Franchising offers entry point for Virginia entrepreneurs

After working in the nonprofit world, Rose White went back to college two years ago to earn an MBA. She knew she wanted to own her own business, but she didn’t have a specific industry in mind.

So, she and her husband explored the idea of buying a franchise.

“I wanted to get out of the rat race and I wasn’t really interested in building something from the ground up,” White says. “I wanted something that was already moving and going and successful.”

Rose and Justin White bought their Pool Scouts franchise last November from Buzz Franchise Brands, a Virginia Beach-based franchising company that operates four brands across 34 states and Washington, D.C. The Whites’ Pool Scouts franchise provides swimming pool cleaning and maintenance services in the greater Richmond region.

The Whites are part of a sector of the Virginia economy that is expected to expand substantially in 2025. The International Franchise Association has ranked the commonwealth as the third-best state for franchise growth this year, with the number of businesses expected to climb 6% to an estimated 25,542 units that will employ more than 270,000 people, according to Katherine Knight Patterson, IFA’s vice president of communications. Franchise revenues in the commonwealth are expected to rise 4.1% to nearly $27 billion.

Patterson cited Virginia’s business-friendly climate and its ranking as CNBC’s Top State for Business in 2024 as a couple of the reasons for franchise growth. Awarded annually, CNBC’s designation is based on numerous factors, including infrastructure, workforce readiness, education, the economy and regulatory framework.

“These factors are desirable not just for large corporations but also for small businesses like franchises,” Patterson says.

Franchising provides an excellent entry point for first-time business owners who might not have experience or capital to start their own companies, she says.

“You’re going into business for yourself but not by yourself,” Patterson explains. “You get access to capital from working with a company that has a proven business model and brand recognition.”

White looked at other franchise options before buying an existing Pool Scouts location, which allowed her and her husband to get established quickly.

“If you get with the right group, they keep you from making so many mistakes … that, if you were doing it on your own, you’d have to learn the hard way,” she says.

Franchise economic output nationwide is projected to reach $936.4 billion this year, according to IFA, a 4.4% increase over 2024. The food industry makes up the bulk of franchise ownership, with fast food (or “quick service restaurants” in industry parlance) expected to account for more than 204,000 establishments.

A decade ago, Toya Evans started Healthy Living Ventures with her daughters, Chanel Grant and Lauren Williamson, to provide health-conscious foods and services. Now, the family-owned company based in Bowie, Maryland, operates a half-dozen Tropical Smoothie Café establishments in Maryland and Virginia. In 2019, the company expanded into luxury spa services by opening its first Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, with locations now in Woodbridge and Sterling, and later adding a third brand with the opening of a VIO Med Spa in Woodbridge.

Evans calls Virginia “business-friendly” and credited the commonwealth’s support of small business financing with her company’s anticipated opening of a VIO Med Spa in Midlothian and its eventual expansion into Charlottesville and Newport News. She gives special credit to Prince William County’s small business assistance programs, which eased the permitting processes for her spas and café.

Franchise growth isn’t occurring just in restaurant and personal wellness industries. British Swim School, a company founded in Manchester, England, in 1981 that became part of the Buzz Franchise Brands family in 2019, expects to add franchises in 2025. The company, which provides swimming safety lessons for people of all ages at more than 450 locations across the United States and Canada, anticipates demand to grow further.

“British Swim School’s proven business model, strong brand awareness and ongoing corporate support make 2025 an ideal time for new franchisees,” says Ashley Gundlach, British Swim School president. “Additionally, favorable economic conditions, expanding community partnerships and a heightened focus on water safety initiatives create strong opportunities for success.”

Any change in those “favorable economic conditions,” however, could hamper franchise expansions. Uncertainty about tariffs and potential economic slowdowns, as well as price fluctuations, have already raised concerns among franchise owners like Evans, whose Tropical Smoothie locations purchase some foods from Mexico that could get more expensive if U.S. tariffs linger. In March, she said some spa clients in Northern Virginia also were suspending memberships until they knew if they’d keep their jobs amid layoffs in the private and public sectors.

“There’s concern across the board for all of my businesses,” Evans says. “All of our businesses are dependent on disposable income. … People losing their jobs means less money. They’re going to have to tighten their belts. To say that I’m not a little skittish and nervous would be untrue.”