even help franchisees acquire more students through virtual conferencing with parents.
- Total initial investment: $163,521 – $302,211
- Franchise fee: $36,000
- Royalty fees: 9.5% plus 2% ad royalty fee
- Liquidity requirement: $110,000
- Training and support: 3 weeks of training for hiring, client relations, and business building; support for brand standards and digital marketing; SEO-optimized website; franchise business consultant
- Number of locations: Approximately 300 in the US
- Annual business revenue: At least $158,832 per franchisee
6. Totally Nutz
Totally Nutz is an events vendor business known for snacks such as almonds, pecans, and cinnamon-glazed cashew nuts. As a franchise owner, you’ll have a choice between three business models depending on how mobile you want to be and the types of events at which you want to sell (outdoor stadiums, festivals, malls, trade shows, and even airports or train stations). The company allows franchisees to work either full- or part-time and provides training on marketing, advertising, and business setup.
- Total initial investment: $66,372 – $229,000
- Franchise fee: $27,500
- Royalty fees: 7% plus $500/year ad royalty fee
- Liquidity requirement: $25,000
- Training and support: 33+ hours of classroom and hands-on training in Utah; product and equipment training; marketing and social media; events and venue acquisition; website setup
- Number of locations: 70+
- Annual business revenue: $117,000+ every 2 months (per franchisee)
7. Shine Window Cleaning and Holiday Lighting
Shine Window Cleaning and Holiday Lighting is a franchise company that provides services for window cleaning, pressure washing, outdoor and landscape lighting, gutter cleaning, and even lighting setup for Christmas and other holidays.
The company is transparent about its initial investment costs and fees and claims that franchisees won’t need to obtain large storefronts or expensive machines. In fact, the company provides all the necessary equipment plus a van for transport; the franchisee just needs to hire two crew members to start with. It also offers several weeks of training for various business functions.
- Total initial investment: $111,390 – $186,400
- Franchise fee: $49,900
- Royalty fees: 7% plus 1% ad royalty fee
- Liquidity requirement: $100,000
- Training and support: 9 weeks of training and support on marketing, vendor engagement, hiring, and CRM
- Number of locations: 70+ in the US
- Annual business revenue: $634,000+ per franchisee
8. College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving
The awesomely named College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving company is a franchise business specializing in junk removal and moving services. It claims to be the fastest-growing moving and highest-rated junk hauling franchise in the US, saw triple-digit growth for the past several years, and ranks among the top 3% of all franchise opportunities in the country. The company has also partnered with several charitable institutions such as US Hunger, Goodwill Industries, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
- Total initial investment: $158,700 – $288,500
- Franchise fee: $45,000 – $65,000
- Royalty fees: 7% plus 2% Brand Development Fee
- Liquidity requirement: $75,000
- Training and support: Business operations, leadership, and customer relations training; internal social media platform for franchise owners
- Number of locations: 150+ in the US and Canada
- Annual business revenue: $442,000+ per franchisee
9. Money Pages
Money Pages is a direct mail and digital advertising brand that helps local businesses with advertising and marketing. Over time, the company has evolved into a full multimedia agency that reaches consumers via digital as well as print products. The company currently serves over 13 million households per year.
Money Pages is upfront about its initial costs and fees, and franchisees will not need to set up a physical location or hire lots of staff immediately to get started. The business offers a total of three weeks of training, plus documentation and long-term online support.
- Total initial investment: $107,500 – $198,500
- Franchise fee: $50,000 – $100,000
- Royalty fees: $3,250+ per month
- Liquidity requirement: $100,000
- Training and support: Operations manual, sales trainer support, personalized in-field training, ongoing webinars and development meetings
- Number of locations: 32 markets
- Annual business revenue: Around $225,000 per franchisee
10. My Gym Children’s Fitness Center
My Gym Children’s Fitness Center offers age-appropriate and non-competitive spaces and facilities to let children play, interact, and improve physical fitness and social and emotional skills. The company allows franchisees to choose between a standard center with a physical location and a mobile model in which franchisees bring the brand’s services to existing daycare centers and preschools.
My Gym provides months’ worth of brand immersion sessions to familiarize you with the business’ curriculum and teaching style, plus hands-on training to get into the groove of teaching and working with kids.
- Total initial investment: $107,050 – $249,700
- Franchise fee: $55,000
- Royalty fees: 7% plus 1% marketing fund
- Liquidity requirement: $35,000 – $65,000
- Training and support: 4-5 months of brand immersion; 19 days of hands-on instruction and practice; 3-4 days of operations support from My Gym team members
- Number of locations: Present in over 25 countries
- Annual business revenue: Around $337,500 per franchisee
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Click through the sections below to learn some additional details about running a home-based or remote franchise.
Yes, although in nearly all cases, you’ll get better results by going out and networking with potential business partners and clients. Even for home-based franchise opportunities that don’t require much in-person interaction, such as those based on publications or digital marketing, consider going out and networking.
The performance and profit of your franchise ultimately depend on your business skills and work ethic. That said, among the options on our list, the ones with the highest revenue potential are in the industries of kitchen renovation; lighting and cleaning; and hauling and moving.
Yes. If you run your franchise well, it can provide enough income to live off. Some franchisees even own multiple franchise locations of a parent company, resulting in additional income streams. Start out with a single location until you get the hang of things, and then consider expanding.
Bottom Line
If you’re still deciding what business to start, a home-based franchise should be in the conversation. To succeed with any of these franchises, take your time, do your homework, and take available training when it is offered. When deciding which home-based franchise is right for you, consider the growth of the franchise’s industry, startup costs, and how relevant the service is to customers in your location.
