ActionCOACH Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
ActionCOACH is a business coaching franchise providing coaching, mentoring, and training to business owners and executives. Franchisees work as business coaches, building client relationships and delivering coaching programs.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ActionCOACH franchise requires a total initial investment of $64K – $137K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $264K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 18.8% charge-off rate across 16 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $64K – $137K
- 19th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $264K
- Incl. company outlets2nd pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 32nd pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 26
- 28th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 18.8%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $64K – $137K including a $45K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $264K/year (median $200K) (includes company-owned outlets).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 49/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 18.8% across 16 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Buji, LLC
- Parent company
- ActionCOACH North America, LLC (ACNA)
- Ultimate parent
- ActionCOACH IPCo, Ltd. (ACIP)
- Predecessor
- ActionCOACH USA, Inc. (ACUI, f/k/a Brad Sugars Action International, Inc.)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and CEO
- Craig Hohnberger
- CEO experience
- 23 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 10496 Red Fox Street, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
- Auditor
- Velez Hardy (CPAs and Advisors)
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.1M
- vs $2.6M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- ActionCOACH OneCo
- Oaktree Business Services of Ohio
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Craig Hohnberger
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 2009
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 6
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 64% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown21 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $75K | $75K | |
| Franchisee Training Feenot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Travel to Franchisee Training | $500 | $3K | |
| EBC Training Feenot refundable | $0 | $9K | |
| Travel to EBC Training | $0 | $3K | |
| Travel Expenses for Mandatory Annual Regional Conference | $0 | $4K | |
| Conference and Technology Feenot refundable | $495 | $890 | |
| Computer, Telephone & Office Equipment | $0 | $4K | |
| CRM | $0 | $1K | |
| Non-Coach Email Addresses | $0 | $140 | |
| Marketing Materials & Inventory | $1K | $5K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $2K | |
| Additional Funds (for first 3 months of operation) | $15K | $30K | |
| Own Web Site (Optional and only if approved by ACNA) | $0 | $5K | |
| Coaching platform subscription | $456 | $912 | |
| Rent | $3K | $8K | |
| Security Deposit | $1K | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Launch Event | $3K | $8K | |
| Salaries and Wages | $0 | $120K | |
| Marketing Spend | $15K | $54K | |
| Total initial investment | $140K | $365K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $64K – $137K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 5.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 15.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $165 |
| Training fee | $15K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $5K |
| Total fee load | 15.0% of rev |
At 15.0% total fee load, roughly $40K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 82% below the business services norm.
Includes company-owned outlets
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$21K
8.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
19%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one ActionCOACH unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
19%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 ActionCOACH units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$53K
on $264K purchase
Total debt
$211K
SBA $0.1M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Avg gross sales
- $264K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $200K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Gross Revenues by performance tier (Great Lakes Region only)
- Sample size
- 23
- vs category median 35
- Range (low → high)
- $24K→$799K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 296 Business Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $264K/year in gross sales. Median is $200K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.6x. Includes company-owned outlets.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 15.0% — above the Business Services average of 11.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Business Services averages
How ActionCOACH Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
These outlet counts cover ActionCOACH's Great Lakes Region only. The disclosure document behind this page is the Minnesota and Wisconsin filing, whose Item 20 reports 26 outlets across that region at the end of 2025 - not the size of the ActionCOACH system as a whole. The revenue figure is drawn from the 23 regional outlets that traded for the full year.
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 26
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.4%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 59
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 2.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 2.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 6.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
Item 20 · 23 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 16
- Loan volume
- $2.5M
- Median loan
- $139K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 18.8%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 81.2%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 8
- Defaults
- 3
- Typical loan rate
- 8.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 20.0%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 50
- 2.0 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 31%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 94% went to startups / new businesses, 6% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in administrative management and general management, franchised businesses charge off at 20.0% vs 24.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 18% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing ActionCOACH franchisees
Showing 3 of 8 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into ActionCOACH's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 8 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 5 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 18.8% — 17% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Slow-growing coaching franchise with opaque profitability metrics, aggressive royalty minimums, and historical regulatory/litigation issues that warrant cautious investigation before committing $140K–$370K.
Litigation (Item 3)
Two disclosed cases involving ACNA (not Buji/Master Licensee): MSF Enterprises arbitration re master license renewal (settled, no liability admission); ACNA/ACOC v. Allison Dunn re non-compete/confidential information breach (settled 2021, dismissed without prejudice).
Largest disclosed settlement: $280,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Velez Hardy (CPAs and Advisors)
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 49 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed—cannot validate $206,496 avg revenue claim or assess profitability; net income completely absent
- 02MINORHigh royalty floor ($1,950/month = $23,400 annually) creates negative cash flow risk for underperforming locations, especially in early ramp-up
- 03HIGHMultiple litigation matters including non-compete enforcement actions, 2002 Maryland registration violations, and 1999 California desist order indicate historical compliance/disclosure issues
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 15.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 10,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 13 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Las Vegas, Nevada (if ACNA is a party) or Canal Winchester, Ohio (otherwise) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Nevada (if ACNA is a party) or Ohio (otherwise) |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two disclosed cases involving ACNA (not Buji/Master Licensee): MSF Enterprises arbitration re master license renewal (settled, no liability admission); ACNA/ACOC v. Allison Dunn re non-compete/confidential information breach (settled 2021, dismissed without prejudice).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 105 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Las Vegas, Nevada (in-person) and virtual
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- ActionMEMBERS KPI system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ActionMEMBERS KPI system
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
64 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
ActionCOACH · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a ActionCOACH franchise?
The total investment to open a ActionCOACH franchise ranges from $64K – $137K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do ActionCOACH franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the ActionCOACH FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $264K. The median is $200K. Important context: Includes company-owned outlets. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the ActionCOACH FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the ActionCOACH FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is ActionCOACH's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, ActionCOACH has a charge-off rate of 18.8% across 16 loans, meaning 18.8% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many ActionCOACH franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ActionCOACH has 26 total units in the United States, including 25 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year. These outlet counts cover ActionCOACH's Great Lakes Region only. The disclosure document behind this page is the Minnesota and Wisconsin filing, whose Item 20 reports 26 outlets across that region at the end of 2025 - not the size of the ActionCOACH system as a whole. The revenue figure is drawn from the 23 regional outlets that traded for the full year.
Is ActionCOACH a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ActionCOACH as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 49 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.