Starting your own franchise is a great way to build wealth. Some of society’s wealthiest individuals were franchise owners. They started with a unique concept that would work well in different markets. They then granted franchise licenses to individuals and companies for a fee. The franchise license gave the business owner the right to sell the franchisor’s product in a certain territory. The great thing about franchising is that you still own your business idea and can generate a revenue stream for years to come.

Let’s take a look at four CEO’s that were able to take a business concept and turn it into global franchises.

Dunkin Donuts

William Rosenberg took two American breakfast favorites and put them together. Dunkin Donuts is known throughout the world for its great coffee and donuts. Rosenberg oversaw the expansion of the company into 37 different countries. The company started off selling coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. These items were so popular that they still comprise the Dunkin Donuts menu today. Rosenberg started a mobile catering business that brought meals to workers at breakfast and lunch time.

McDonald’s

You would think that the founders of McDonald’s would be multi-billionaires but this is not the case. The McDonald’s brothers may have started the McDonald’s restaurant but Ray Kroc put McDonald’s on the map. Kroc was a visionary and was able to take a local struggling McDonald’s restaurant and turn it into a national chain. He opened a chain of restaurants around the country emphasizing fast food at low prices. Today, McDonald’s is the largest fast food chain in the world.

Subway Subs

If you have heard of $5 dollar foot longs then you know the works of Fred De Luca. De Luca cofounded the first ever Subway Sandwich shop with Peter Buck in 1965. De Luca started Subway Sandwiches with a $1,000 investment from a family friend. His $1,000 investment has generated a great return. Subway has franchises all over the United States and is the number 2 ranked franchise in the world. De Luca’s $1,000 investment has placed him on Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. Today, De Luca has a net worth valued at $1.5 billion dollars.

7 Eleven Stores

John Philip Thompson Sr. had the foresight to take a small convenience store and turn it into a global chain. Thompson’s strategy was to sell products direct to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He created private label products such as the Slurpee and the Big Gulp. These products drew customers to the convenience store since they were only sold at 7 Eleven. Today, 7 Eleven is an international chain of convenience stores with nearly 40,000 locations. The company now generates nearly $17 billion dollars a year in revenue annually.

What do you think is the best franchise idea of all time?