The service sector offers a diverse array of opportunities that include low-cost, home-based and seasonal franchises.
To determine this year’s top list, we surveyed over 19,495 franchisees from many of today’s leading franchise brands. Each survey participant was asked 33 benchmark questions about their franchisor that focused on areas such as leadership, training, and core values as well 16 more personal questions concerning their business lifestyle and overall enjoyment of running their franchise. Franchise brands are not allowed to pay for exposure on any of our lists; we determine our the best franchises based purely on our independent surveys. This year 88 brands made the FBR’s top-rated list! You can learn more about our research methodology here.
Know what kind of service franchise you prefer? Check out the lists for:
Select any brand from our list below to learn more about the franchise. Once you are on the brand's page, you can opt to receive additional details directly from the franchise by entering your email into the contact form.
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the world, aiming to provide our customers with the highest level of service in both local and long-distance moving, a...
Learn More of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
Since 1987, we have built and refined a robust franchise business system. This includes the research and development of our proprietary product line, highly specialized techniques, exceptional trai...
Learn More of Fibrenew
We are the world leader in uneven sidewalk repair. We make sidewalks safe.
...Learn More of Precision Concrete Cutting
You’re obviously dreaming of something more out of your life- more income, more flexibility in your schedule, more time with family and friends, more meaning, more challenge, more equity in y...
Learn More of Gotcha Covered
Glass Doctor®, a Neighborly® company, is an industry-leading glass repair and replacement franchise specializing in both auto glass services and home and business glass services with over 1...
Learn More of Glass Doctor
Truly Nolen started pest control operations in 1938 and is one of the most stable pest, termite, lawn, and rodent control companies in the industry. Their longevity in the industry, impactful brand...
Learn More of Truly Nolen of America
At Window Genie, our owners are excited about “Unleashing the Power of the Genie”
As the innovative leader in Home Services, we unleash the power every day around the country ...
Learn More of Window Genie
The Grounds Guys®, a Neighborly® company, is a full-service grounds care company offering commercial and residential landscape management services. Founded in 1987 under the name Sunshine G...
Learn More of The Grounds Guys
The Glass Guru is the "Local Glass, Window, Door, and Shower Experts You Can Rely On!" We are the industry leader in glass REPAIR & REPLACEMENT services for both re...
Learn More of The Glass Guru
Aire Serv® is a need-based business, and is backed by Neighborly®, the world’s largest home-services franchise. As a Neighborly® company, Aire Serv franchisees benefit from a netw...
Learn More of Aire Serv
Build your dream life helping others find their dream job!
Put your sales or business background to work as a NEXTAFF Owner and help job seekers and empl...
Learn More of NEXTAFF
Men In Kilts provides window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing and exterior/house washing across the United States and Canada. With stand-out branding and top-notch customer service, equi...
Learn More of Men In Kilts
NaturaLawn of America’s environmentally friendly approach to lawn care has been creating green lawns quickly, more naturally, and with fewer weeds since 1987 (before “going green”...
Learn More of NaturaLawn of America
We are the nation’s only full-service, sustainable, and organic lawn care franchise. We provide lawn care maintenance with our solar-powered equipment and organic lawn treatments to ensure &l...
Learn More of Clean Air Lawn Care
Critter Control® is a nationally recognized brand, the only wildlife management firm with offices coast-to-coast. When it comes to nuisance wildlife, homeowners, businesses and...
Learn More of Critter Control
Every year, Franchise Business Review surveys thousands of franchisees from hundreds of leading franchise brands to gauge franchisee satisfaction and performance — and to compile our lists of the top-rated franchise brands. Our independent franchisee satisfaction reviews measure the health of franchise systems that participate in our research based exclusively on the feedback of franchise owners... the real franchise experts!
Not all brands willingly open their doors to an independent research firm like Franchise Business Review, but those who do can offer investors, like you, a wealth of information on the system’s leadership, culture, training and support, financial outlook and franchisee community.
Learn more about FBR’s survey and research methodology.
As a prospective franchisee in the service segment, you can choose to run anything from mobile, to real estate, to advertising and sales, and everything in between. Below are the top five service segments by average income:
Real Estate: $138,678
Business Services: $97,317
General Services: $96,633
Home Services: $91,277
Advertising and Sales: $71,392
The services sector offers a wide range of investment options for prospective franchisees. Some concepts require less than $50,000 to get started, while others can cost well over $500,000.
It’s critical that you go into a new business being properly capitalized. That being said, it’s important to emphasize that the figures listed above are the total initial investment, but with financing and lease options, the typical upfront cash requirements tend to be much lower.
Using the example of buying a home, the total value of a house might be $300,000, but you’re only required to put down $30,000 cash, or even less. Investing in a franchise business is similar.
For example, a College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving franchise costs $89,300 - $208,000 “all in,” but the liquid capital requirements (the cash you need to invest) is $65,000, with the balance being financed through business loans.
There are a lot of varying service franchises, so you will have more brands and sectors to choose from. While Real Estate and Business Services are at the top tier of the service segment, profitability in most sectors of the service industry are quite comfortable.
As of date, our research shows that seventy-one percent of service franchise owners earn less than $100,000 per year, and just twenty-nine percent – the “top performers” – earn more than $100,000 per year. The average annual income reported by all service operators that we surveyed is $91,461 for businesses open at least two years.
Sixty-one percent of service franchisees surveyed were male, while thirty-two percent were female. Six percent are male/female partnerships.
The majority of franchisees are between ages 45 and 64.
Forty-two percent of franchisees surveyed have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Thirty-six percent of franchisees live in Southern U.S., with the Northeast, Midwest and West all representing about twenty-percent.