Real people… real opportunities… real success. This is what the “work from home” franchise industry offers. And as more and more members of Corporate America search for financial opportunities outside the confines of their office cubicles, they are discovering a bright new future through these franchises. Specifically, they are becoming successful entrepreneurs by plugging into many of the top 10 work from home franchise opportunities you are about to discover.

When stepping out into the brave new world of self-employment, franchise opportunities offer fledgling entrepreneurs all the benefits of becoming part of an established brand with proven successful training, marketing and products. And with the myriad of top franchises exploding in growth, one does not have to look far to discover the perfect home based franchise business opportunity. From children”s services, property inspection and B2B consulting to personal care services, the time has never been better to take a lucrative leap into these franchise opportunities.

One compelling reason for the amazing proliferation of home based franchise income opportunities is their spectacular success rate. The fact is, approximately 90% of franchises succeed while 90% of regular start-ups do not.
So what are the top 10 work from home franchise opportunities? Buckle up and pay attention, for your future is about to take a sharp turn toward unprecedented financial freedom!

Senior Care Services

Healthy aging is the primary goal for over 76 million Baby Boomers who want to remain active, vibrant, and most importantly, independent in their golden years. This desire for independence and quality of life has created a massive demand for home services, and franchise businesses are rising to meet this challenge. Franchises offering comprehensive non-medical home services such as cleaning, running errands, meal preparation, medication reminders and house maintenance have become increasingly popular as they provide an aging population with wonderful alternatives to assisted living or nursing home placement.

Child Enrichment and Education

A number of business franchises have long been focused on childhood development and education. Today, however, many top franchises have expanded into areas such as test preparation, tutoring and learning assessment. Some work from home franchise opportunities even offer supplemental learning programs such as cooking, abacus and dance. This franchise industry continues to experience electrifying growth, with revenue increases of 6% to $21.9 billion during the 2004-2005 schoolyear alone.

Cleaning Services

Some of the fastest growing and most in-demand franchise business opportunities are found the cleaning services arena. From the daily cleaning of office buildings, industrial complexes, banks, department stores and healthcare facilities to giving your home the “white-glove” treatment, cleaning service franchises are some of the hottest home based franchise business opportunities around.

Tool and Equipment Distribution

Professional vehicle mechanics require specialized tools, which of course, makes for a perfect franchise business opportunity. Watch your home based franchise income opportunities grow like wildfire as your franchise sells and delivers quality mechanic’s tools, toolboxes, shop equipment and service equipment to busy mechanics in your area. It’s an ironclad gold mine!

Business Consulting and Staffing

Virtually every business, at some time, finds itself in need of the expertise of outside business consultants. With a boundless wealth of business consultant franchise opportunities available, you can become a part of this franchise segment’s impressive growth. And be sure to include business staffing in your franchise business plan. From clerical to healthcare staffing, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects this business to be one of the fastest growing industries over the next five to ten years.

Vacation Consulting and Planning

This exciting work from home franchise business opportunity is quickly growing in demand and success as destination weddings become more and more popular. Perhaps you’re a romantic at heart or simply love learning about exotic locales. As a business franchise entrepreneur, you will love connecting vacationers with the perfect cruise and newlyweds with the honeymoon of their dreams.

eBay Drop-Off Stores

eBay revolutionized the auction world with its online auctions, and in the process became the premier global auction website. In fact, more than $1,590 worth of goods is sold on www.ebay.com every second of every day. Thousands, perhaps millions, of people want to sell their items on eBay, but are often too busy or find the whole Internet bidding process too intimidating. This opens the door for a fantastic work from home franchise opportunity! Customers simply drop their items off and you post them on eBay, then sell and ship the items, making a nice profit for both you and your customer. This franchise opportunity provides customers with all the fun of an auction without any the hassle.

Home Repair, Improvement and Decor

The home improvement services industry scores high among the top 10 franchises due to its high demand and rapid growth. There will always be a demand for qualified, reliable craftsmen to handle the small home repairs and improvements that today’s busy homeowners simply do not have the time, equipment or skills for. Some examples of these very lucrative services include basic handyman-type services, house painting, remodeling, home maintenance, lawn care and landscaping, home furnishings and window treatments.

Property Inspection Services

Perhaps one of the most important, life-changing events we ever experience is the decision to purchase a home. You can become an important part of this thrilling process with your own property inspection service. Through this entrepreneur franchise opportunity, you will work with professional realtors and real estate brokers, creating an ever-expanding network of clients.

Carpet, Upholstry and Drapery Cleaning

We all know that the maintenance of carpeting, furniture and draperies, whether in a commercial or residential setting, is an ongoing necessity. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and the demand for these cleaning services has invented a booming franchise opportunity. But this opportunity does not stop with just standard cleaning. Disaster repair and restoration services are also quickly increasing in demand. From fire to flood, this industry is definitely an excellent home based franchise income opportunity.

