Top franchises have plenty of positives to offer the new entrepreneur. Often having low start-up costs with plenty of help from the mother corporations, top franchises are an excellent way to break into the business world with much less risk than starting your own business from scratch. Business top franchises are proven money-makers with reputation and advertising already hardwired in. So which are the fastest growing franchises in the US for 2007? Let’s look at the field, according to AOL Small Business.

http://smallbusiness.aol.com/features/fastfranchise

Jani-King

Jani-King has been offered as a franchise since 1974, just five years after then-college student Jim Cavanaugh founded his company. With 9,933 U.S. franchises, Jani-King’s janitorial services focus on businesses in office buildings. Jani-King provides incentives to franchisees such as cruises and rebates. Number 10 on the list of fastest-growing top franchises, the total investment for a franchise is relatively low. Starting at $11,300 to $34,000, Jani-King is a nice low-cost franchise with a low start up fee of around $8,600 to $16,300.

Bonus Building Care

Number 9 on the list is also a commercial cleaning service. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, Bonus Building Care was started by the co-founder of Jani-King, the ex-wife of Jim Cavanaugh, Arleen Cavanaugh. After their divorce, Jim retained control of Jani-King, while Arleen took her experience and started her own company. The total investment in Bonus Building Care is lower at between $7,200 and $13,600 as is the franchise fee at $6,500, making investment in this low cost franchise very attractive.

CleanNet USA Inc.

At number 8 is another cleaning company, this time offering cleaning services to commercial, industrial and retail businesses. Twenty-fourth in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500, CleanNet USA Inc. is second in their Lowest Initial Investment category:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500

With the ability to start a franchise as a part-time business and low start-up costs, CleanNet USA Inc is an excellent low cost franchise for entrepreneurs looking to break in with their first franchise.

RE/MAX Int’l. Inc.

Benefiting from nationwide name recognition, RE/MAX is number 7 on the list of fastest growing franchises in the U.S. With a global network of more than 116,000 real estate agents, RE/MAX has become a household name in real estate brokerages. Improving their score each year, RE/MAX has gone from number 13 in 2003 to 7th in 2007. The start-up costs for a RE/MAX franchise are a little bit higher than the previous entries, but the rewards are comparative to that higher cost. Founded by Dave and Gail Liniger in Denver in 1973, RE/MAX now has more than 116,000 real estate agents. Created to give agents higher commissions, agents are in charge of their own business, split office expenses equally with other agents and operate under a maximum commission concept.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service

Founded in 1960, Jackson Hewitt offers full service tax service, year round. Specializing in electronic federal and state tax preparation, Jackson Hewitt began franchising its business in 1986 when the IRS began offering electronic filings. Offering excellent support and training, Jackson Hewitt is a great starter franchise; however, they do require that the franchise owners maintain about $50,000 in liquidity, which might be a hindrance to some potential franchisees.

Jazzercise Inc.

Founded in 1969 by Judy Sheppard Misset, Jazzercise is an aerobic exercise that incorporates jazz and other types of dance moves. Begun as a class for fun while teaching traditional jazz dance classes, she moved to Southern California and began training other instructors in her program. She began to franchise her business in 1983 and is now the CEO of Jazzercise Inc. An excellent franchise startup, Jazzercise Inc. trains and certifies its instructors before they can become franchised. One of the lowest costing franchises to begin, owner-operators can get started from their homes for as little as $3,000.

Coverall Cleaning Concepts

Another cleaning service hits the list at number 4. Founded in 1985, Coverall Cleaning Concepts franchisees provide a variety of commercial cleaning services to customers throughout North and South America, Australia and Asia. These services include hard floor care, carpet cleaning, and restroom sanitation. Coverall Cleaning Concepts offers financing for franchisees, including franchise fees, startup costs as well as for equipment and inventory.

Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts is a franchise whose reputation precedes it. One would be hard pressed to find someone in the U.S. who has not heard of Dunkin Donuts. The costs of opening a Dunkin Donuts franchise are high in comparison to our earlier entries, starting at around $179,000 total investment, however, the well-known name with a proven track record make this initial investment easy to digest.

Jan-Pro

Number 2 on the list of fastest growing franchises is yet another cleaning service company. Founded in 1991 in Providence, Rhode Island, Jan-Pro is a commercial cleaning service that operates throughout the U.S. and Canada. Low startup costs and an attractive incentive plan have made Jan-Pro a sure winner as a low-cost franchise.

Subway

Number one on the list is a familiar name. Subway has become almost as ubiquitous as the McDonald’s and Burger Kings with a more health friendly reputation and a low key presence. Rather than the expense of a stand alone restaurant, Subway franchises can be found inside malls and strip shopping centers. This allows franchisees to rent space and avoid large construction costs. The startup costs are still rather high in comparison to some of the other companies on the list, but like Dunkin Donuts, name recognition and a positive reputation make this a very attractive investment.