New in town: get geared up for 2004 with 92 of today's freshest franchising concepts

Entrepreneur, Dec, 2003

It's a popular phrase around this time of the year--"out with the old; in with the new." In franchising, it's more like "on with the old; In with the new." While franchising runs on the success of its "old," tried-and-true systems (think McDonald's and KFC), it gets its spark from the up-and-coming businesses seeking to expand into future empires. These new franchises provide prospective entrepreneurs with the ground-floor opportunities that have long evaporated in their more established counterparts.

The following listing provides information on 92 companies that started franchising in 2002 or 2003. The listing isn't intended to endorse any specific franchise. Rather, it's a first step in your own research, which should include reading the franchise company's literature (including its Uniform Franchise Offering Circular), calling and visiting existing franchisees, and consulting an attorney and an accountant. For more on the franchises in the list below, plus an expanded list of new franchises, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franzone/listings/topnew.