Brain Balance Achievement Centers
Formerly known as Best Brains
Bottom line
- Total investment $215K – $464K including a $45K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $687K/year (median $559K).
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 62/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 3 loans (below the industry average).
- System contracting at -12.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Brain Balance Achievement Centers unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
24%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Brain Balance Achievement Centers units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$824K
on $4.1M purchase
Total debt
$3.3M
SBA $2.1M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Brain Balance franchisees operate neurodevelopmental assessment and training centers serving children with learning, attention, and developmental challenges. Day-to-day operations include conducting diagnostic assessments, delivering one-on-one and group brain-training sessions, managing client progress tracking, and handling parent consultations. Revenue models typically blend service fees, session packages, and supplementary products.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 30 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Brain Balance shows concerning unit contraction (-5.8% YoY), lacks profitability transparency (no net income disclosed), and carries high investment/fee burden relative to revenue, warranting caution before committing $214K-$463K.
Score breakdown · what drove the 62 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 5.8% YoY (65 → ~61 units), indicating system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed despite $686,778 reported average revenue — opacity on actual profitability and whether franchisees hit this benchmark
- 03MEDHigh initial investment range ($214K-$463K) relative to disclosed average revenue ($686K) creates thin margin for error; 8% royalty on $686K = $54.9K annual fee
- 04HIGHNo going concern statement is positive, but absence of net income disclosure raises questions about actual unit-level profitability and sustainability
- 05MINORCompetitive market (children's learning/neuro development) with established players; no clear differentiation metrics provided
- 06MINOR10-year term with $45K franchise fee suggests moderate-to-long commitment; declining unit count suggests franchisees may not be renewing or expanding
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
77 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Brain Balance Achievement Centers · FDD (2025) PDF