Entrepreneur

Our Franchise 500 List: the Definitive Ranking of 2018's Strongest Franchises

Our list reflects a truth: Franchises must innovate to attract new customers while being reliable enough to keep the old ones happy.
Source: Burn & Broad
Burn & Broad

Franchising is a marriage of contrasts. It requires entrepreneurial ingenuity but also a strict adherence to systems. It must be unique enough to draw attention but simple enough to replicate unit after unit. Franchisees must serve their local community while being part of a national chain. And critically, franchises must innovate to attract new customers while remaining predictable and reliable enough to keep the old ones happy.

Related: 5 Affordable Franchises You Can Start for Less Than $10,000

For this reason, our annual Franchise 500. And this means, over the years, that new categories shift in and out. Franchises come and go. But some stalwarts remain dominant for decades, having mastered that savvy balance between innovation and reliability.

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