Apex Leadership Co. Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $94K – $143K
- Disclosed sales
- $917K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 26 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Apex Leadership Co. is a school-fundraising franchise that runs fitness- and leadership-themed events, like fun runs, to raise money for elementary schools. Franchisees run a mostly mobile program organizing school fundraisers and teaching leadership, hiring event staff.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Apex Leadership Co. franchise requires a total initial investment of $94K – $143K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $917K. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above 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: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ 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 scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $94K – $143K
- 30th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $917K
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 44th pct Education
- Units
- 131
- 67th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $94K – $143K including a $50K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $917K/year (median $773K). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income. Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 61/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +11 franchised outlets in the latest year (19 opened, 8 closed); 1 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Apex Leadership Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Heritage Acquisition, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Heritage Operating Partners, LLC
- Predecessor
- Apex Fun Run, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO
- Jamie Krasnov
- CEO experience
- 2007 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1244 N. Post Oak Road, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77055
- Auditor
- Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- vs $476K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Same owner · FDD Item 1
1 other brand on this site name Heritage Operating Partners, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jamie Krasnov
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 27
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 39% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Initial Training Feenot refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $3K | |
| Trailer | $4K | $9K | |
| Computer system | $0 | $1K | |
| Other equipment | $8K | $17K | |
| Storage | $0 | $500 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $10K | $10K | |
| Insurance premiums | $500 | $5K | |
| Professional services fees | $0 | $3K | |
| Travel and living expenses during training | $2K | $5K | |
| Amply Platform | $0 | $500 | |
| Rental Team | $0 | $5K | |
| Additional funds (for 3 months) | $11K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $94K | $143K |
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
- $94K – $143K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $11K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $10K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 125% above the education norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 Apex Leadership Co. 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
$136K
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 Apex Leadership Co. 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $917K
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
- Median gross sales
- $773K
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
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 revenue
- Sample size
- 27 franchisees
- vs category median 16
- Range (low → high)
- $51K→$2.9MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 37 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $240K→$1.8M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%, per franchisee
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 7 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average franchisee generates $917K/year in gross sales. Median is $773K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% (near the Education median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 7/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 14.4% CAGR over 3 years across 131 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Education medians
How Apex Leadership Co. Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Education 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 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 131
- Opened
- 19
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 8
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.1%
- Company-owned
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 91%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +14.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +14.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 3
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 6
- Reacquired
- 5
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 1
- 0.01 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 4.6%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 3.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 24 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
60 current owners across 24 states.
- CA 8
- TX 7
- AZ 4
- NJ 4
- NV 4
- FL 3
- MI 3
- NY 3
- VA 3
- GA 2
- IL 2
- MD 2
- +12 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 26
- Loan volume
- $5.6M
- Median loan
- $216K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 26 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 26 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 26 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 6
Vintage analysis
Apex Leadership Co. charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Apex Leadership Co. franchisees
Showing 3 of 10 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Apex Leadership Co. from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
Top SBA lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 8 | $1.0M | 42.9% |
| 2 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 6 | $850K | 50.0% |
| 3 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 4 | $1.6M | 66.7% |
| 4 | Platinum Bank | 2 | $443K | N/A |
| 5 | BayFirst National Bank | 1 | $86K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Primary Bank | 1 | $100K | N/A |
| 7 | Eastern Bank | 1 | $150K | N/A |
| 8 | Colony Bank | 1 | $861K | N/A |
| 9 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 1 | $140K | N/A |
| 10 | BankVista | 1 | $347K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVNevada | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TNTennessee | 3 | 1 | 50.0% |
| AZArizona | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| CACalifornia | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NHNew Hampshire | 2 | 0 | -- |
| NJNew Jersey | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FLFlorida | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| GAGeorgia | 1 | 0 | -- |
| INIndiana | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Moderate-to-elevated risk profile driven by historical regulatory violation, absence of Item 19 financial validation, modest unit growth, and cost structure pressures that require comprehensive verification through current franchisee interviews.
Why this reads harsher than the B grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
One predecessor action: Washington DFI consent order (2015) regarding failure to register and provide proper FDD before franchise sale; predecessor paid $1,000.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Revenues comprise royalties ($571,514), franchise fees ($391,168), transfer fees ($30,000), and service fees ($68,850) for FYE June 30, 2025. Audited statements for Apex Leadership Franchising, LLC; company has a member's deficit of $(510,552).
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 61 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOR2015 regulatory violation by predecessor entity for failing to present disclosure documents timely and selling franchise while registration pending—indicates compliance or governance issues in corporate history
- 02MINORModest unit growth of 10.2% YoY against 131 total units suggests slower expansion momentum; vulnerable to market saturation in leadership/training sector
- 03MINORHigh initial investment range ($94K–$143K) paired with 8% royalty on gross revenue creates tight breakeven timeline—franchisee needs >$246K gross revenue annually just to cover 8% royalty alone
- 04MINORDual royalty structure (8% standard, 6% on Anython fundraising) adds complexity and potential for revenue disputes; unclear how 'Anython' is defined and tracked
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 5,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Harris County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
One predecessor action: Washington DFI consent order (2015) regarding failure to register and provide proper FDD before franchise sale; predecessor paid $1,000.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 34 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 41 hrs
- Training location
- Houston, TX or another location designated by franchisor; some classroom remotely via Zoom
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
60 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Apex Leadership Co. franchise?
The total investment to open a Apex Leadership Co. franchise ranges from $94K – $143K, 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 Apex Leadership Co. franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Apex Leadership Co. FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $917K. The median is $773K. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Apex Leadership Co.?
Apex Leadership Co. is franchised by Apex Leadership Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Heritage Acquisition, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Heritage Operating Partners, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Apex Leadership Co. 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 Apex Leadership Co. FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Apex Leadership Co.'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Apex Leadership Co. (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 Apex Leadership Co. franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Apex Leadership Co. has 131 total units in the United States, including 119 franchised units and 12 company-owned units. 19 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Apex Leadership Co. a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Apex Leadership Co. as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 61 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.