Franchise vs. Starting a Business From Scratch: How to Decide

Short answer: starting from scratch gives you total control and total risk. A franchise trades some of that control for a brand, a proven model and systems you do not have to build yourself. The right choice depends on whether you want to invent a business or run one.

What a franchise gives you

• A model that has already worked. City Lifestyle publishers run a model that has operated the same way since 2009 and now runs in more than 250 markets. The mistakes of a first-time business have mostly been made already, by someone else.
• A brand people recognize. A new local business spends its first years explaining what it is. A franchisee starts with recognition and, in a media franchise, with a national advertiser standing behind every page.
• Production you do not have to build. Design, editorial, printing, distribution and technology run at City Lifestyle's headquarters. An independent publisher would have to hire or contract for all of it.
• Training and a network. A Launch Coach from signing through the first issue, training that continues afterward, and a few hundred other publishers who have solved the problem you are facing today.

What a franchise asks of you

You follow the system. Brand standards, the product, the way the magazine is made and distributed are set for you. If your goal is to invent something entirely your own, that will chafe. If your goal is to own a business that works, it is the point.

Where starting from scratch wins

If your idea is truly new, if you have deep experience in the category already, or if you want to build something to sell in a form no franchisor would allow, independence is the better path. It just costs more time and carries more risk.

Five questions to decide

1. Do I want to build the machine or run it?
2. How much of my own money and time am I willing to spend learning what a franchisor already knows?
3. Do I have the skills to produce the product myself, or would I be hiring for them on day one?
4. How important is a recognized brand in my category?
5. Would I follow a system I did not design, if it worked?

Frequently asked questions

Is a franchise less risky than a startup? Franchises are not risk-free, but a documented, repeated model with training and support removes many of the unknowns a first-time owner faces alone. Read the Franchise Disclosure Document for the specifics of any system you consider.

Can I still be creative in a franchise? In a community magazine, yes. The stories, the relationships and the way you show up in your town are yours. The production behind them is not something you have to reinvent.

Details about the City Lifestyle franchise are at future.citylifestyle.com.