If you’re ready to sell your franchise business, it’s natural to wonder who the right buyer for it will be. In our experience, your next buyer is likely to fall into one of these three categories.

The Corporate Escapee. Whether they’ve been through a corporate layoff, planned for years to escape the grind or retire, or have always yearned to be their own boss, you’re likely to get interest from someone who’s making a purposeful life transition.

People who’ve been successful in large corporations are an excellent fit for franchises. They thrive in a structured environment, understand corporate branding and operational guidelines, manage teams and budgets, and have strong management and organization skills. They often have a retirement fund, a severance, a nest egg, or significant collateral, giving them the financial means to start strong. The demands of a franchise are often much less stressful than a typical 60-hour corporate work week, and the goals and metrics are very clear. It’s no wonder people who leave a successful business career decide that a franchise is the ideal way to become their own boss.

The Serial Entrepreneur. According to the Franchise Motivation Survey Report, 45 percent of new franchisees had considered starting their own independent business, and many have owned businesses before. We see many entrepreneurs who are changing industries to improve the quality of their work and personal lives.

Owners of convenience and liquor stores for example tell us that franchises like The UPS Stores offer them shorter hours with less risk, less staff, and much less inventory to manage. Some buyers are expanding into other industries to spread their investments and diversify their portfolio to alleviate risk. Some simply see an excellent opportunity to get great returns on their investment.

These buyers are experienced business owners and managers and see the franchises as an attractive opportunity for a fresh start.

The Expanding Franchisee. Once an owner starts seeing success with a franchise business, they’ll often want to expand their holdings, either within the same brand or in one that is a good fit for their current business style and financial position. We get interest from buyers who want to reach a new market with their current brand or expand in the current market with another brand (or an attractive startup opportunity.)

The success rate for these buyers is high, and they often benefit from the financial terms lenders give successful franchisees. For franchisees growing through acquisition, lenders may offer as little as zero down or require no collateral.

Why don’t these motivated buyers simply start their own business from scratch? Franchises offer plenty of advantages for both new and experienced business owners. The proven success record of a strong brand. The structure, training, and operational support provided by the franchisor. Buying into an established business that’s running well and that has proved itself profitable. The predictable hours, seasonality, and stable product offerings. The high return while investing fewer hours - and much less stress.

We have over 17,000 motivated buyers who might be interested in your franchise. Want to find out what your business is worth? Click here.