Entrepreneurs considering cell phone repair franchise opportunities sometimes wonder whether franchising provides a realistic opportunity to accomplish business goals? The success or failure of any commercial enterprise hinges upon a variety of factors. Not every franchise thrives. Yet some prosper beyond all expectations.

Indeed, the histories of some of the world’s leading franchises demonstrate the enormous potential of franchising as a business model. Consider two profiles in commercial success from the fast food industry: McDonald’s Corporation and its rival, Yum! Brands. Both companies operate internationally today. They participate in a competitive industry.

The Golden Arches as a Franchising Success Story

Today, most business analysts rank McDonald’s as the most financially successful franchise on Earth. Two brothers founded the restaurant chain as a string of drive-in eateries in California offering 15 cent hamburgers. McDonald’s became one of the very first “fast food” companies on the West Coast. The firm’s retail outlets offered a limited selection of popular menu items, and served customers rapidly. In 1954, Chicago businessman Ray Kroc began working as the company’s franchising agent. He bought McDonald’s in 1961 for the (then) princely sum of $2.7 million.

Today McDonald’s maintains some 30,000 franchised outlets around the world, in addition to its company-operated sales outlets. The fast food restaurant chain generates an estimated $80 billion in total annual sales, a figure larger than some national budgets. As a franchisor, McDonald’s enjoys immense success.

Yum! Brands, An Important Fast-Food Holding Company

Even though many Americans may not recognize the name “Yum! Brands” immediately, the chances remain excellent they have seen the firm’s restaurants multiple times during their lives. Originally owned by the same corporation that produced Pepsi Cola, Yum! Brands today operates a number of highly successful restaurant chains. These holdings include Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut (all companies originally founded separately by entrepreneurs and eventually acquired by PepsiCo). Yum! Brands offers some popular high-end franchises, charging almost $2 million to open a typical Taco Bell outlet, for example.

Although Yum! Brands traces its inception to 1997, the company has expanded rapidly in scope during the past two decades. Today, it operates fast food and restaurant outlets across North America, China, India, and other nations. It ranked as one of the largest public companies in the United States in 2018. By virtually any business definition, Yum! Brands qualifies as a highly successful franchising firm.