Positives: Your are buying a brand and a system when you purchase a franchise. You have a well known brand so the customer base already is aware of your product. You won't be responsible for local marketing. You get the benefit of professional (and experienced) marketing, finance, site selection, counseling, product, etc. They have a higher success rate than mom & pop businesses. Rather than starting your own business with the first site, they have opened 100, 300, 1000 sites and have done it before. If you want to sell your franchise then they will help you find someone. Negatives: You won't have your individual identity. You will be one of many in a long list of other locations offering the exact same thing as you. You cannot make changes to your product; you can't shop for the best price; you are forced to comply with every regulation they impose. You have to pay a certain percentage of your profit back to the franchise in the form of royalties and national marketing. You have to return for training on a yearly basis. If you want to eventually sell your business, then you need to find an individual to purchase a franchisee license to take over your store - most franchise companies won't let you sell to someone that's going to open "Joe's Sandwiches". Have a lawyer review the contract and ask to see their UFOC.