Are "The Most Profitable Franchises" Really the Most Profitable?

We have all been there, if you are an entrepreneur or someone who has never owned a business before and are looking to start making money for yourself, you start examining the landscape and deciding which business is really right for you. First you hop on google.com and search "High Income Franchises" and this is what you find:

According to their FDD's, Mcdonalds tops out at 2.2 Million revenue a year with penny margins and its close with Dunkin' Donuts & Sonic. 7-Eleven, UPS, & Great Clips are about half of that with still a marginally high investment. But who has 150k-500k to jump into a franchise where you are owning your job and not owning your business? Let me elaborate

With these franchises, you are in a service industry that merely anyone can do. Customer comes in, you take order, press button, give product, rinse, repeat. Which is fine and dandy, but it's not going to make you money quickly, nor is it going to bring the satisfaction of the high performing earner who wants to make some real money.

My grandfather always said, "If you want to know where the money is, do what others are not doing."

A quick examination into the franchising realm and you will find a clear cut winner, Honest Abe Roofing. Why? It's simple, they are creating a new revenue stream within the unorganized and often untrustworthy service industry, specifically roofing.

Article:

Honest Abe Roofing: Couple builds multimillion-dollar company in retirement

So how is this new franchise so lucrative? Well, it turns out grandpa was right... As the nations largest roofing franchise, Honest Abe Roofing is doing what others are not doing and bringing organization, professionalism, and trust to the roofing franchise industry.

Picture this: You have a leak in your roof and these scenarios come into play.

Scenario 1- Chuck shows up in a beat up, two toned, truck with mailbox letting on the sides and back, he sits in his truck for 5-10 minutes after he has pulled up, then gets out, puts out his cigarette, and greets you with a scuffled smile thats missing two teeth. You see his neck tattoo, but that's what all tradesmen have, so you ignore it. He glances at your roof from outside your home and then gives you a quote and leaves.

Scenario 2- A Branded truck pulls up to your driveway and a clean cut man hops out and knocks on your door immediately, invites himself in, puts on floor savers over his feet and then walks you through the 16 point inspection process with a smile, and then goes out to inspect your roof. After this, he comes back in and walks you through his inspection and allows you to customize your roof with colors, textures, and materials all through an Ipad and if you can't afford the roof today, he pulls up the financing app and gets you set up right there on your living room couch, and on top of that, if anything ever happens to your roof in your lifetime, they replace it for FREE.

Which would you prefer as a buyer? Which would you prefer as a business model? My money is on scenario 2. Why? The value and comfortability will instantly make your customer your best marketer by word of mouth referral. They will tell everyone about their world class experience and comfortability within the process and that will generate more customers who will do the same because the system is unprecedented in the industry.

When thinking about the "Most profitable Franchises" in dollars, it does not make sense to have a franchise that produces cents on the dollar. The question is not if we are the most profitable franchise in the nation, that is proven-- the real question is- Are you the right person to take this proven system in over 20 markets throughout the United States, and run with it.