Bette Fetter's business began with eight small children and a passel of colored pencils scattered across the table in her Elgin, IL, kitchen. It was 1988, and Bette, an artist and stay-at-home mom of four, began offering children's art classes as a way to make extra money. At first, she charged $5 a head and earned just $35 a week, but when the classes grew popular, she brought them to local preschools. By 1992, her venture, Young Rembrandts, was a success, grossing about $250,000 a year. Bette wanted to expand nationally, but there was a minor problem: "We didn't have enough money."

Inspired by the example of other once-small businesses (such as Wendy's and Papa John's), Bette took the leap and decided to franchise. Happily, the gamble paid off: In 2006, there were 57 Young Rembrandts franchises earning $4.3 million. Bette's Elgin-area branches pulled in nearly $700,000.

More than 760,000 franchised enterprises operate in the United States, generating more than $1.53 trillion annually. Many small-business owners, including mom entrepreneurs like Bette, find franchising a good way to grow their brand. Franchisors profit by charging an initial franchise fee, typically $20,000 to $35,000, and royalties, which can either be a fixed fee or a percentage (typically 5 to 6 percent) of gross revenues.

But franchising isn't a sure thing. "There's a financial reward, but you also have to provide training, marketing, support and administrative direction to the franchisees," says Betty Otte of SCORE, a not-for-profit organization of small business counselors. "The best businesses to franchise are those that are easily duplicated without a great deal of specialty training."

Consider waiting two or three years first, suggests Kay Ainsley, managing director of MSA Worldwide, a franchise consultancy in Kennesaw, GA. "You need to prove that your business model works through all seasons, through both highs and lows." Set aside $80,000 to $150,000 for costs, and think about hiring extra people to maintain your original unit or business. Just like parenting, franchising requires you to pay attention to your own needs while tending to those of your offspring.We asked several small-business moms about the best and worst moves they made while building their lucrative franchises. Here are their seven steps to success.Start with franchising in mind. Marni Poe and Melissa Slack of Let's Eat Dinner, a Tampa, FL, meal-assembly business, developed precise specifications for everything their fran-chisees would need—down to the toilet-paper holders. "From the beginning, we set up a model that could be easily replicated," Melissa says. "You can sell hundreds of units, but without the proper infrastructure the wheels fall off."

In 2005, a year after opening their first location, Marni and Melissa licensed a franchise in St. Petersburg, FL. The next one was in Ellicott City, MD. "That was the true test," says Melissa. "We knew that if they needed us to come to Maryland, we hadn't done our jobs properly." Today, 11 stores are up and running, with eight in the works—a testament to the duo's preparation.

Do it yourself. Consider opening a second location before you franchise. Michelle Violetto and Tanya Ehrlich started Little Scoops Inc., a 1950s ice-cream-parlor-style party business, in Blauvelt, NY, in 2002. In one year, they grossed $350,000 in sales and were approached by a lawyer about franchising. "We were excited but nervous," says Tanya. "We didn't want to jump into it and end up being a flash in the pan."

The pair decided to open a second shop in Pleasantville, NY, instead. They worked on refining their business and hired franchising mentors for advice. In 2006, they sold one of their first franchises to a former employee, who opened her location with 70 parties prebooked. They now have six shops in two states, and two more opening soon. Little Scoops was named one of the industry's "Hot New Franchises for 2005."

Get a good lawyer. Franchisors must prepare a Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC), a legal document that includes information about the franchisor and the cost to open and run the franchise. To save money, some business owners try to prepare the UFOC themselves or hire novice lawyers to do it. Experts say this is a recipe for failure.

Brenda Dronkers experienced this firsthand. In 2001, she hired a lawyer to draw up a UFOC for her Pleasanton, CA, party inflatables company, Pump It Up. Unfortunately, he drafted one that said she would refund all franchise fees (save for $5,000). When several franchisees backed out, Dronkers was forced to return $700,000. "Trying to save pennies cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars," she admits. She later had the document redone by an experienced franchise attorney, and she and partner Terry Dillenburg have now sold 225 units. "Last year, more than six million kids bounced at a Pump It Up," says Brenda.

Plan wisely. "If there's a magic bullet for success, it's a solid business plan," Otte counsels. When creating yours, address market penetration and marketing strategies: How many potential customers are there in the area, and how will you reach them? How many franchisees can you support? How quickly will you grow? "You have to remember that you're planning not just for yourself but for your franchisees," says Marni.

A plan also helps you establish franchise and royalty fees. Projected profits can motivate you: Young Rembrandts is expected to earn $16 million in gross revenues by 2009.

Start small. When assigning territory to your franchisees, don't be too generous. Brenda made the mistake of hiring a franchise consultant who "set up territories the size of small countries," she says. "It prevented us from growing the way we wanted to because the owners of those territories either couldn't or didn't want to open more locations, and we couldn't give anyone else access." Better to estimate the number of potential franchisees in an area before you divvy up territory, Ainsley says. 

Grow carefully. Successful franchisors choose the right franchisees. Most of our entrepreneurial moms sold their first units to employees or clients—people who were already familiar with their brands—so there would be less of a learning curve.

"It's not how many units you can sell, it's how many you can support," says Ainsley. Slow growth is best: Advertise at work and spread the word to family, friends and community.

Many franchisors use brokers to market their companies. Bette sold her first three units to people she knew, and her next 20 through franchise brokers FranNet and FranChoice. Brokering can be costly, though (typically 40 percent of the franchise fee), and may force franchises to grow too fast.Look ahead. Brenda and Terry eventually hired a CEO for Pump It Up. "It's difficult to let go, but you have to know when to bring on board people who do it better," Brenda says. Bette, by contrast, is getting her MBA and anticipating Young Rembrandts' expansion. "I'm growing with my company," she says. She aims to go global and recently signed an international franchise licensing agreement with a buyer in South Korea.If you're interested in franchising your company, check out the International Franchise Association's list of reputable franchise consultants at www.franchise.org. "You need to have people around you who can help put the fires out," explains Little Scoops' Michelle. "The president surrounds himself with advisors—franchisors should do the same."