Businesses that still need a person

The ones where someone has to show up: fixing, cleaning, teaching, cooking, caring for kids, pets and grandparents. Software can book the appointment. It can't clear the drain. Those businesses tend to hold up as AI gets better, because the hard part is physical and built on trust.

Some, yes. We ask one question of every franchise before we show it to you: what part of this can't be done by a laptop? If the honest answer is "the marketing" or "the app," we pass. If it's "the part where a person shows up and you trust them," we keep reading.

Nothing is fully proof against anything. A better question is: what does the owner do that software can't? Home services, trades, senior care, kids' education, pet care and hands-on food businesses score well. Businesses whose whole value is a scheduling app or a lead list score badly.

Both are real answers, and they lead to very different lists. Owner-operator models cost less and grow slower. Manager-run models need more capital and strong hiring. We'll ask early which one you want.

Through the IFPG network we have access to hundreds of brands. You won't see hundreds. You'll see a short list, chosen on purpose, with reasons, plus one we'd tell you to avoid.

Rarely in year one. Semi-absentee models exist, but they still need you to hire, manage and check the numbers. If the FDD doesn't support a passive claim, we won't make one.