Four free calculators that answer the questions every franchisee asks before signing: what you can afford, how you survive the first two years, what the return looks like, and whether you are actually ready.
89%
of UK franchise units report being profitable
£19.1bn
contributed to the UK economy each year
1,009
franchise brands operating across the UK
£400k
average annual turnover per franchise unit
Work out your true buying power from savings, bank funding and living costs.
Map your 24-month runway and find the lowest cash point before it finds you.
Turn revenue, margins and fees into a projected monthly and annual net profit.
Answer a short diagnostic and get a checklist matched to your background.
Total investment varies hugely by sector — some home-based franchises start around £5,000, while premises-heavy businesses like gyms can run past £450,000. Most UK lenders expect you to personally fund 30% to 50% of that figure; for established, recognised brands, banks will typically lend up to 50% to 70% of the rest, though newer or unproven concepts often see that fall to 30% to 50%.
Open the affordability calculator · Franchise funding options in the UK
Almost every new franchise dips into negative cash flow before it turns a profit — royalties, rent and staff costs keep running whether or not customers show up on day one. Modelling a realistic 24-month cash flow, rather than a single optimistic year-one forecast, is usually what separates franchisees who run out of working capital from those who don't.
Open the cash flow visualiser · How to price your franchise and model cash flow
As a rough benchmark, most franchises target an annual ROI somewhere in the 5% to 25% range, with a break-even point commonly landing between one and five years — though this varies a great deal by sector and format. Treat a franchisor's own projections as a starting point, not a guarantee, and check them against real figures from a handful of existing franchisees before relying on them.
Open the ROI estimator · Key franchise profitability factors
Done properly, due diligence takes 60 to 90 days: reviewing the Franchise Disclosure Document, speaking with current and former franchisees about what actually happened to their numbers, checking territory demographics, and having a solicitor go through the agreement. A franchisor pushing you to decide faster than that is worth treating with caution.
Open the due diligence scorecard · Six steps to a complete due diligence checklist
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