Franchising is a very popular way to get into business. There are several benefits of owning a franchise business like independence, training, and support. It also has a higher rate of success than startups. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a hefty investment to open a franchise. In fact, several low-cost franchises don’t require a hefty investment.

In this article, we share 15 low-cost franchise ideas in high demand. From retail and food to travel and finance, these franchises under 10K offer you an easy opportunity to join profitable brands. 

Let’s take a look at some cheap franchises to start your business. Interestingly, they are also some of the most profitable franchises today. 

Top Retail and Supply Franchises Under $10K

Retail and Supply franchises have an excellent success rate. It’s a vast industry that includes home improvement, fashion, fun, and entertainment to pet fare. So, you can easily put your future in motion. 

1. Winzer

Winzer provides over a million supplies to the industrial, fleet, and automotive marketplaces. Their franchise benefits include free access to marketing tools, training and demonstration activities, sales support, and multiple distribution centers ever-ready to deliver supplies all over the states. Most importantly, Winzer doesn’t dictate how you run your business, what products you take on, and what you charge. You can even source your products from elsewhere. Therefore, you retain your business freedom. 

Cash Required: 

Winzer requires an initial franchise fee of $3,500, and you can start the franchise with working capital up to $2,500. The total investment required is anywhere from $5,950 to $16,150. 

Other details:

• 14% royalty fee
• 287 Locations in the US
• 5 Years of Contract Period

2. Stay Safe Vending

Stay Safe Vending is one of the best new franchises under 10K investment in this post-COVID world. The demand for PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) isn’t going anywhere soon, especially considering new variants. Ao, this relatively new franchise idea has good potential for growth. These vending machines provide PPEs, such as hand sanitizers, gloves, and face masks. Customers can then easily purchase PPE products without waiting at the checkout or interacting with a cashier. You can place the vending machine anywhere in the public, stock it, and profit from the sales. 

Cash Required:

To start your own vending machine, you need to have a minimum of $10K in cash. 

Other details:

• Total investment required: $10,000 – $50,000
• Built-in support for credit cards
• Designed with COVID19 considerations

Food & Beverage Franchises

Food services are always in high demand. Several F & B Franchises offer minimal franchise fees. Therefore, you can easily get into the food & beverage industry with little to no experience and grow your franchise. 

1. Krispy Krunchy Chicken

Since their introduction in 1989, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, or KKC, has been one of the region’s fastest-growing c-store-based QSR concepts. Because of their cutting-edge restaurant redesigns, they have been able to grow tremendously. As of today, KKC has over 2,600 franchises across 47 states in the US and worldwide. With such the fastest-growing brand, you have the guarantee of success in your own franchise. 

Cash Required: 

You can start a KKC franchise by paying the initial $2,500 franchise fee. For a $10K investment, you can get:

• Extensive on-site training and retraining
• Supply chain setup
• Marketing and operational assistance
• Regular flow of new products

2. Java Dave’s Coffee 

Gourmet coffee is in high demand across professional workplaces, and you, too, can capitalize on the potential. With more than 40 years in the beverages business, Java Dave’s Coffee House has been enjoying great success. They supply mochas, cocas, lattes, and cappuccinos. 

Cash Required:

Java Dave’s Coffee House offers three license categories. These are: 

Category 1 –  License Package C requires an initial licensing fee of $499.95. In this category, they offer you a training manual, license kit, logo, recipes, and a helpful guide to Java Dave’s coffee beans. 

Category 2 – License Package B costs $2,459 and offers all of the above, a menu board, and some Java Dave’s products worth $1,000.

Category 3: License Package A is the most expensive at $3,495 and comes with all of the above, plus a day’s training by Java Dave’s trainer. 

Top Travel and Holiday Franchises Under 10K

Travel and holiday franchises have always been a great option. With COVID restrictions easing and borders opening up, more and more people are ready to travel. Meanwhile, these franchisers are offering some decent discounts as well. So, if you want to train for the travel and holiday industry and can be patient enough for a future boom, these opportunities can be a great choice. 

1. Cruise One Dream Vacations

Established in 1992, CruiseOne, Inc offers franchises for businesses that sell vacation packages, cruises, and travel products/services per their proprietary system. They have a headquarter in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida but operate all over the country under “CruiseOne” and “Deram Vacations” service marks. There are approximately 1,485 CruiseOne & 1,270 Dream Vacations franchises all over the states. As a franchise, you must coordinate with clients to plan a vacation. This includes communicating with airlines, cruise ships, hotels, and other tourist venues to make it happen smoothly. If you don’t want to open a physical franchise, CruiseOne can be an excellent option to open a virtual work-from-home option.

