As a franchise sales consultant I am often asked what are the advantages of the master franchising business model and buying a master franchise. Master franchising, some times referred to as sub-franchising, is a form of franchising that allows an individual to buy the rights from a franchise company (The Franchiser) to sub-franchise their business concept in a specific territory or large geographical area. In general the individual or master franchisee’s goal is to sell and open a pre-determined amount of franchise units in his or her specific territory. The master franchisee benefits from populating his territory with new franchise locations by receiving a share of the franchise fees and royalty fees generated by each unit opening and operating in their designated territory.

The reason master franchising works is that it creates a "win win" scenario for both franchiser and the master franchisee. By allowing its concept to be sub-franchised and developed by qualified individuals broken down by territories, the franchiser can often grow its system much faster and more efficiently than trying to sell single units itself. The master franchisee in return can also benefit in numerous and significant ways from this arrangement including the following below.

Residual Income: The ability to develop a residual income stream is in my opinion the most attractive benefit and number 1 reason to buy a master franchise. Although all franchise agreements are slightly different, typically the master franchisee and franchise will split the royalty fees (typically 5 to 7%) generated by the units opened in the master franchisees territory. Imagine getting a nice fat royalty check every month based on the gross sales from all the franchise units in your territory you sold. This is a personal income stream that can potentially last a lifetime!

Franchise Fees: With most master franchising agreements when you sell a franchise unit in your territory you typically receive a franchise fee or commission from the franchiser for your efforts. These fees tend to range anywhere between $15,000 to $30,000 and generally most franchise agreements allow you to keep all or most of it!

Low Overhead: Because being a master franchisee at the end of the day is a "sales job", there is no real need to rent or lease a retail office space. You can in most cases easily start out in a home based office and accrue all the benefits and flexibility that option offers including low overhead, no commute, generous tax deductions, more personal freedom, and a better lifestyle.

Few Employees: Most master franchisees typically start out as a 1 person owner operated business. Once the business reaches a certain critical mass regarding number of units sold or operating, you may in some cases find it advantageous to hire some support staff such as an administrative assistant or sales assistant to keep the business growing and running smoothly. In general however, most master franchisees don’t have a lot of employees and all the headaches and costs associated with having a large staff.

High Success Rate: As with all franchise businesses, master franchises generally enjoy a very high success rate. Keep in mind however that not all master franchising opportunities are alike. It’s important to make sure that you adequately investigate and research any franchise opportunity before moving forward. As part of your due diligence I would ask the franchiser if you could speak with an existing master franchisee in their system to get some feedback on their experiences.