AltoCFO Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $77K – $116K
- Disclosed sales
- $993K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
AltoCFO is a B2B franchise providing fractional CFO and controller services to small and midsize businesses. Franchisees run local practices, managing financial strategy, reporting, and client accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A AltoCFO franchise requires a total initial investment of $77K – $116K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $993K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: partial✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $77K – $116K
- 61st pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- $993K
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 18th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 1
- 0th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial Services median · 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 $77K – $116K including a $50K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $993K/year (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 39/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- FLAGRevenue data based on only 1 outlet. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- CAG Franchise Service, LLC
- Parent company
- Crown Advisory Group, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2023 FDD
- CEO title
- CEO
- Denny Kon
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 2034 E. Lincoln Avenue, #125, Anaheim, CA 92806
- Auditor
- Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Denny Kon
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 30
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about typical for a financial services franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Training Expensesnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Lease & Utilities Depositsnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Construction, Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Office Furniture, Fixtures, and Suppliesnot refundable | $500 | $5K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $100 | $500 | |
| Computer and Technology Costsnot refundable | $1K | $4K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Operating Expenses / Additional Funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $11K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $77K | $116K |
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
- $77K – $116K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $11K – $30K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 13.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 13.0% of rev |
At 13.0% total fee load, roughly $129K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 279% above the financial services norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for AltoCFO until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$117K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one AltoCFO unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Avg gross sales
- $993K
- Per unit, per year
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 sales
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 94 · small
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 8 / 10
- vs category median 0 / 10 · above
Compared against 45 Financial Services brands
Revenue is 10.3x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
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 $993K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 10.3x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 13.0% — below the Financial Services median of 16.5%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 8/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence. Sample size of 1 outlet — treat as directional only.
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 Financial Services medians
How AltoCFO Compares
Category median of published Financial Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 30 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
30
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Nascent single-unit franchise with unproven scalability, unprotected territory, and insufficient operating history to validate claimed financial performance.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Franchisor CAG Franchise Service, LLC reported $0 revenue for the period from inception (May 5, 2022) to December 31, 2022; it was a startup that had not yet generated franchise revenue. Member contributions of $150,000 funded a net loss of $(146,360).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORSingle unit franchise system with unknown growth trajectory and no expansion visibility
- 02MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk and limits franchisee exclusivity
- 03MINOR10% royalty on gross revenue ($99,298 annually on average unit) is substantial drag on 38.6% net margin
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($77K-$116K) relative to single operating unit provides no system maturity proof
- 05MEDOnly 1 disclosed unit makes financial averages statistically meaningless and impossible to validate
- 06MINOR5-year term is short for ROI recovery given $50K franchise fee + startup costs
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 13.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Anaheim, California (mediation at franchisor headquarters) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | CA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 25 hrs
- Training location
- Anaheim, California
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Quickbook Online Accountants
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Quickbook Online Accountants
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a AltoCFO franchise?
The total investment to open a AltoCFO franchise ranges from $77K – $116K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do AltoCFO franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the AltoCFO FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $993K. Important context: Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance; Based on a single outlet - not a system average. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns AltoCFO?
AltoCFO is franchised by CAG Franchise Service, LLC. Its parent company is Crown Advisory Group, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
What is Item 19 in the AltoCFO 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 AltoCFO FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is AltoCFO's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for AltoCFO (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many AltoCFO franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, AltoCFO has 1 total units in the United States.
Is AltoCFO a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates AltoCFO as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 39 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.