75% Plan to Borrow Money, 84% Want a ‘Boring’ Business — What 3,500 Franchisee Leads Reveal

What do today’s franchisees really want? It’s not what you’d expect.

By Frances Dodds | Jan 13, 2026

To view our entire 2026 Franchise 500 list, including category rankings, click HERE.

Who are they? And what do they expect from franchising? Franchisees are all different. But if you look at their hopes, dreams, and expectations, you can see important patterns—both in who they are and what their journey feels like. On the following pages, you’ll find insights from a survey of 3,561 new franchisees, conducted by the franchise advisory group FRANCHISE SIDEKICK, and from their pool of 73,000 franchisee leads.

Sign up for our weekly Franchise newsletter to get the latest franchise news, advice and opportunities. Get it in your inbox.

To view our entire 2026 Franchise 500 list, including category rankings, click HERE.

Who are they? And what do they expect from franchising? Franchisees are all different. But if you look at their hopes, dreams, and expectations, you can see important patterns—both in who they are and what their journey feels like. On the following pages, you’ll find insights from a survey of 3,561 new franchisees, conducted by the franchise advisory group FRANCHISE SIDEKICK, and from their pool of 73,000 franchisee leads.

Sign up for our weekly Franchise newsletter to get the latest franchise news, advice and opportunities. Get it in your inbox.

Frances Dodds

Deputy Editor of Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Staff
Frances Dodds is Entrepreneur magazine's deputy editor. Before that she was features director for Entrepreneur.com, and a senior editor at DuJour magazine. She's written for Longreads, New York Magazine, Architectural Digest, Us Weekly, Coveteur and more.

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