Dale Carnegie Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Dale Carnegie is a professional-training franchise delivering courses in communication, leadership, sales, and confidence to companies and individuals. Franchisees run a local training operation recruiting corporate clients and delivering instructor-led programs.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Dale Carnegie franchise requires a total initial investment of $93K – $246K, including a $20K – $65K franchise fee and an ongoing 12.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 15.4% charge-off rate across 24 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $93K – $246K
- 27th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 45th pct Education
- Royalty
- 12.0%
- 52nd pct Education
- Units
- 143
- 62nd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- 15.4%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $93K – $246K including a $20K franchise fee, 12.0% ongoing royalty.
- Net revenues for fiscal years ended August 31, 2021 ($19,544K) and 2020 ($20,103K), audited, in thousands. Other income, net of $1,676K reported separately below income from operations.
- Verdict B (Above average), verdict score 56/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 15.4% across 24 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- System contracting at -6.0% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc.
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Joseph Hart
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 58 South Service Road, Suite 301, Melville, New York 11747
- Auditor
- CohnReznick LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $19.5M
- vs $20.1M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Joseph Hart
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 1955
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 49
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 72% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $23K | $126K |
| Total initial investment | $93K | $246K |
Source: Dale Carnegie 2022 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $93K – $246K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $65K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 12.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 15.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 12.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Training fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 15.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
Net revenues for fiscal years ended August 31, 2021 ($19,544K) and 2020 ($20,103K), audited, in thousands. Other income, net of $1,676K reported separately below income from operations.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 15.0% — above the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -6.0% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education averages
How Dale Carnegie Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 143
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Turnover rate
- 2.1%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -6.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 10
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 24 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 24
- Loan volume
- $6.4M
- Median loan
- $63K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 15.4%
- 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)
- 84.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 25.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 14
- Defaults
- 2
- Typical loan rate
- 7.1%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 27.5%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 89
- 2.1 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 31%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 25% went to startups / new businesses, 75% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in professional and management development training, franchised businesses charge off at 27.5% vs 16.0% for independents — franchising is associated with 72% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Dale Carnegie franchisees
Showing 3 of 14 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Dale Carnegie's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans here charge off near the 16.0% national average.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Dale Carnegie presents meaningful risk due to stagnant growth, missing financial disclosure, aggressive royalty structure, and lack of evidence franchisees achieve positive ROI.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CohnReznick LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORStagnant unit growth at 0.7% YoY indicates a mature or declining system with minimal expansion momentum
- 02MEDFinancial performance metrics (avg revenue and net income) not disclosed in FDD Item 19, making ROI assessment impossible
- 03MINORTiered royalty structure up to 12% is aggressive and disproportionately punishes underperforming locations, creating cash flow pressure
- 04MED143 total units is a small franchise system with limited brand recognition and support infrastructure compared to competitors
- 05MED10-year term is unusually long for a training/services business with no disclosed unit economics or franchisee profitability data
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 15.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 1,000,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | NY |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 43 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Melville, New York or such other location as designated
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- DCT Client Builder, Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: DCT Client Builder, Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
45 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Dale Carnegie · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Dale Carnegie franchise?
The total investment to open a Dale Carnegie franchise ranges from $93K – $246K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Dale Carnegie franchise owners earn?
Dale Carnegie 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 Dale Carnegie's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Dale Carnegie has a charge-off rate of 15.4% across 24 loans, meaning 15.4% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Dale Carnegie franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Dale Carnegie has 143 total units in the United States, including 142 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Dale Carnegie a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Dale Carnegie as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better), 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
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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.