With capital from their retirement accounts to invest and a desire to do something other than retire, more seniors and those soon-to-be seniors — the baby boomers — are turning toward franchises as a way to keep active and employed.

It’s not as far-fetched as it may seem. These would-be franchisees bring to the business table the confidence of having worked in a corporate setting for decades, as well as the skills learned over entire careers. They also have the personal assets to met strict qualifying requirements laid down by franchisors.

Just take a look at the numbers. MFV Expositions show director Jim Mastandrea told Smart Money that 27% of attendees at last fall’s West Coast Franchise Expo were age 51 or older. Another franchise show on the East Coast drew 24% of its attendees from that same age group.

Baby boomers are looking for more gold in their golden years too as the dire economic climate is forcing them to work longer instead of retiring. In fact, a Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies report shows that four out of every 10 workers will either not retire or work past a normal retirement age.

But what franchise to choose? Take into consideration that what might be attractive to a 53-year-old — getting up at 4 a.m. to cover for the manager — might lose its luster by the time the franchisee hits 73.

AARP’s Geoff Williams writes that most franchisees start out as an owner-operator with very long work hours and hands-on work — even the grunt work when necessary. The goal is to be an owner-manager with staff running most of the day-to-day operations, so keep in mind how the business might change in the future when looking for a franchise.

AARP recommended five franchises, including:

• Floor Coverings International, which has investment costs of between $160,00 and $250,000. On the plus side, this is a franchise that can be run either from home or a store. However it needs a high level of marketing and business suffers during economic downturns.
• Home Helpers, which provides in-home, nonmedical services to older people. The investment for this franchise is between $47,150 and $86,400 and a positive aspect is that it can be run from a home. However worker turnover can be high.
• J.D Byrider, expect to invest between $671,000 and $5,180,000 for this used car sales and financing franchise. No grunt work here, but you will interact with customers, and they can have financial issues, like bad credit.

Matching the franchise with the right personality will go a long way to creating a fulfilling business, regardless of the franchisee’s age.