Club Z! In-Home TutoringFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Formerly known as Club Z! Tutoring
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Club Z! In-Home Tutoring franchise requires a total initial investment of $41K – $57K, including a $27K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $41K – $57K
- 6th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 47th pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 328
- 67th pct Education
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
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
Franchising since 1998. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 368 to 328 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $41K – $57K including a $27K franchise fee.
- Item 19 discloses "Student Counts and Pay Rates" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 58/100.
- System contracting at -10.9% 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
- Club Z!, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 15310 Amberly Drive, Suite 175, Tampa, Florida 33647
- Auditor
- Optimus Financials, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.9M
- vs $5.6M prior year
Affiliated brands
- ABZ Franchise Systems
- ActiKare
- ML Capital Group
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Club Z! franchisees operate in-home one-on-one tutoring services for K-12 students, handling direct student recruitment, scheduling, tutor hiring/management, and lesson delivery across a protected territory. Daily operations involve managing tutor assignments, parent communications, student progress tracking, and local marketing to maintain and grow a student base while paying tiered royalties based on gross revenue.
- CEO
- Mark Lucas
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1995
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 43
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 9 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $27K | $40K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses during Training | $1K | $2K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $500 | $500 | |
| Computer and other Equipment, Supplies | $550 | $1K | |
| Software, Business Telephone Number, Web Hosting and Email Account (3 months)not refundable | $225 | $225 | |
| Club Z! Business Package (3 months)not refundable | $750 | $750 | |
| Initial Launch Advertising (4 months)not refundable | $6K | $6K | |
| Insurance | $700 | $2K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $4K | $6K | |
| Total initial investment | $41K | $57K |
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
- $41K – $57K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $4K – $6K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $27K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of: 8% to 6% of Gross Sales or $550 per month
- Ad fund
- The greater of: 2% of Gross Sales or $50 per month
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $75 |
| Transfer fee | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $250 |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "Student Counts and Pay Rates" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so we omit it from rankings.
vs Education averages
How Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 328
- Opened
- 19
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 13
- Terminated
- 5
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 8
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -5.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -10.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 23
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 30
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 6.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 89.6%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 3.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 11 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 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $552K
- Median loan
- $57K
- 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 Club Z! In-Home Tutoring'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 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 4-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise system with undisclosed financial performance, high fixed royalty costs, and lack of transparency on earnings potential creates elevated risk for franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $39,750
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Optimus Financials, Inc.
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 58 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 5.5% YoY (328 units) signals system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee struggles
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and suggests franchisor may lack compelling financial data
- 03MINORRoyalty floor of $550/month minimum creates fixed cost burden even during low-revenue months, pressuring marginal operators
- 04MINORHigh startup cost range ($40,975-$57,425) with zero franchise fee indicates franchisor prioritizes equipment/training fees over transparency
- 05MINORIn-home tutoring is labor-intensive with high customer acquisition costs and volatile student retention; no performance benchmarks provided
- 06MINOR7-year term with protected territory provides minimal flexibility if market conditions or franchisee circumstances change within contract
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 | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Territory type | Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 180 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- proprietary scheduling software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: proprietary scheduling software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
51 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Club Z! In-Home Tutoring · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Club Z! In-Home Tutoring franchise?
The total investment to open a Club Z! In-Home Tutoring franchise ranges from $41K – $57K, with an initial franchise fee of $27K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Club Z! In-Home Tutoring franchise owners earn?
Club Z! In-Home Tutoring does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Club Z! In-Home Tutoring's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Club Z! In-Home Tutoring (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 Club Z! In-Home Tutoring franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Club Z! In-Home Tutoring has 328 total units in the United States, including 368 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 19 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Club Z! In-Home Tutoring a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Club Z! In-Home Tutoring as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 58 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Club Z! In-Home Tutoring, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Education franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Education category
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.