If growth is your goal — and it should be if you’re a motivated entrepreneur — franchising offers some of the greatest benefits of any expansion strategy.

Maybe your motivation for growth is to create opportunities for others. Perhaps it’s to build a legacy that lasts beyond your lifetime. Some entrepreneurs do it purely out of opportunism or because they enjoy the challenge of building a business. In most cases, it’s a combination of these things. Whatever your reason, here are four advantages of franchising to consider before deciding if it’s the right move for your business.

1. You don’t need as much capital.

A lack of capital is one of the most common barriers to business expansion as entrepreneurs often find their available funds far outstripped by their growth goals.

Taking on debt — from banks, leasing companies, private investors, sometimes even friends and relatives — is a huge barrier for business owners looking to grow. High interest rates can cause payments to spiral out of control and bank loans are often difficult to come by — especially in amounts that are adequate to fuel aggressive growth.

Unlike the “go-go” days before the Great Recession, banks today often will not lend even in situations when they’re fully secured. Franchising offers an alternative that allows entrepreneurs to expand their business without the cost of equity. The franchisee provides the capital needed to open and operate a unit, allowing the franchisor to grow without incurring debt or giving up equity.

But, don’t think franchising will come at no cost. Outside of what you’ll need to spend on marketing the opportunity to qualified investors, as a franchisor you need to budget for costs in a number of areas including business planning, financial analysis, legal documentation and training — not to mention accounting for the additional staff you’ll need to support the influx of franchisees.