Discovery Map
Formerly known as DMI (Digital Marketing Institute)
Bottom line
- Total investment $29K – $36K including a $25K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $58K/year (median $53K).
- Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 69/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 6 loans (below the industry average).
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 DISCOVERY MAP unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
21%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 DISCOVERY MAP units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$58K
on $291K purchase
Total debt
$233K
SBA $0.1M + senior + seller note
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.
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 · 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 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
Declining franchise system with going concern issues, undisclosed profitability, aggressive fee structure, and minimal Item 19 transparency creates substantial risk.
Score breakdown · what drove the 69 / 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
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
69 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
DISCOVERY MAP · FDD (2026) PDF