Franchise Ownership for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities

How common is self-employment with a disability?

About 8.0 million people with a disability were employed in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026. In 2025, 9.1 percent of workers with a disability were self-employed in unincorporated businesses, compared with 5.9 percent of workers with no disability (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026).

Part-time work is more common as well. In 2025, about 30 percent of workers with a disability usually worked part time, compared with about 17 percent of workers without a disability, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026. Those figures say nothing about any one person’s reasons, but they are a reminder to ask early how many hours an owner role requires and how much of that time you can set yourself.

How much of the hands-on work does a franchise owner do?

The answer varies a great deal from one franchise system to the next. In some franchises the owner spends most of the week hiring and coaching staff, handling local marketing and watching the numbers while employees deliver the service. In others the owner does much of the hands-on work, at least early on. Neither arrangement is better in general. Because you are the best judge of which one suits how you want to spend your time and energy, it helps to settle the owner’s role in each business before you compare costs or locations.

Some franchise categories are defined by how or where the owner works. Semi-absentee franchises are set up for an owner who hires a manager to run daily operations and stays involved part time, while at-home franchises run from a home office. They are only two of many options, and even within one category the owner’s role can differ. Ask each franchisor to describe an owner’s typical week and then check that description with current franchisees.

Can you hire a manager to run the business day to day?

Some franchise systems allow it, though each franchisor sets its own rules. Before you get far with any of them, ask about points like these.

• Can a general manager run daily operations right away, or does the franchisor expect the owner on site at first?
• Who attends initial training, and can a manager go in your place or alongside you?
• If you need to step away for a few weeks for any reason, who steps in, and what support does the system offer?

Hiring a manager shifts your role from doing the work to leading the people who do it. The manager’s pay also belongs in your budget from the start. If owning without operating is your main interest, our page for investors goes further into manager-run structures.

Will owning a business affect SSDI, SSI or VA disability benefits?

The agencies that pay the benefits are the right source for an answer, since the rules are theirs and how they apply depends on your circumstances. Check with the Social Security Administration, the VA or a qualified benefits counselor while you are still exploring, well before you commit to a business.

What help is there for veterans with a service-connected disability?

The VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment program includes a Self-Employment track for veterans with a service-connected disability. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024, the track provides coordination services, help developing a proposed business plan, an analysis of your business concept, and training in small-business operations, marketing and finances. Contact the program directly to ask if you qualify and how it would work alongside a franchise you are considering.

Service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) can apply to be certified by the SBA through its VetCert program, and the federal government aims to award at least 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars to SDVOSBs each year (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2026). That goal matters only if the business you choose sells to federal agencies. Ask a franchisor whether its owners do government work before you treat certification as a factor. Our page for veterans covers more programs for people who have served.

What accommodations can you ask a franchisor about?

You can raise anything that would help you take a full part in training and in running the business. The earlier you raise it, the more time a franchisor has to plan. Questions like these are a good place to start.

• Is initial training delivered in person, online or both, and can it be split into shorter sessions or paced differently?
• Are manuals, videos and software available in accessible formats, such as captioned video or documents that work with a screen reader?
• Is the training site accessible, can the franchisor help with travel arrangements, and can a support person attend with you?
• Do the tools the business runs on every day, such as scheduling or point-of-sale systems, work with any assistive technology you use?

For more resources, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy keeps a self-employment and entrepreneurship page that links to the Job Accommodation Network’s self-employment consultants, along with the SBA, SCORE and Small Business Development Centers.

How should you prepare to pay for a franchise?

Financing deserves attention early, ideally before you settle on a particular business. Get a clear picture of your savings, credit and borrowing options, since those will shape which investment levels make sense to explore. Your total should also count the costs tied to the way you plan to own, such as a general manager’s salary if someone else will handle daily operations, or any assistive technology and accessible equipment you expect to buy yourself. Once those costs are in your total, you can use FranNet’s funding options calculator to explore how you might pay for the full amount before you meet with a lender. You can also find your local SBA Small Business Development Center or get free mentoring through SCORE.

How does a FranNet consultant help?

A FranNet consultant is a local franchise expert who advises you on franchise and business opportunities, at no cost to you and with no obligation. Similar to a real estate agent paid by the seller, FranNet receives its fee from the franchisor of the franchise you may buy. You can tell us a bit about your goals so a local consultant can reach out, or take FranNet’s franchise ownership assessment on your own first.

When you share the owner role you want, the hours you plan to work and anything you will need from a franchisor, your consultant can help you research businesses, introduce you to franchisors that fit your model and tell you which franchises are currently available in your area. Because one consultant can introduce you to many different franchisors, you can learn about several options in one place instead of going from company to company. The decision to sign a franchise agreement is always yours. As our client bill of rights states, no FranNet consultant will pressure you or talk you into an opportunity that does not fit your goals, budget or skill set.