LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP - THE FRANCHISE ROUTE TO SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Aspiring entrepreneurs choosing to become franchisees certainly expect to improve their chances of survival during the turbulent early years of business startup and operation. This study examines survival patte rns among franchise and nonfranchise African American-owned small firm s started between 1984 and 1987. Survival through late 1991 was tracke d for these firms as well as for comparison groups of white-owned firm s. The independent business startups-whether black- or white-owned-wer e found to have better survival prospects than did the franchises.