Discovery MapFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A DISCOVERY MAP franchise requires a total initial investment of $29K – $36K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $58K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $29K – $36K
- 6th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $58K
- 2nd pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 28th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 116
- 42nd pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- N/A
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 1993. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 116 to 115 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $29K – $36K including a $25K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $58K/year (median $53K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 42/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Discovery Map International, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Murphy
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- VT
- HQ
- 5197 Main Street, Suite 8, P.O. Box 726, Waitsfield, VT 05673
- Auditor
- Murphy Gaudreau Hoskinson, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.3M
- vs $1.0M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Discovery Digital Services
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Discovery Map franchisees operate local advertising directories (print and digital) selling ad space to businesses in their protected territory. Day-to-day activities involve direct sales to local merchants, managing print publication schedules, maintaining website listings, customer service, and account collection. Revenue comes from selling advertising placements to SMBs seeking local visibility.
- CEO
- Peter L. Hans
- Headquarters
- VT
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 29
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 9 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Map Coloring | $1K | $2K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Training | $500 | $2K | |
| Map Racks and related equipment | $2K | $3K | |
| Computer System | $500 | $1K | |
| Licenses/Deposits | $0 | $250 | |
| Supplies & Misc. Expense | $250 | $1K | |
| Insurance | $250 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds | $0 | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $29K | $36K |
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
$7K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
21%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $29K – $36K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $2K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $250 – $1K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $58K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $53K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 102 units
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $10K→$215K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Discovery Map Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 116
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 6
- Turnover rate
- 5.2%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -2.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- South Dakota
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 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- 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
Declining franchise system with going concern issues, undisclosed profitability, aggressive fee structure, and minimal Item 19 transparency creates substantial risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Murphy Gaudreau Hoskinson, 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 42 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 2.5% YoY (116 → ~113 units) indicates shrinking system
- 02MINORNo net income disclosure despite $58k average revenue — profitability opaque
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests franchisor financial distress or instability
- 04MINOR10% royalty on print ads + 25% on web ads creates aggressive dual fee structure with punitive web rate
- 05MINORInitial investment ($29-36k) requires $25k franchise fee (86% of low-end capital) — leaves minimal working capital
- 06MINORAverage revenue of $58,171 is modest; unclear if this sustains franchisee after 10% + 25% royalties
- 07HIGHNo litigation disclosure provided; cannot verify clean legal history
- 08MEDItem 19 (financial performance) not disclosed — unable to validate realistic earnings claims
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Vermont |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 19 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- AdWiz
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: AdWiz
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
78 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
DISCOVERY MAP · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a DISCOVERY MAP franchise?
The total investment to open a DISCOVERY MAP franchise ranges from $29K – $36K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do DISCOVERY MAP franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the DISCOVERY MAP FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $58K. The median is $53K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is DISCOVERY MAP's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for DISCOVERY MAP (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 DISCOVERY MAP franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, DISCOVERY MAP has 116 total units in the United States, including 116 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is DISCOVERY MAP a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates DISCOVERY MAP as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 42 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
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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.