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We extract fees, Item 19 financials, franchisee contacts, SBA default rates, litigation, and outlet data from every FDD — so you can compare brands in minutes, not months. Used by multi-unit operators, consultants, and franchise development teams.
REF
REF Global provides advisory board and peer review services primarily to chief executive officers, presidents, and business owners. These services are delivered through an advisory board format and other programs designed to bring value to top executives. The target market consists of top executives in businesses of all sizes seeking advice, input, and feedback from peers and educational programs.
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Franchise Costs
20% royalty + $300/mo technology/sales systems
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: 14 Franchise Units open and operating for all of calendar year 2025 as represented in Table 1
* Average gross revenue and median gross revenue were extracted directly from Table 1, 'Revenue Information – All Franchisees', which represents 'All Covered Units' (14 Franchise Units). Gross profit, net income, net profit, EBITDA, and profit ranges could not be determined for an individual franchise unit as the detailed profit/expense data provided in Tables 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C are explicitly stated to be for 'one Forum Group only', not for an entire 'Franchise Unit'. No information was provided to aggregate forum group performance to overall franchise unit performance.
Extracted Item 19 Section
Avg. Revenue: $314,113
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Unlock financial performance dataHow REF Compares
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
REF Current | $67K – $84K | $58K | 20.0% | 14 |
| Bimbo Foods Bakeries Distribution, LLC | $14K – $607K | N/A | N/A | 6,454 |
| THE UPS STORE (TRADITIONAL) | $216K – $609K | $30K | 5.0% | 4,500 |
| AMERICAN POOLPLAYER'S ASSOCIATION INC | $15K – $23K | $10K | 20.0% | 3,562 |
| RE/MAX | $37K – $337K | $35K | 1.0% | 2,994 |
| JACKSON HEWITT TAX SERVICE | $71K – $105K | $25K | 15.0% | 2,744 |
Business Services Average 200 franchises | $120K – $289K | $46K | 10.2% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 200 Business Services franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2025)
Outlets by state across the United States
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Unlock location growth dataFranchisee Contacts
14 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
14 Contacts Available
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Unlock contactsDue Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Breach of contract and fraud related to a Corporate Partnership Master Agreement.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Unlock due diligence reportsFrequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a REF franchise ranges from $66,560 to $84,275. This includes a franchise fee of $58,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 20.0% of gross sales.