Free · About one minute
Franchise Matchmaker Quiz
Five questions about your budget and what you want to own. We search our franchise directory, built from public disclosure filings and SBA loan records, and show you the brands that fit.
What your matches include
- Startup cost range
- Royalty
- Number of units
- Unit growth
- Link to the full research
How the Matchmaker finds your franchises
Your answers become filters on our franchise research directory, which covers about 2,000 brands built from public franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) and SBA loan records. Only brands with a captured disclosure document are matched, so every result has costs and unit counts you can check.
Matches are ordered by SBA loan activity, which shows how often buyers have financed that brand. It is not a quality ranking. If nothing fits every answer, the quiz loosens one filter at a time, growth first, then system size, then budget, and tells you which one it dropped.
- Kind of businessPick from 19 categories, from home services to childcare, or stay open to anything.
- BudgetYour total startup cost, including what you would borrow. We match on the low end of each brand’s disclosed investment range.
- System sizeFrom early-stage brands with fewer than 50 units to household names with more than 1,000.
- GrowthOptionally, only systems that added franchised units in the latest reported year.
- TimelineWhen you want to be open. It helps us follow up and never changes your matches.
What to do with your matches
Each match shows the startup cost range, royalty, number of units and unit growth, with a link to the brand’s full research page and its sources. Use them to build a shortlist, then do the work no quiz can do for you.
- Get the current FDDAsk each franchisor for its current disclosure document and state addenda. Our figures come from archived filings.
- Check the exact formatCosts differ by format and territory. Confirm the investment for the format you would actually open.
- Call ownersTalk to current and former franchisees. Ask what they earn, what surprised them, and whether they would do it again.
- Get adviceHave an accountant and a franchise attorney review the numbers and the agreement before you sign.
Questions
Is the Franchise Matchmaker Quiz free?
Yes. Answer five questions, enter a first name and email, and your matches show on the page. It takes about a minute.
Where does the franchise data come from?
From public franchise disclosure documents filed with state regulators and from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records. Each brand page in the directory links to the original source. The data is extracted automatically and has not been independently reviewed, so check every figure against the franchisor’s current FDD.
Are the matches ranked by how good the franchise is?
No. Matches are ordered by SBA loan activity, which shows how often buyers have financed the brand. That is useful context, not a rating, a recommendation or an endorsement.
How much money do I need to buy a franchise?
It depends on the brand and the format. Some home-based franchises start under $100,000, while many restaurants need $500,000 or more. Pick your budget in the quiz and it only shows brands whose disclosed range starts within it.
Do franchisors pay to appear in my matches?
No. Matches come from the directory’s own search. Franchise Guys sells marketing services to franchisors, and a brand being in the directory or in your matches does not mean we work with it.
A match is a place to start your research. It is not a recommendation, an endorsement or an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial advice. Get the franchisor’s current disclosure document and your own advisers before you invest.