Focus CFO Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FocusCFO is a fractional CFO services franchise serving small and midsize businesses. Franchisees work as area presidents, developing client relationships while licensed CFOs deliver the on-site financial leadership.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Focus CFO franchise requires a total initial investment of $36K – $64K, including a $28K franchise fee. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $36K – $64K
- 9th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 65
- 41st pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services 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
- COSTTotal investment $36K – $64K including a $28K franchise fee.
- RETURNSFigures from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of Focus CFO Group, LLC and Subsidiary (consolidating FocusCFO and wholly-owned subsidiary FocusCFO LTD), fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, in whole US dollars (no scaling). Total revenue 2023 = $20,614,115 comprises CFO services $20,061,315 and franchise & license fees $552,500 (reported as other_revenue). Prior year (2022) total revenue = $16,500,779. Net income 2023 = $973,980. Balance sheet reconciles: total assets $1,768,094 = total liabilities $1,306,822 + members' equity $461,272.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 48/100 (higher is better).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -20.7% 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
- Focus CFO Group, LLC
- Parent company
- Focus CFO Holdings, LLC
- CEO title
- President
- David Tramontana
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 575 Charring Cross Drive, Ste. 102, Westerville, Ohio 43081
- Auditor
- BHM CPA Group, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $20.6M
- vs $16.5M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- David Tramontana
- Headquarters
- Ohio
- Founded
- 2001
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 82% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown5 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $28K | $28K | |
| Real Estate and Improvements | $0 | $4K | |
| Office Equipment/General Business Expenses | $0 | $15K | |
| Additional Training | $0 | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $1K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $29K | $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
- $36K – $64K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1K – $5K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $28K – $28K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- No traditional royalty paid by Franchisee to Focus CFO. I…
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $630 |
| Training fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Focus CFO did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Focus CFO unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
198%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Figures from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of Focus CFO Group, LLC and Subsidiary (consolidating FocusCFO and wholly-owned subsidiary FocusCFO LTD), fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, in whole US dollars (no scaling). Total revenue 2023 = $20,614,115 comprises CFO services $20,061,315 and franchise & license fees $552,500 (reported as other_revenue). Prior year (2022) total revenue = $16,500,779. Net income 2023 = $973,980. Balance sheet reconciles: total assets $1,768,094 = total liabilities $1,306,822 + members' equity $461,272.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
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 -20.7% 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 Business Services averages
How Focus CFO Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 65
- Opened
- 11
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -20.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -20.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 11
- Closed (3yr)
- 55
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 2.4%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 9.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Focus CFO presents moderate-to-caution risk due to absent financial disclosures, unprotected territories, litigation history, and unclear unit economics relative to initial investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed.
Largest disclosed settlement: $62,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BHM CPA Group, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 48 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk within franchise system
- 02HIGHLitigation history (2023 breach of contract suit) signals potential franchisor-franchisee disputes
- 03MINOR20% YoY unit growth is modest for a service franchise and may indicate market saturation or franchisee churn
- 04MINORRoyalty-free model removes franchisor accountability for ongoing support quality
- 05MINORNo going concern issues noted, but lack of revenue/profit disclosure raises transparency concerns
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 75 mi |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Franklin County, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 25 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Online/Virtual/In-person (varies by module)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Microsoft O365
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Microsoft O365
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
9 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Focus CFO · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Focus CFO franchise?
The total investment to open a Focus CFO franchise ranges from $36K – $64K, with an initial franchise fee of $28K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Focus CFO franchise owners earn?
Focus CFO 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 Item 19 in the Focus CFO FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Focus CFO FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Focus CFO's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Focus CFO (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 Focus CFO franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Focus CFO has 65 total units in the United States, including 65 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 11 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Focus CFO a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Focus CFO as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 48 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Focus CFO, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Business Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Business Services 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.