Well, there you have it – the top 10 work from home franchise opportunities. Each of these industries boasts a stellar track record of success, with plenty of room at the top for hungry, motivated entrepreneurs. And remember, as a work from home franchise entrepreneur, you are in business for yourself, but never by yourself.

Maids perform typical domestic chores such as cooking, ironing, washing, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, walking the family dog, and taking care of children. In some countries, maids take on the role of a nurse in taking care of the elderly and people with disabilities. Maids are often expected to work at least fifteen hours per day.

Many maids are required by their employers to wear a uniform. Today the maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford. In the Western world, comparatively few households can afford live-in domestic help, usually compromising on periodic cleaners. In less developed nations, fewer educated women and limited opportunities for working women ensures a labour source for domestic work.

Young girls working as scullery maids fell to the bottom of the servant hierarchy which meant they were mocked and ridiculed by upper servants and completely ignored by members of the household despite the fact that they slaved away each day at their work. The scullery maid reported (through the kitchen maid) to the cook or chef.

A between maid (also called hall girl, particularly in the United States) is a female junior servant in a large household with many staff. The position is largely defunct in the 21st century, as few households can afford great retinues of servants with the elaborate hierarchy of the past.

The term hall girl came from her chief duty, which was waitressing in the Servants’ Hall. She was required to set the table and remove the dishes, as well as waiting at table. She may also have carried meals up to the head housekeeper, if, for example, that head of staff had breakfast or afternoon tea in her room(s).

The term between maid came from the fact that her duties came under the area of responsibilites of the housekeeper, butler and cook; if these individuals did not like one another the job of the between maid was a very difficult one.

In developed countries most families can no longer afford live-in help. In nations where there is still a ready supply of inexpensive labour the middle classes may still be able to afford servants. For these households, the remnant of the once grand position of head housekeeper is often a cook-housekeeper. The modern cook-housekeeper performs cooking and cleaning duties.

A maid service, also known as a residential cleaning service or home cleaning service is a business which provides cleaning services as a convenience to homeowners who do not have (or do not wish to spend) the time to clean their own homes. Maid services have become more common over the last 20 years or so, partly because of the rise in two-income families.

Although a maid service may be more expensive than simply hiring a part-time maid, it offers a number of advantages. First, a service will provide not only someone to do the cleaning, but also all of the necessary supplies. Second, in the United States, if you hire a maid directly, you are responsible for withholding social security taxes. Third, a maid service is, or should be, insured, and can be held accountable if something is stolen, whereas a private individual may be difficult to track down.

There are several large maid service franchises in the United States, such as MaidPro, Molly Maid and Merry Maids. There are also thousands of independent perators around the country. They are also becoming more prevalent in England, Australia, South Africa and elsewhere. There are also numerous companies supplying useful services to maid service companies, like training, marketing help and supplying management software.

There are now thousands of residential cleaning businesses throughout the United States and Canada. More spring up every year. Maid services are becoming more popular in other countries, too – perhaps a sign of a relatively well-off population, or perhaps these businesses have sprung up just as the two-earner household has become the norm.

Way back, it was traditionally a woman’s role to clean the home, but as more and more women have joined the work force, the time pressure on families with children has grown immeasurably, so paying someone to do the cleaning makes sense to time-pressured couples where both work, and are making a reasonable income.

A maid service is a relatively easy sort of business to start, because one needs little more than a phone and one or two workers to get started. However, to make the business really successful, one must plan appropriately and have sufficient capital for start-up costs and marketing, and be prepared to go through some relatively lean times at first, while you build up a clientele.

Men working in the cleaning profession are usually called janitors. A janitor is a person who takes care of a building, such as a school, office building, or apartment block. They are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often (though not always) some maintenance and security. A female janitor is called a janitrix, although this term is rarely used. The title custodian is sometimes given to janitors as a term of higher respect. In some settings janitors are called housekeepers or housekeeping staff. Janitors have also come up with a number of alternative job titles.

Domestic workers perform typical domestic chores such as cooking, ironing, washing, cleaning the house, buying foods and drinks, accompanying the female head of the household for grocery shopping, taking the family dog for a walk, and taking care of the children. In some countries, maids replace the role of a nurse in taking care of the elderly and people with disabilities.

Domestic service, or the employment of people for wages in their employer’s residence, is also sometimes simply called “service.” It evolved into a hierarchical system in various countries at various times.

Prior to the labour reforms of the 20th Century, servants had no protection in law. The only real advantage that service provided was the provision of meals and accommodation in addition to the modest wage. Also, service was an apprentice system; there was room for advancement through the ranks. However, it was also perilous, particularly for females, as there was no protection from unscrupulous employers or members of the family. Many employers require their domestic workers to be in a uniform.