starting my own or do franchise...

Each business has its own pros and cons, be it franchise or your own version. I've actually looked into this topic before myself since I was interested to start a franchise business few years ago, only to have canceled it due to insufficient fund. Here are some of the factors which I can think of. Money. You need to know how much money do you have because most franchise licenses don't come cheap. The more established one can cost you millions of dollars. This is the first question you need to ask yourselves. If you don't have the enough financial support, then just forget it because it will not be feasible for you. You can try to get loans from banks but with the current economy, I really doubt the banks will be that nice. Objectives. Why do you want to start a business in the first place? Do you have a certain beliefs which you want to fulfill? If yes, then is there any franchise license available which can help you to achieve those beliefs? If there isn't one which is suitable, then maybe you will have to start your own. But if there's no belief, and you just want to be your own boss, then maybe having a franchise is a good idea. Flexibility. How flexible do you want your business to be? If you want extreme flexibility and able to do what you want with your business, then never go for franchise license because they will lock you down. This is to protect their brand name since they are doing the marketing thing for you. They would not want someone to ruin their multi-million marketing plan. Beginning. Do you know where to start if you were to start your own business? Where to find the right resources? Where to find the right people? What kind of people do you need? What kind of skills or trainings do you need to provide? Or what kind of product is feasible for your target market? If no, then go for franchise license because it'll save you a lot of time and effort. The beginning phase is much easier than starting on your own. Hmm, can't think of anything else for now. I'm actually in the office rushing on a project. LOL. Will post up more if I can think of any. Hope it helps. By the way, I decided to give up on franchise license because I don't have the enough financial support, I need flexibility (and to be the real boss, to be the one making ALL the decisions) and there are some beliefs of mine which can only be achieved by my own.

You are right my friend. US is in recession and it is pretty hard to find a job here now. But venturing into business is like interesting even if I am not a business minded. Well, small business and start from scratch is better than spending your big capital and might be losing at the end because of our present economy. Good luck..

starting a buisiness from the scratch would require a lot of patience.i think in franchesee ,the risks involved are lesser. belated happy new year to you.