Franchising in 2011

The new year shows great promise for an uptick in franchising activities. Anecdotal evidence points to more independent businesses who have had decent financial results the last year or two, looking to leverage their success in the down economy by investing in expansion through a franchising model. Buyers continue to be fed up with corporate life and now feel more comfortable leveraging retirement savings and/or other investments to start their own business, but want to mitigate some of their risks by partnering with a franchise concept...preferring to be in business for themselves but not by themselves. Is this consistent with what you are experiencing?