There are plenty of notable franchises that, unless you have been living under a rock for the last twenty years, you would undoubtedly recognize. Just the mention of certain fast-fast franchises brings to mind your favorite fried treat or tasty burger. While these larger franchises certainly do very well and earn the franchise owners huge profits, the cost of admission is usually pretty steep (sometimes in excess of $1M per unit). There is, however, a different type of franchise that takes a crack at some of the "niche" markets in our economy, and despite their low startup costs (most are less than $10,000) they can still net a sizeable income for the franchise owner, and offer the ability to quickly expand or scale back depending on how much time and resources you have available to give to your franchise. Here’s a look at some of these franchises that often fly under the radar, but can pay off big for the right franchisee.

American Vending Systems has found their niche in the world of candy vending franchises, and it’s not what you’d think: forget nuts, gumballs, and m&m’s; the wave the future is the Buzz Bite. Packing the equivalent caffeine of a cup of coffee, a can-and-a-half of Red Bull, or three cans of Coke, just one of these chocolate chews could get a person up and going in the morning. The best part of this unsung vending machine distributorship for the franchisee is the pay-off: once a machine is placed in a retail location and selling it’s chocolate-caffeine goodness, the owner of the machine is taking away thirty-five cents for every piece of candy sold, with no need to be present for the sale.

Air Advantage Franchising Group has what is conceivably one of the most profitable ideas on this list: a plan to reach rural America with wireless internet service. It’s easy to pick up the internet in large cities, and even in the suburbs, but when you get out into the sticks, you can’t just plug your cable line into a tree or a cow and expect Yahoo! to come up on your computer screen. However, led step by step by a helpful franchisor, Air Advantage Franchising Group franchisees make internet access out on the farm not only plausible, but a reality.

WSI Internet is said to be the #1 internet services franchise providing web solutions to small and medium businesses. Having been around for more than ten years now, it has spent seven of those years sitting high and mighty atop Entrepreneur Magazine’s best internet and technology franchises as the company continues to expand at a rapid rate, advancing hordes of small businesses in its wake with its patent-pending lifecycle business model.

Have you ever seen a high-class portable restroom? Neither have I, except from ElizaJ. This wedding business opportunity is in a class by itself, specializing in high-end, immaculate outdoor restrooms designed specifically for outdoor weddings and other special events. By connecting with wedding planners and other event organizers, franchisees with this company don’t have any trouble renting out their three different models of state of the art, amenity-filled, mobile restrooms for all kinds of parties.

Finally, the crowing achievement of the list of franchises you may never have heard of is one that makes my day every time I see it. Imagine one of those claw games at the arcade, the one with all the stuffed animals that you pay a dollar to grab at with a dangling metal claw. Now remove the stuffed toys, fill the space behind the glass with water, and drop in about ten genuine Maine lobsters, and what you have is the The Love Maine Lobster Claw. For two dollars, customers get the opportunity to grab their own lobster with a claw dangling over the tank. It’s fun, it provides the possibility of a cheap lobster dinner, and it’s capable of raking in upwards of $800/wk for the wise, and somewhat offbeat, franchisee who owns it. All in all, it’s nothing to laugh at, and yet it can be a fun franchise for the individualistic franchisee.

Not everyone wants to stay on the beaten path. It may be level, it may be clean, and it may be safe, but it’s not always as fun. So for those future business owners looking to jump off the road and going running into the adventure of franchising with an up-and-coming innovator, keep your eyes peeled for the opportunities that everyone else is overlooking.


January 16, 2009