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Franchises Under $50K

6 brands with a minimum initial investment below $50K, ranked by startup cost.

# Brand Min. Investment Max. Investment Royalty Health
1 Express Employment Professionals
Staffing
$31K $391K 40% 72
2 Century 21 Real Estate
Real Estate
$35K $466K 6% 55
3 Coldwell Banker Commercial
Real Estate
$36K $734K 6% 52
4 Club Z!
Education
$41K $57K 8% 54
5 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Real Estate
$43K $88K 6% 59
6 RE/MAX
Real Estate
$45K $246K 34

These 6 franchises all start below $50K in minimum investment — but that floor rarely tells the full story. Item 7 of the FDD lists estimated initial costs, and the gap between minimum and maximum can be 3-5x depending on real estate, build-out, and territory size.

Low-investment franchises tend to be home-based or mobile (pet services, cleaning, tutoring) with lower overhead but also lower revenue ceilings. Before committing, compare the ongoing royalty burden — a 2% difference in royalties compounds into tens of thousands over a 10-year agreement.