By Donald Mahony – FranchiseDirect Editor:

Franchising has changed the American business scene forever, letting entrepreneurs work for themselves, but not by themselves. Franchises like McDonald’s and Burger King have led the way for the franchising movement, and now there are few business industries out there that aren’t franchised.

In the last ten years, we have seen the expansion of franchising around the world. Foreign entrepreneurs have wanted to import America’s top brands and, increasingly, America’s top franchises are looking to international market as the American credit markets remain dry. Earlier in the year, the Wall Street Journal wrote a detailed story on the rise of international franchising.

“We’ve kept costs and fees low, and our operation very simple,” says Don Fertman, Subway’s director of development told the WSJ. “It’s the type of business that just about anybody can get into.”

The demand for international franchising is so great that Franchise Direct (www.franchisedirect.com) published its inaugural list of the Top 100 Global Franchises this year.

McDonald’s ranked first and Subway came second. The rankings provide a great insight into the landscape of international franchising right now, as well as why international franchising works.

Of the Top 100 Global Franchises, 85 are based in America. Six of the top ten franchises sell food. Let’s say you’re a food franchisor. You’re doing well and you want to grow your business. There’s the highly competitive domestic market, and there’s the wide-open world of international franchising. It’s a market that’s full of risk, but nothing was ever gained without something being ventured.

It’s an interesting time for franchising. As countries around the world like France and Germany emerge out of recession, perhaps the best opportunity to grow your business lie in far-away places. The beauty of franchising is that it’s not bound to any single language, just a single, successful concept.

Franchise Direct is not only a place to find the top franchises in the world. Learn all the developments in the franchising sector as well.

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