FranchiseVerdict
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FV-00889·STRONGExcellent91

Expense Reduction Analysts

Business Services - OtherFranchising since 2002Website
Investment
$76K – $106K
59th pct Other
Avg revenue
$327K
32nd pct Other
Royalty
Units
146
77th pct Other
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $76K – $106K including a $70K franchise fee.
  • Average unit revenue of $327K/year (median $269K).
  • Rated STRONG with a risk score of 39/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 16 loans (below the industry average).
  • No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
Expense Reduction Analysts, Inc.
Parent company
Montgomery Investment Co SA
Incorporated in
California
HQ
16415 Addison Road, Suite 410, Addison, Texas 75001
Auditor
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$5.3M
vs $5.4M prior year

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 Expense Reduction Analysts unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
FDD Item 19 reports $327,252
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: generic
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $76K–$106K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $3K–$6K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

48%

In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$46K
EBITDA margin
14.0%
Total invested
$95K
Payback
25 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing

What would 25 Expense Reduction Analysts units return on equity?

Edit assumptions

Equity IRR · 5-yr

49.9%

7.57× MOIC

Year-1 DSCR

1.88×

EBITDA ÷ debt service

Equity required

$458K

on $2.3M purchase

Total debt

$1.8M

SBA $1.1M + senior + seller note

Overview

About

Expense Reduction Analysts franchisees operate as B2B consultants, identifying cost-saving opportunities for mid-market clients across procurement, operational efficiency, and vendor management. Day-to-day work involves client prospecting, needs analysis, implementation oversight, and ongoing account management. The model relies heavily on sales capability and relationship-building in a competitive consulting landscape.

CEO
Charles A. Smith
Founded
2002
FDD year
2024
States available
22

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$76K – $106K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$3K – $6K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$70K
Royalty
Greater of 15% of annual Net Cumulative Receipts or the a…
Ad fund
3.0%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
18.0%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

Avg gross sales
$327K
Per unit, per year
Median gross sales
$269K
Item 19 type
Net Cumulative Receipts
Sample size
102 units
vs category median 39 · large
Range (low → high)
$79K$1.5M
Cohort dispersion
Transparency
4 / 5
vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Revenue rank32th
vs Business Services - Other peers
Investment cost rank59th
Lower investment ranks lower (better)
Royalty rate rank64th
Lower royalty = lower percentile (better)
Unit count rank77th
vs Business Services - Other peers
Risk score rank0th
Lower risk = lower percentile (better)

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
146
Opened
23
Last reporting year
Closed
15
Turnover rate
10.3%
Company-owned
2
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
99%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
+5.9%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
-0.7%
Compounded over last 3 years
2022
144+8
Franchised units
2023
136
Franchised units
2024
145
Franchised units

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).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 24 states
Not registered

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.

Total loans
16
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

39
Risk · 0-100
STRONG39 / 100

Modest growth trajectory, opaque profitability metrics, unprotected territory, and high fixed royalty minimums create meaningful financial and competitive risks that warrant detailed franchisee validation.

Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 rating

  1. 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosed — cannot verify profitability claims against $76k-$106k investment
  2. 02MEDSlow unit growth of 5.9% YoY with only 146 units suggests limited scalability or market saturation
  3. 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other franchisees and company-owned locations
  4. 04MINORHigh royalty floor ($1,000-$1,250/month minimum = $12k-$15k annually) creates break-even pressure on franchisees below $80k revenue
  5. 05HIGHInternational litigation history (Germany, Switzerland) raises questions about franchisor's dispute resolution practices and affiliate management

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Non-exclusive Area
Protected territory
No
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
10 years
Online sales rights
Granted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
3
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
No
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Required
Governing law
Texas

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
95 hrs
On-the-job training
0 hrs
POS system
ERA Management Information System
Operating tech stack

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

90 numbers

Locked
(630) 416-••••
IL
(718) 781-••••
NY
(914) 305-••••
NY

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

Expense Reduction Analysts · FDD (2024) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above