I think a lot of them do. However, some companies only allow you to what is call "pre-sell" that is collect orders and make sure the truck is filled with the right product. Some of those route have 2 trucks and also, after a while if you can afford to pay somebody $600/week then why do it yourself.
For those that may be interested, we may be looking to sell our computer business in about 6 months. One of our employees has expressed interest in buying it himself, so he will have 1st option. We are looking to sell for $ 100,000 on a business that has been here for 4 years and generates $ 50,000 in profit on $ 200,000 in revenue. We have very high margins since we have service contracts with many businesses. Please contact me privately since I don't wish to provide more details in a public forum.
Ask the company how many have gone out of business..... i.e. what's the success rate? What's the avg profit/year? Median profit per year?
I read the thread and I think that the laundry thing is something that I would indulge in. Its not big and sexy but I think if you have enough of them in the right locations it could be a gold mind. If the economy goes bad, I dont think people would cut back on laundry services, then again you never know.
Someone gave me this advice a long time ago, "Never do business with friends or family" Think about that for a minute.
Want some numbers? contract price per year. 5th ave Met museum of Art 326k 5th ave 60th street 168k Grand Army Plaza 132k $2 hot dog, $1.25 soda, 50 cent chips
Mcdonalds franchises aren't a scam. They all make money. Have you ever been to a Mcdonalds and it was empty? If you go to some of them in NYC they are jam packed.
Treat it like investing in the stock market. Can you afford to completely lose that 100k? If so then it might be worth the risk to potentially get a return. If you can't then don't invest it. As others have said you do need to do some research and determine the minimum and maximum time frames that you expect to be paid back and start earing the returns. If this isn't acceptable then don't do it.
Stock market over time: Buy and index fund and collect a double digit return over the long run. Whats the yoy return on a franchise over the long run? We know the market will always be there but will your franchise or business? Just as an example:10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years Record stores Camera film manufacturing Crop dusters Gay bars Newspapers Pay phones Used bookstores Piggy banks Telemarketing Coin-operated arcades I think movie theaters could be on the way out too.