Franchises - Franchising is a system for conducting business, which involves a franchisor licensing its refined method of doing business and trademarks to a franchisee. In exchange the franchisee pays a one time initial fee and ongoing royalties (usually a percentage of the gross revenues earned by the franchisee). The Franchisor provides training and support to the franchisee in an effort to promote the franchisee's success.

Multi-Unit Franchises - Multi-Unit Franchising involves a franchisee operating multiple units of a particular franchise concept. Sometimes a franchisor will offer a significant discount off of the one time initial franchise fee to a Multi-Unit Franchisee.

Master Franchises - Master Franchising is a system for conducting business, which involves a franchisor awarding a license to a master franchisee. This master franchise operates in a designated region, and may sell single unit franchises within this region. The master franchisee is entitled to a percentage of the one time initial fee and ongoing royalties for every franchise he/she sells. The Master Franchisee may also be required to provide training and/or support to the single unit franchises sold in his/her region. Some Franchisors refer to an individual with this type of license or a similar type of license as an Area Developer or Regional Developer.

Independent Businesses - Independent Businesses are established businesses that are not affiliated with a franchise.