Cash Required:

CruiseOne requires an initial franchise fee of $3,500 and working capital of $500 to $2,500. Depending on your package, you can start your business from a total investment of $1,795 to $20,300. 

Other details: 

• Royalty fee: 6% for Dream Vacations and 3% for Cruise One
• Contract period: 5 years
• Support: 6 days of training, marketing support, custom websites, proprietary reservation system, and private intranet. 

2. Cruise Planners

Cruise Planners has been franchising since 1996. They have won the number one home-based travel franchise award from the Entrepreneur Magazine for sixteen straight years. The company provides you an opportunity to earn money by helping clients plan their travel. At the same time, you have the leverage and support of America’s largest travel advisory network if something goes wrong. 

Cash Required:

You need at least $10,995 in liquid capital to buy a Cruise Planners franchise. They have a franchise fee of $695 to $10,995 (military veterans get a discount of $3000). As a franchisee, expect to invest approximately $2,295 to $23,617. 

Other details: 

• Royalty Fee: 3%
• Contract Period: 3 Years
• Support: Marketing support, hands-on training, access to lead generation tools, professional coaching, and career development. 

Top Fitness Franchises Under $10K

Fitness is another massive industry that offers franchising opportunities. There’s a lot of diversity in the fitness industry. It has three big divisions, fitness centers, health clubs, and weight loss centers. However, all of them bleed into one another usually. Look into these cheap franchises if you want a career that helps you stay strong and healthy. 

1. Moms On The Run

Moms on the Run started operations in 2008 in Forest lake, Minnesota. While it was initially a group exercise regime for moms, it offers a wide range of programs for women of all age groups. The brand has been named in the Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Franchises For Less than $50,000 list for 3 consecutive years. Today, it has over 50 franchises in the US. The company provides one of the cheapest fitness franchising opportunities for under $10,000. 

Cash Required:

Moms on the Run has an initial franchise fee of $4,950, and you can start the franchise with an approximate investment of $6,170 to $13,505. 

Other Details: 

• Referral Bonus: $1000
• Contract Period: 6 months to 2 years
• Locations: 50+
• Support: 6 hours of classroom training, regular meetings & conventions, access to proprietary software, marketing support

2. MOMLETA / Baby Boot Camp 

Momleta is a pre and post-natal fitness class program. It offers comprehensive training programs (such as Baby Boot Camp) on stroller fitness, wellness, and community for new moms. As it has 86 franchises across the US, Australia, and Canada. So, if you are into fitness and want to help new moms, Momleta may just be perfect for you. 

Cash Required:

The approximate investment required to open a MOMLETA franchise is anywhere between $3,500 to $8,700. MOMLETA has an initial franchise fee of $4,000 to $7,000 that grants you the license to run your business under the MOMLETA brand name. 

Other details: 

• Contract period: 3 years
• Locations: 86 (as of now)
• Support: Turn key operations, regular coaching sessions, custom business center

3. Fit4Mom

Fit4Mom is another brand that offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to make a big impact with their small businesses. Entrepreneur Magazine’s fastest-growing franchise of 2019 offers several health and wellness programs for all stages of motherhood. With Fit4Mom, you get not only the brand name but also the experience of a massive community of 1,000+ partners. 

Cash Required:

Fit4Mom has an initial franchise fee of up to $12,400 and a total initial investment range of $6,900 to $26,400. 

Other details: 

• Royalty fee: 4%
• Contract period: 3 years
• Locations: 294+
• Support: 10-hour classroom training, 25 hours of on-job training, marketing & tech support. 

4. Jazzercise

If you are a fitness instructor, Jazzercise may be a perfect fit to venture into business. The company offers fitness classes that blend jazz dancing with an aerobic workout routine. The company began franchising in 1980 and has approximately 8,460 franchises worldwide. The brand also operates the “Jazzercise Apparel” division, which distributes clothing products, accessories, and equipment. Once you finish initial training, you can audition to become an instructor or a Jazzercise business owner. 

Cash Required:

Jazzercise has an initial franchise fee of $1,250, and you can start your small business with a total investment of $2,415 to $3,200. 

Other details:

• Royalty Fee: 20% for small business owners
• Locations: 6,256 in 49 states
• Contract period: 5 years
• Support: The company provides online training, sales support, athletic wear & apparel discounts, and free access to a number of online resources. 

