I recently read in our Chamber of Commerce newsletter that RadioShack is looking for a franchisee for our community. Out of curiosity, I visited the company's web site and took their online survey "to find out if a RadioShack franchise is a good fit". Truthfully, I just wanted to see what opening a RadioShack would cost.

I found exactly what I was looking for in the questionnaire. Question #4 asked if I am prepared to pay $69,900 plus initial operating cost and other expenses. I am not, but I wondered what the "other expenses" encompassed. To find the answer to my question, I looked no further than our very own About.com Guide to Franchising, Don Daszkowski.

If you're considering opening a retail store and like the safety net of the franchise business model, be sure to do your research first. Don has a ton of great information on the site, including 6 common costs to open a franchise.

Related:

• 4 Reasons People Don't Start a Business
• Is Retail Ownership Right For You?
• Types of Retail Ownership