BniFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A BNI franchise requires a total initial investment of $53K – $194K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 20.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $344K[2]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $53K – $194K
- 12th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $344K
- 8th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 20.0%
- 34th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 187
- 47th pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business Services 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
Franchising since 1991. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 106 to 99 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $53K – $194K including a $35K franchise fee, 20.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $344K/year (median $262K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 73/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- BNI Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- BNI Global, LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 3430 Toringdon Way, Suite 300, Charlotte, NC 28277
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.5M
- vs $7.2M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- BNI Holdings
- and a wholly owned subsidiary of BNI Intermediate Holdings
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
BNI (Business Network International) franchisees operate local networking chapters where business owners meet weekly to exchange leads, referrals, and business opportunities. Franchisees manage chapter meetings, recruit members, ensure compliance with BNI operating procedures, and generate revenue through membership dues and event fees.
- CEO
- Mary Kennedy Thompson
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 1988
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 34
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $148K | |
| Orientation and Travel Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Training Feesnot refundable | $4K | $5K | |
| Supplies, Equipment and Softwarenot refundable | $7K | $8K | |
| Video Conferencing Licensenot refundable | $95 | $5K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $10K | |
| Computer System | $500 | $2K | |
| Advertising Expenses | $500 | $1K | |
| Deposits | $500 | $1K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $1K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $53K | $194K |
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
$0
0.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
0%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
—
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $53K – $194K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1K – $5K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $148K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 20.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 56.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 20.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $36 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Total fee load | 56.0% of rev |
At 56.0% total fee load, roughly $193K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $344K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $262K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 99 units
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $8K→$1.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $85K→$772K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Bni Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 187
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 0.5%
- Company-owned
- 88
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 53%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -2.9%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -6.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Maryland
- Virginia
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $3.1M
- Median loan
- $761K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Bni's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 4 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
BNI presents HIGH RISK due to system contraction, significant pending litigation, unsustainable royalty structure, and governance failures that have resulted in international master franchise disputes.
Litigation (Item 3)
5 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $4
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the Bankruptcy Code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 73 / 100 rating
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-2.9% YoY) indicates system contraction and franchisee attrition
- 02HIGHPending litigation for tortious interference and trademark infringement creates legal and operational uncertainty
- 03MINORHistory of master franchise agreement disputes across multiple countries (India, China, California) suggests systemic governance issues
- 04MINOR20% royalty on gross revenues is exceptionally high and leaves minimal margin for profitability
- 05MINORNo Item 19 (average net income) disclosure prevents accurate ROI assessment and raises transparency concerns
- 06MINORHigh initial investment range ($53K-$193K) combined with aggressive royalties creates poor risk-reward profile
- 07MINORShrinking franchisee base suggests business model may not be sustainable or scalable
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Territory type | Zip Codes |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 20 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 5 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
5 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 76 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Operating Management System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Operating Management System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
64 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
BNI · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a BNI franchise?
The total investment to open a BNI franchise ranges from $53K – $194K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do BNI franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the BNI FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $344K. The median is $262K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is BNI's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for BNI (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 BNI franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, BNI has 187 total units in the United States, including 106 franchised units and 88 company-owned units.
Is BNI a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BNI as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 73 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.