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ranking. However, some mobile food
concepts, like Repicci's Italian Ice and
Happy and Healthy Products, offer
franchisees the opportunity to run a food-
related business without the large, up-front
investment.
The franchise businesses represented in this
report have an average initial investment of
less than $100,000, but within the different
brands, there is great variety of options and
investment levels available. Some franchise
opportunities can be started for less than
$5,000, while others cost $90,000.
Most of the franchise executives we spoke
with for this report said franchisees are
using their available savings, 401K, and/or
family and friend investments to purchase
their businesses. Although it may seem like
getting a loan for a lower-investment
business would be easier, that's not the case
formost low-cost franchises.
“We don't have a lot of hard assets so it's very
difficult to get a bank loan for our franchise
