Being your own boss on Main Street: owning franchises, service businesses, shops and routes that serve your community.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Multi-Unit Franchise Owner: Owns and runs many locations of a franchise brand (like 15 Taco Bells or 8 gyms) through a team of managers. Typical pay $250k.
Self-Storage Facility Owner: Owns storage-unit facilities that rent out space to people and businesses. Typical pay $150k.
Franchise Development Director: Works for a franchise brand, recruiting new franchise owners and choosing where new locations open. Typical pay $130k.
Home Services Company Owner: Owns a company that fixes homes, like an HVAC, plumbing, roofing or electrical business with several trucks. Typical pay $140k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Franchise Owner: Owns and operates one location of a brand like a sandwich shop, tutoring center or hotel. Typical pay $75k.
Franchise Business Consultant: Works for a franchise brand, visiting owners to coach them on hitting standards and growing sales. Typical pay $80k.
Laundromat Owner: Owns a coin or card laundromat, often adding wash-and-fold and pickup delivery services. Typical pay $70k.
Landscaping Company Owner: Owns a business that mows, plants and designs yards for homes and businesses. Typical pay $70k.
Cleaning Business Owner: Owns a residential or commercial cleaning company with a team of cleaners. Typical pay $65k.
Restaurant Owner: Owns and runs a restaurant, from menu and staffing to finances. Typical pay $60k.
Pest Control Company Owner: Owns a business that removes bugs, rodents and wildlife from homes and businesses. Typical pay $85k.
Car Wash Owner: Owns and runs a car wash, managing equipment, staff and monthly membership plans. Typical pay $90k.
Convenience Store Owner: Owns a corner store or gas station, handling stock, staff, money and long hours. Typical pay $70k.
Junk Removal Business Owner: Runs a business hauling away old furniture, appliances and clutter, often starting with one truck. Typical pay $65k.
Moving Company Owner: Runs a business that packs and moves families and offices. Typical pay $80k.
Print & Sign Shop Owner: Owns a shop that prints banners, business cards, vehicle wraps and store signs. Typical pay $70k.
Independent Hardware Store Owner: Owns a local hardware store that competes with big-box stores through expert help and service. Typical pay $75k.
Campground / RV Park Owner: Owns a campground or RV park, managing campsites, bookings, maintenance and guests. Typical pay $75k.
Portable Toilet Rental Business Owner: Owns a company that rents and cleans portable toilets for construction sites, festivals, weddings and disaster zones. Typical pay $85k.
Snow & Ice Removal Business Owner: Owns a company with trucks and plows that clears snow and salts parking lots for stores, hospitals and apartments in cold states. Typical pay $70k.
Mobile Document Shredding Business Owner: Owns trucks with industrial shredders that destroy confidential papers and hard drives on site for doctors, banks and law offices. Typical pay $80k.
Starter: fastest way in
Vending Machine Route Owner: Owns a set of vending machines (snacks, drinks, ATMs, claw machines) placed in businesses and restocks them. Typical pay $35k.
Food Truck Owner: Owns and runs a food truck, cooking and selling at events, festivals and street corners. Typical pay $45k.
Retail Boutique Owner: Owns a small shop selling clothes, gifts, books or specialty goods. Typical pay $40k.
Pressure Washing Business Owner: Starts a small business cleaning driveways, decks, houses and storefronts with high-pressure water. Typical pay $50k.
ATM Route Operator: Owns ATMs placed in bars, stores and gas stations, earning a fee each time someone withdraws cash. Typical pay $45k.
Bait & Tackle Shop Owner: Runs a shop near a lake, river or coast selling live bait, lures, fishing licenses and local tips on where the fish are biting. Typical pay $40k.
Drive-In Movie Theater Owner: Owns one of the roughly 300 drive-in theaters left in the US, showing movies on giant screens to people watching from their cars. Typical pay $40k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.