Bella BallerinaFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bella Ballerina franchise requires a total initial investment of $116K – $196K, including a $42K franchise fee. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $270K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $116K – $196K
- 21st pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $270K
- 9th pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 14
- 44th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Health & Fitness avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $116K – $196K including a $42K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $270K/year (median $237K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 40/100.
- 67% of franchisees own multiple units, a high repeat-buyer signal suggests strong unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Bella Ballerina Franchising, Inc.
- CEO title
- Founder and President
- Natalie Perkins
- CEO experience
- 9 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- VA
- HQ
- 1053 Edwards Ferry Road, Leesburg, Virginia 20176
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $250K
- vs $308K prior year
Overview
About
Bella Ballerina franchisees operate dance and movement studios for young children, typically ages 18 months to 8 years. Day-to-day operations include teaching class-based ballet and creative movement programs, managing student enrollment and retention, scheduling instructors, maintaining studio facilities, and marketing to parents in their protected territory.
- CEO
- Natalie Perkins
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $42K | $42K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $20K | $60K | |
| Lease Deposits - Three Months | $4K | $14K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $14K | $20K | |
| Signage | $8K | $12K | |
| Computer, Software, and Point of Sale System | $500 | $1K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Expense | $3K | $3K | |
| Initial Inventory | $9K | $10K | |
| Utility Deposits | $500 | $1K | |
| Insurance Deposits - Three Months | $2K | $3K | |
| Travel for Initial Training | $500 | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $8K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $250 | $750 | |
| Printing, Stationery, and Office Supplies | $250 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $10K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $116K | $196K |
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.
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
$78K
29.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
46%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
26 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $116K – $196K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $42K – $42K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- $0 to $989 per month (scaling fixed fee)
- Ad fund
- Up to $250 per month
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $0 per month for months 1 to 2; $495 per month for months 3 to 6; $740 per month for months 7 to 12; and $989 per month for month 13 and each month thereafter |
| Technology fee | $50 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $270K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $237K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 12 units
- vs category median 11
- Range (low → high)
- $104K→$481K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 180 Health & Fitness brands
vs Health & Fitness averages
How Bella Ballerina Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 14
- Opened
- 3
- 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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 79%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 66.7%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +37.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +175.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 7.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 6 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Bella Ballerina presents moderate-to-cautious risk due to missing profitability disclosure, prior regulatory violations, high investment relative to unclear net returns, and rapid expansion that may strain franchise support infrastructure.
Litigation (Item 3)
SEC-2018-00023: Virginia State Corporation Commission investigation concluded BBFI violated registration and disclosure provisions of Virginia Retail Franchising Act. Settlement order filed August 23, 2018. BBFI paid $4,000 in penalties and $2,500 for investigation costs. Offered rescission to Virginia licensee who declined.
Largest disclosed settlement: $6,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 40 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 — unable to assess actual profitability despite $269,865 average revenue
- 02MINOR2018 Virginia regulatory settlement for registration/disclosure violations suggests compliance weaknesses
- 03MEDHigh initial investment ($115,500–$196,250) relative to undisclosed net income creates ROI uncertainty
- 04MINORScaling royalty structure ($0–$989/month) lacks transparency on when fees trigger and how they impact unit economics
- 05MINORRapid YoY growth (37.5%) with only 14 units raises sustainability and support quality concerns
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius or population-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Loudoun, Virginia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
SEC-2018-00023: Virginia State Corporation Commission investigation concluded BBFI violated registration and disclosure provisions of Virginia Retail Franchising Act. Settlement order filed August 23, 2018. BBFI paid $4,000 in penalties and $2,500 for investigation costs. Offered rescission to Virginia licensee who declined.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 19 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 175 hrs
- Training location
- Leesburg, Virginia
- POS system
- Sawyer
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Sawyer
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Bella Ballerina · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Bella Ballerina franchise?
The total investment to open a Bella Ballerina franchise ranges from $116K – $196K, with an initial franchise fee of $42K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Bella Ballerina franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Bella Ballerina FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $270K. The median is $237K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Bella Ballerina's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bella Ballerina (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 Bella Ballerina franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bella Ballerina has 14 total units in the United States, including 4 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Bella Ballerina a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bella Ballerina as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 40 out of 100, 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.
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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.