According to a recent study, more than 70 percent of Americans do not know what a franchised business is. It is not a corporate conglomerate that stains the American landscape. It is mostly local families who chose to buy the rights to a brand and its system of operation. Franchised units are independently owned and operated. Every time a new franchise open in a community it creates an average of 20 new jobs. More than 18 million people are employed by a franchised operation in the United States. There is a lot more to franchising than meets the eye.