Brain Balance Achievement CentersFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Brain Balance Achievement Centers franchise requires a total initial investment of $215K – $464K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $687K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $215K – $464K
- 42nd pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $687K
- 28th pct Education
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 31st pct Education
- Units
- 65
- 51st pct Education
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Education 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
Franchised units fell from 74 to 65 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $215K – $464K including a $45K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $687K/year (median $559K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 56/100.
- 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
- Legal entity
- BB FRANCHISING LLC
- Parent company
- Brain Balance Holdings, Inc.
- Predecessor
- is Brain Balance
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1320 North Route 59, Unit 110, Naperville, IL 60563
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.1M
- vs $5.7M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchisee Advisory Board
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- BB
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
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.
- CEO
- Margaret Ford
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2007
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 29
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Computer Software Program License Fee | $15K | $15K | |
| In Center Program Kits | $2K | $2K | |
| Virtual Program Kits | $1K | $1K | |
| Business License, Incorporation, etc. | $500 | $3K | |
| Commercial Space (2-4 months security) | $4K | $21K | |
| Utility Deposits and Fees | $3K | $3K | |
| Insurance | $4K | $6K | |
| Construction and Remodeling, including Architect Design | $10K | $175K | |
| Furniture, Inventory, and Equipment (lease deposit and installation) | $40K | $55K | |
| Technology Costs | $36K | $39K | |
| Start-up Supplies | $4K | $4K | |
| Signage | $0 | $13K | |
| Call Center | $0 | $2K | |
| Brain Balance Program CRM System and Annual Maintenance | $2K | $2K | |
| Credit Card System | $0 | $400 | |
| Email and Other Collaboration Tools | $0 | $746 | |
| Organization Productivity and Collaboration Tools | $70 | $105 | |
| Accounting Software & Bookkeeping | $2K | $2K | |
| Additional Funds for Three (3) Months | $30K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $215K | $464K |
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
$89K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
24%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $215K – $464K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- 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 | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $6K – $8K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $687K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $559K
- Item 19 type
- Historical Revenue
- Sample size
- 61 units
- vs category median 14 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $187K→$2.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $489K→$751K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 237 Education brands
vs Education averages
How Brain Balance Achievement Centers Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 65
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 8
- Turnover rate
- 12.3%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -5.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -12.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 8
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 11
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 3.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 12.3%
- Units that stopped operating
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 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
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.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $480,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
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: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 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
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius / Geography |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 177 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Site selection
- franchisor
- POS system
- Salesforce
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Salesforce
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
77 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Brain Balance Achievement Centers · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Brain Balance Achievement Centers franchise?
The total investment to open a Brain Balance Achievement Centers franchise ranges from $215K – $464K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Brain Balance Achievement Centers franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $687K. The median is $559K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Brain Balance Achievement Centers's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Brain Balance Achievement Centers (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 Brain Balance Achievement Centers franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Brain Balance Achievement Centers has 65 total units in the United States, including 74 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Brain Balance Achievement Centers a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Brain Balance Achievement Centers as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 56 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.