Top Finance Franchises Under $10K

Franchises in the finance category cover a gamut of services. These include financial consulting, loan management, brokerage, insurance, wealth management, billing, ATMs, and more. 

1. Ameriprise Financial

In these uncertain times, everyone is concerned about their finances. As a franchise of Ameriprise Financial, you can offer financial planning, investment advice, consulting services, and brokerage. You will also access insurance and securities products to help people manage their finances. However, you must have prior financial planning training and qualifications to become a franchisee. 

Cash Required:

Ameriprise Financial has an initial franchise fee of $1,500 and a total investment range of $10,432 to $114,480. 

Other details: 

• Association fee: $290/month
• Locations: 4500+
• Contract Period: 3 years
• Support: financing for the pro-active acquisition, mentoring and training, certification support

2. Advisory Capital Brokerage

Advisory Capital Brokerage offers an exciting opportunity if you are interested in commercial capital brokerage. They offer several online trainings to help you become a certified commercial capital broker. Once you complete certification, they assist you in starting your business, from the initial business card to getting your first 250 leads. They train you to advise on 100+ financial facilities, 50+ financing types, and over 6000 different financing scenarios. While they have three different franchise packages, their Entrepreneur package is most suitable for beginners. 

Cash Required:

The Entrepreneur package has an initial franchise cost of $9,995 and a total investment range of $9,995 to $34,995

Other details: 

• Locations: 173
• Entrepreneur Package Support: 3-day broker training course, proprietary software, course training manual, ongoing content management,  access to 250 Business Cards with permission to use “subsidiary of” annotation. 

Top Cleaning and Janitorial Franchises Under $10K

We agree that opting for cleaning and janitorial franchises is not a glamorous business venture. But it provides aspiring entrepreneurs an entry into a very promising industry. According to the Bureau of Labor’s stats, the industry is estimated to increase by 7 percent until 2018. So, if you buy a franchise in the cleaning industry, you can sidestep many risks of starting the business from scratch. 

1. Jan-Pro Cleaning & Disinfecting

Jan-Pro is the world’s premier commercial janitorial cleaning service provider. Their proprietary cleaning systems like EnviroShiled and MedMetrix have helped them become industry leaders over the past 25 years. They offer three categories of franchise opportunities. The first is the international master franchise category, the second is executive business, and the third is a home-based franchise opportunity. The latter category offers the lowest rates and comes with minimum eligibility requirements such as no prior experience necessary. You can also run your business remotely if you want. 

Cash Required:

Jani Pro has an initial franchise fee of $1,000 to $20,000, depending on the category of franchise you are buying. Likewise, its estimated total investment ranges from $1,000 to $786,000. 

Other details: 

• Royalty Fee: 10% + 1% Ad Royalty
• Locations: 10,000+
• Contract Period: 10 Years
• Support: Customer support, classroom & on-job training, marketing support, newsletters, and online support. 

2. Vanguard Cleaning Systems

Vanguard Cleaning Systems offers basic and specialty cleaning services for commercial buildings in North America. Their services include carpet cleaning, floor care, building maintenance, etc. They also provide janitorial supplies, cleaning equipment, and paper products. What sets this brand apart from others is its green business model. They use eco-friendly cleaning products to ensure their products and services leave zero carbon footprint. 

Cash Required:

You can get their license by paying an initial franchise fee of up to $5,000. The initial investment in the entire business is approximately $5,500 to $36,600. 

Other details: 

• Royalty Fee: 11.5%
• Locations: 2500+
• Support: Customer support, 8 hours online and 12 hours on-job training, additional training at regional offices, marketing support, and online support. 

3. OpenWorks

OpenWorks is another company that makes it easy for you to break into the commercial cleaning industry. It provides the training, equipment, and customers you need to start your business. With OpenWorks, you can take the business with you if you want to move. They’re very flexible and grow with you as your business’s needs and goals change. They handle billing and customer support to help you focus on what matters most, i.e., growing your business. 

Cash Required:

The franchise license fee is $18,500, but you can start with just a $9,000 downpayment. Total investment required is approximately, $18,500 to $72,000. 

Other details: 

• Royalty Fee: 10%
• Locations: 700+ around the world
• Support: Online and on-site training on commercial cleaning, initial equipment package, billing, and customer support handled by OpenWorks. 

