Self-assessment for future business owners

Test it before you own it.

Find the business your background is built for, then check the numbers before you start, buy or sign anything.

Or tap the working day that sounds like you

About fifteen quick questions and a short read of you as you go. Your top match shows at the end, and a free account opens your top three of 156 and keeps them.

Browse all 156 models →

156business models with sources and benchmarks

24free tools that do the math

527franchises with the fees up front

21%median owner-earnings margin (SDE, before owner pay, debt and taxes)

Pick a business

Pick a business. The numbers come with it.

Every model shows how it makes money, what kills the margin and what the owner keeps, with the sources.

AutomotiveAuto Body ShopOwner keeps8 to 16%est.Revenue$1.5M to $6MOpen the model →Food & BeverageCatering BusinessOwner keeps17 to 23%Revenue$150K to $1.6MOpen the model →Beauty & Personal CareHair SalonOwner keeps20 to 28%Revenue$360K to $700KOpen the model →Hospitality & LodgingCampground / RV Park BusinessOwner keeps30 to 45%Revenue$300K to $3MOpen the model →Retail & E-commerceGrocery StoreOwner keeps12 to 17%Revenue$720K to $3MOpen the model →Health & WellnessMed SpaOwner keeps15 to 25%est.Revenue$1M to $3MOpen the model →ConstructionDemolition ContractorOwner keeps12 to 22%est.Revenue$1M to $5MOpen the model →Technology & SoftwareSoftware Development AgencyOwner keeps15 to 30%Revenue$500K to $10MOpen the model →Childcare & EducationDaycare CenterOwner keeps20 to 27%est.Revenue$400K to $1.8MOpen the model →Personal & Consumer ServicesPet Boarding & DaycareOwner keeps28 to 34%est.Revenue$400K to $2MOpen the model →Professional ServicesConsulting FirmOwner keeps10 to 35%est.Revenue$500K to $5MOpen the model →AgricultureLivestock Ranch (Cattle)Owner keeps25 to 45%Revenue$500K to $3MOpen the model →Logistics & TransportationTow Truck BusinessOwner keeps19 to 36%Revenue$300K to $3MOpen the model →Manufacturing & WholesaleMachine ShopOwner keeps17 to 30%est.Revenue$625K to $2.2MOpen the model →Home & Trade ServicesRoofing CompanyOwner keeps8 to 15%est.Revenue$1M to $3MOpen the model →Real Estate & PropertyReal Estate BrokerageOwner keeps5 to 10%est.Revenue$1M to $15MOpen the model →Financial & InsuranceInsurance AgencyOwner keeps20 to 35%est.Revenue$250K to $5MOpen the model →AutomotiveCar-Sharing BusinessOwner keeps30 to 45%Revenue$150K to $2MOpen the model →Food & BeverageBrewery / TaproomOwner keeps10 to 19%Revenue$400K to $1.8MOpen the model →Beauty & Personal CareBarbershopOwner keeps20 to 28%Revenue$180K to $560KOpen the model →Hospitality & LodgingEvent VenueOwner keeps12 to 25%est.Revenue$300K to $3MOpen the model →Retail & E-commerceLiquor StoreOwner keeps13 to 18%est.Revenue$500K to $2MOpen the model →Health & WellnessGym / Fitness StudioOwner keeps25 to 32%est.Revenue$300K to $2MOpen the model →ConstructionExcavation ContractorOwner keeps10 to 22%Revenue$1M to $5MOpen the model →

All 156 models

How it works

From the idea to open doors, in three steps.

Find your fit

Twelve questions about the shape of your day, the hours you refuse, how you would win customers and what you bring, and all 156 models read against your answers.

Example: a sample set of answers. Your result will differ.

Take the fit test

Follow the launch plan, with your numbers

Every step from deciding to opening, with your P&L running beside it and the month the business carries itself.

Open the HVAC launch plan

Launch, run and benchmark

Vendors drop into the plan, the whole plan downloads as a PDF, and once you are open you benchmark against the model.

Example: the HVAC model at its default assumptions. A projection, not a forecast; your numbers will differ.

See the 24 free tools

What you get

The franchise system, without the franchisor.

What makes a franchise work is the system. You get it here for any of 156 businesses, with no royalty, and the business stays yours.

156Business modelsHow each business makes money, what kills the margin and what the owner keeps, with sources.8 phasesThe launch planDeciding to opening, with this business’s permits, costs and vendors filled in.36 monthsYour numbersA P&L beside the plan, the break-even month, and the whole plan as a PDF.145Vendors and appsThe operating stack, categorized, with a plain note on when to choose each.SBAThe loan mathLoan sizing, cash to close and debt coverage, so you know the numbers a lender will ask about.BenchmarkCheck it against typicalPut a real P&L next to the benchmarks for its kind of business and see where it runs above or below.The one thing we do not provide is a brand.Where customers come for the sign, a franchise can earn its royalty. 527 of them, with total investment, fees and royalty up front →

Three ways to own

Start one, buy one, or buy a brand.

01Start oneThe least cash in and the longest ramp. Pick the model, follow its plan, keep what you build.Pick a model 02Buy one that existsCash flow from day one, if the numbers are real. Where to search, and the tools to test the asking price against what the business earns.Where to search 03Buy a franchiseA brand and a system for a fee and a royalty. 527 franchises with the investment, fees and royalty up front, filtered by your budget.Compare franchises

Sources shown, estimates labeled

Census, BLS, SBA and public benchmarks, linked on each model. Where no direct data exists, the figure is labeled as an estimate.

We publish the data we use

Revenue, owner margin and resale multiples for all 156 models on one free page, with a CSV.

Built to find the weak spots

Each model leads with how often the business fails, and every tool shows what has to be true for the numbers to work.

No one pays us to steer you

No cut of your deal, no fee from a franchisor. Any referral fee on a marketplace listing is stated on the listing.

See the Owner Earnings Index

Where small business dreams take flight

Your business is out there. Find it in four minutes.

Twelve questions, the models that line up with your answers, and a plan with the numbers for each. Free.

Take the fit test Browse the models