Open Territory compass logoOpen TerritoryFranchises that still need people.
Costs you nothing. Franchisors pay us.

Franchises that still need people.

Software is getting very good at a lot of jobs. Cleaning a gutter isn't one of them. We help you find and buy into businesses that will still need an owner, a truck, and a handshake 10 years from now.

Book a 30-minute callSee how we pick
Two plumbing service professionals with tools speaking with a customer at her front door

Where this started

I started Open Territory after watching a friend put $200,000 into a franchise whose entire value was a scheduling app. Two years later, the app was a free feature in three other products, and the franchise was a logo.

That’s the business I don’t want you to buy.

The ones I do want you to buy are less glamorous. They fix, clean, teach, cook, and care for things. They have trucks. They have a hard part, and the hard part is why they work.

How we pick

We’ve read 140 franchise disclosure documents and narrowed them down to the ones that will really work for you.

Before a business makes our list, we ask one question about it: what does the owner do that software can’t? If the answer is “run the marketing,” we pass. If it’s “show up, do the work, and earn the customer’s trust,” we keep reading.

Then we read the fine print — the FDD, every page of it. Item 19 is where the earnings numbers live. Item 3 is where the lawsuits live. Most buyers never see those pages. You will.

Before anything reaches you, we also check:

  • Territory — is yours protected, or does the next person who signs get one across the street?
  • Discovery day — you meet the people at headquarters before any money moves.
  • Validation — calls with the franchisees already running it. Unscripted. We make them too.

Things that still need a person, an incomplete list

  • Drains
  • Dogs
  • Drywall
  • Grandparents
  • A grease trap at 6 a.m.
  • A kid learning to read
  • A roof after a hailstorm
  • A first haircut

"Is this franchise AI-proof?" is the wrong question. Try: "What does the owner do that the software can't?" If the answer takes more than one sentence, you're getting warm. Nobody has automated a clogged drain yet. We checked.

Cartoon of a robot tangled in a hose splashing suds everywhere while bathing an unimpressed dog, next to a calm groomer drying the same dog, who looks delighted.

How we're different

The usual pitch: “Hundreds of brands, find your perfect fit.”

Fewer brands, chosen on purpose, with reasons.

The usual pitch: “AI-powered analysis” and rankings.

We use data, then call the references. A ranking can't.

The usual pitch: A safe, complimentary matching process.

We take a position, and we say which businesses we'd skip.

We'd rather lose a client than place them in the wrong business. That includes telling you no on brands that pay us.

The people who’ll tell you no

Meet the team →
Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor

Founder & Certified Franchise Consultant (CFC)

Ron grew up watching his father build restaurants in West Virginia and start from scratch every time he wanted to grow. That's why Ron believes in franchising. It doesn't remove risk, it just changes where you start. He has worked on every side of franchising: multi-unit franchisee, operator, franchisor executive, investor and advisor. He and his wife, Lori, opened their first Edible Arrangements in Youngstown, Ohio in 2006 and grew to nine locations in three states. When they sold in 2023, they left as the brand's all-time sales leader, with more than $53 million in sales. On their last Valentine's Day as owners, the Youngstown store did over $100,000 in a single day. He has also helped scale a fast-casual brand, owned three The Simple Greek restaurants, and today owns SweatHouz sauna and cold-plunge studios in the Pittsburgh and Akron-Canton markets. Ron started Open Territory to help people figure out what to buy, and whether to buy at all. "I'd rather tell you no than force a fit." He also runs Franchise Authentic, which helps emerging brands franchise the right way, and INVON, which advises owners on growth and acquisitions. He studied at West Virginia University and wrote the book Stop Starting From Scratch.

Certified Franchise Consultant (CFC) · Franchisee since 2006 · #1 all-time Edible Arrangements sales leader ($53M+) · Author, Stop Starting From Scratch

Reva Enzminger

Reva Enzminger

Franchise Advisor

Reva has spent more than 30 years on every side of the small-business table. She started in corporate, running a software and peripherals division at Dell, then bought her first Edible Arrangements franchise in 2005 and grew it to seven locations over 15 years — hiring, training and making payroll through booms and recessions. She has since founded an ecommerce startup, worked as a fractional COO, and today owns Zoocade and VieVR in Austin, where she opened America's first holographic zoo and brought the Horizon of Khufu virtual-reality expedition to Texas. She speaks regularly to franchisee and small-business audiences on hiring, retention and customer experience, and she has read more franchise disclosure documents than most people will ever see. A longtime Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor in Austin, Reva does this work because she has seen what the wrong franchise does to a family's savings — and what the right one does for its future.

Former multi-unit Edible Arrangements owner · Fractional COO · Franchise consultant · Public speaker

Common questions

Does it cost me anything to work with Open Territory?

No. Franchisors pay us when a match is made. Your franchise fee is the same with us or without us, so the only thing you spend is time.

If franchisors pay you, why would you ever tell me no?

Because placing you in the wrong business is the fastest way to ruin a reputation we need for the next 20 years. We'd rather lose a fee than a client. We tell people to pass all the time, including on brands that pay us.

Which franchises still need people?

The ones where someone has to show up: fixing, cleaning, teaching, cooking, caring for kids, pets and grandparents. Software can book the appointment. It can't clear the drain. Those businesses tend to hold up as AI gets better, because the hard part is physical and built on trust.

Will AI replace the franchise I buy?

Some, yes. We ask one question of every franchise before we show it to you: what part of this can't be done by a laptop? If the honest answer is "the marketing" or "the app," we pass. If it's "the part where a person shows up and you trust them," we keep reading.

Are there AI-proof businesses?

Nothing is fully proof against anything. A better question is: what does the owner do that software can't? Home services, trades, senior care, kids' education, pet care and hands-on food businesses score well. Businesses whose whole value is a scheduling app or a lead list score badly.

I've never owned a business. Is that okay?

Yes. Many of the people we work with are first-time owners, career changers and veterans. We start with the basics and go at your pace. Some brands want industry experience. Most want people who follow a system and treat customers well.

Do I have to be in the truck, or can I own the trucks?

Both are real answers, and they lead to very different lists. Owner-operator models cost less and grow slower. Manager-run models need more capital and strong hiring. We'll ask early which one you want.

How many brands can you introduce me to?

Through the IFPG network we have access to hundreds of brands. You won't see hundreds. You'll see a short list, chosen on purpose, with reasons, plus one we'd tell you to avoid.

See all questions →

Own something
a robot
can’t run.

A few questions, about 5 minutes. Costs you nothing. Franchisors pay us, and we still tell you when to walk away.

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Open Territory

Franchises that still need people.