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When the term franchise is mentioned, most people think of retail stores and restaurants that mainly serve products to the general consumer public. These types of businesses usually require a large investment and a full-time commitment. That is intimidating to many people who would like to have their own business, but prefer to start out small — without having to lease a location and manage a staff, payroll and inventory of goods. Some individuals prefer to work on their own with no overhead to worry about.

One area that offers alternatives to the stereotyped retail/restaurant franchises is in business-to-business services. Many can be started part-time, with a low-cost of entry, and can be run from a home office. There are B2B franchises in a variety of different industries.

Numerous business media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, Forrester Research and CNN, report that many businesses do not get full leverage from their web sites, and need help in making their web sites more effective. Several B2B franchises are now catering to that demand; and are recruiting prospective partners to operate “virtual” web services and marketing consulting businesses.

For an initial fee of about $20,000, AIS Media offers a B2B opportunity to be certified as an eBusiness Solutions Provider who delivers a full range of Internet services to businesses. A similar opportunity comes from eBiz Marketing Systems, which has a start-up fee of $10,000 and trains its representatives to provide marketing systems to local businesses – the leads come from a central call center to funnel clients to representatives. WSI is an Internet marketing company that trains consultants in its proven, patented Internet marketing systems for businesses.

But B2B does not have to be limited to web and Internet services. You can start your own advertising agency with Advertising Consultants, which has over 20 different types of advertising services that range from magazine ads, printing, logo creation, TV commercials and media buying. For an initial fee of $35,000, partners get a turnkey advertising agency business that links into a low-cost network of advertising service providers.

B2B services go beyond marketing too. Businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs, and there are companies who act as advisors on how to do that. BCM is a team of financial, management and engineering experts that provides cost-reduction consulting services to all types of companies, from small to large, across many industries. For a start-up fee of $4,950 - $12,950, you can train as a business consultant using their systems or add BCM’s services to an existing business consulting business.

EASI is a worldwide electrical design and contracting firm that specializes in helping companies reduce their costs for electricity. For a start-up fee of $35,000, they provide complete training, and there is no inventory required.

There are opportunities in financing for businesses. Global Broker Systems provides all types of businesses with loans for various purposes. Representatives get total independence in running their business, while still backed by full support and training.

B2B services have come full circle in the franchise business sector itself. Since franchising has become such a big industry, there are now B2B services for connecting prospective franchise candidates with the right franchising opportunity. The Business Alliance trains people to become franchise consultants who work with some of the best known, respected franchisor companies to recruit new prospects.

When it comes to franchising, think outside the storefront – there are lots of B2B possibilities out there that can be started part-time, from home and with no employees or overhead.