Whether you're working from home because you're a single mom trying to make ends meet or you're a married mom hoping to use a few spare hours each week to add to the household income, chances are good that you don't want to spend $100,000 to open a small business. In fact, it's probably just as likely that you don't even have that $100,000 to invest on a small business. Though finding a franchise opportunity that doesn't cost the family's whole retirement savings can sometimes seem like a hopeless endeavor, here are some small business franchises that are built for a work at home mom and don't cost an arm and a leg.

Creation Carpets & Flooring of America

The general problem with owning a retail carpet business is that they cost so much. Between the price of renting or leasing shop space, hiring staff, and purchasing and storing warehouses full of rolled up carpet stock, it's a far pricier business than any ordinary person has the finances for. Creation Carpets & Flooring of America, however, has changed all that. By compiling books of carpet and floor samples instead of housing acres of carpets in a warehouse, Creation Carpets & Flooring of America franchise owners are able to run their businesses from home, visit their clients at their residences, and simply order the carpet or floor that each client wants. Overhead is next to nil, and the convenience factor is through the roof. 41 independent dealers are already proving the successfulness of this business model, and with full training available to new franchisees, the franchisor is looking for people who want to get into business for themselves in the next 6 months.

Press-A-Print

Profiting from the advertising industry has never been so easy or cheap. One of the greatest ways for businesses to advertise their name and services is by printing their logo on promotional materials like T-shirts and pens, which is precisely the kind of work that Press-A-Print franchisees do for their clients. Given a wide array of training in areas of marketing, general business operation, and the like, franchisees are prepared to begin a fully functional promotional product printing business on behalf of their clients. Equipped with a specialized Press-A-Print machine that can push out 100-500 printed products each hour with almost no overhead, franchisees work from home and start making profit almost immediately.

The Back Rubber

One of the more novel of the vending franchises, this one is in the business of pay-per-use automated massage chairs placed in malls and shopping centers. Customers slip a dollar or two into the machine, sit down in a comfortable leather chair, and relax with a massage in the middle of their shopping day. Franchisees go to work in just as relaxed a manner: after only a $7500 initial investment, franchise owners purchase only as many chairs as they want to profit from. And those who don't want to take on the hassle of finding and engaging the owners of potential locations can rest easy, because a Back Rubber locator can do the hard work of finding locations on your behalf. Some franchisees report earnings of $140,000 per year on only 32 chairs, so whatever your time-investment level, it pays to rub backs.

FranVentures

If you think you're the only person looking to start a home based business, you are mistaken. So many people are looking to go into business for themselves every day that there is a very strong business opportunity in the franchise brokerage industry, which, as it just so happens, is one of the more inexpensive kinds of small business available. Often people have a desire to start their own franchise business but don't know which one to go with. If you have a deep desire to be your own boss and help people find the businesses they're best suited to, then this is the business route for you. The franchisee will teach you everything you need to know to be well on your way to earning $5,000-$15,000 commission on each sale you make.

Rocket Vending

Vending is one of the cheapest and, ironically, most lucrative business opportunities available, and this particular franchise is no exception to that rule. They are, however, exceptional in that they use their machines and a portion of their proceeds to raise awareness for and make contributions to various breast cancer charities. In their own words, they are in the business of "vending with a conscience." If you are interested in using top-notch machines to boost your income at your own pace while also providing for the needs of others, this is an excellent opportunity.

Being a stay-at-home mom and simultaneously working to provide for the needs of your family is no small task, so any way to decrease the cost and time involved in that investment is a great help. With a cheap small business franchise, that is more than possible. Don't lose heart as you browse through pages of potential franchises, searching for the one with the right price tag and the right business model, because however the situation may appear, the right one is out there, and your family will benefit from it.