4. POOP 911

When it’s a poop emergency, Poop 911 swoops into action. They provide poop-scooping services for dog owners, kennels, breeders, and other places that have to deal with dog droppings on a regular basis. What makes them unique is that they have no up-front costs or license fees. You can start your poop scooping service today and get Poop 911’s back-end support system to work for you. The company also provides a website for customers to let them get a free quote, place an order and get payment information, etc. 

Cash Required:

While there’s no initial franchise fee, you have to invest anywhere from $3,620 to $25,970 to start the franchise.

Other details: 

• Royalty: 23%
• Contract Period: 5 years
• Locations: 64
• Support: Online training, accounting support, billing support. 

5. Buildingstars

Buildingstars offer another cheap commercial cleaning franchise opportunity since 2000. They focus on cleaning commercial and office buildings. Buildingstars is an industry leader in cleaning medical and surgical facilities. Moreover, their services include nightly cleaning, carpet care, floor care, windows cleaning, and green cleaning. They have a unique 3 stage business model which guides the franchise owners through every milestone. 

Cash Required:

You can start a Buildingstars franchise for as low as $995; the total investment range is $2,245 – $8,295.

Other details: 

• Royalty: 10%
• Locations: 703
• Contract period: 1 to 5 years
• Support: marketing and advertising, classroom & on-job training, and development coach to guide you through your milestones. 

Top Digital Marketing Franchises Under 10K USD

Since the 1990s, digital marketing has become a leading player in the marketing world. Today, digital ads is a $72 billion industry, which makes up approximately 41% of a business’s total ad spend. So, if you love working from home, consider one of the following franchises. 

1. Eazi-Apps

If you enjoy designing mobile apps, Eazi Apps offers an easy drag-and-drop platform to do just that. You can work from home designing and building mobile apps for your local or international businesses. There’s no coding involved at all. You can set features, add your content, and unique brand identities to create custom apps for your clients easily. With Eazi-Apps, you can not only earn cash from app creation but also earn a repeat fee to keep it up to date. Eazi Apps also offers a similar franchising facility for websites (Eazi-Sites) and SEO (Eazi-SEO). 

Cash Required:

To get started, you have to pay the initial franchise fee of $9,995. After that, Eazi Apps charges a monthly per-app fee of $13.

Other details: 

• Locations: 300 partners in 30+ countries 
• Support: Online training and support, mentorship, free access to educational material, business cards, free access to account management proprietary software

2. Social Owl

If working with local clients on social media marketing sounds appealing, consider joining Social Owl. The Social Owl franchise is a plug-and-play business in a box. It enables you to easily start your very own social media marketing agency. You get all the tools to start selling SMM services to your local business. These include online marketing, reputation monitoring, deals & analytics, and shopping cart management. You can also resell the Social Owl software (for a reselling fee of $50) to others and make extra cash. 

Cash Required:

While there’s no traditional franchise fee, you have to pay $149 for the first month. If you resell the Social Owl software, the reseller fee starts at $1.25 per month for every business client. 

Other details:

• Contract period: 1 month
• Locations: Online
• Support: custom website, technical training, sales & marketing training, content library, prospecting tool, assessment forms, templates

Alternative to Franchises

Franchising can be an expensive undertaking. If that’s the case with you, consider other alternatives to expand your brand. Let’s briefly look at some other business expansion vehicles. 

Local Business Buyout

Advantages: all business plans and procedures are already in place, immediate cash flow, access to financial history, acquire existing inventory, and established market.

Disadvantages: may require significant improvements, large upfront investment, low staff morale, and external factors like increasing competition. 

Joint Ventures

Advantages: Synergy of business skills, fewer regulatory requirements to deal with, greater flexibility and control, joint liability. 

Disadvantages: Moderate capital outlay, the direct impact of financial failure, local and state-level regulations, 

Distributorship or Dealership

Advantages: Low capital outlay, greater market penetration, potential sharing of ad costs, and the minimal financial impact of failure. 

Disadvantages: Minimal business control, monitoring issues, contract termination, and renewal issues, non-exclusive product relationship.

Bottom Line

Like any other business venture, franchising requires more than the initial investment. You have to consider renting space, purchasing inventory, hiring staff, etc. Nevertheless, these franchises under 10K USD opportunities allow you to start small and make it big.

We hope our picks will help you choose the right business franchise. Besides having an excellent reputation, these companies offer training, marketing assistance, billing assistance, and more to make it easy for you to start your business.

So, as long as you are avoiding common franchise mistakes, you should be able to grow your business. Good luck!