To start a franchise, you have standard initial costs and further ongoing costs. You need to pay first the set up fee. This is sometimes referred to as the initial franchise fee. This fee covers the costs of the franchisor to help get you started in the business, train you, provide initial marketing material and assist you at launch. This initial fee might also cover the cost of specialist equipment, or if it is an internet franchise, the website.

Often the franchisor will initially allow you to pay a small deposit to secure your territory followed by the final payment once you are ready to sign the franchise agreement. This deposit will count towards your initial fee and will be deducted from it when you finally make the payment for the remainder.

After you have bought the franchise, this is when the other large costs start. Your main costs will be for premises, wages, any equipment you need and stock to get started. If you are setting a retail business, your principal costs will be for rental or purchase of premises followed closely by rates. Your franchisor will often assist you in selecting the ideal premises in which to operate their business.

Staff costs can be very high, or low, depending on which franchise you buy. A fast food franchise like McDonalds needs people on hand to prepare the food, keep premises tidy, serve the customers and maintain the equipment. However, with other franchises you might be able to operate the business yourself. An example of this would be if you bought into an internet franchise where your main purpose is to sell advertising space on your web based business directory.

You might have to outlay a substantial sum of money to buy all the initial equipment you need for the franchise. Often the banks will assist you and allow you to either lease the equipment or provide you with a loan so that you can pay for it over a number of years.

You may find that your stock is sold to you on advantageous payment terms, meaning that some of the burden of holding stock and replenishing it will be taken care of by your customers if it is a cash business. The burden on you increases greatly if you have to offer credit to your customers.

Once your business starts trading then you face ongoing costs like royalty payments. There is no one way to calculate royalties. Some franchisors will charge you a percentage of your turnover ranging from 8% to 15% and demand royalty payments annually. Others might insist that you pay a smaller fixed sum monthly with a final sum due at the end of the year once your accounts are completed.

Finally you might also have to pay a marketing levy or advertising fee. This is to cover the costs of national or local advertising that the franchisor does on your behalf. This is usually calculated as a percentage of your turnover and can be as small as 1% or as large as 5% and anywhere in between.

You should know what all the costs are roughly going to be before you commit fully to any franchise model. Read the small print of the contract so that there are no unpleasant shocks when you start trading. Make sure you take specialist advice so that you fully understand the franchise agreement that you are about to commit to.