Focus CFO Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $36K – $64K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
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. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored3 of 3 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $36K – $64K
- 9th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Set by a formula
- 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 median · 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.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 48/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +6 franchised outlets in the latest year (11 opened, 5 closed) (Item 20).
- 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
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2026 FDD
- 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
- 2026
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 62% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown5 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $35K | $35K | |
| 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 | $36K | $64K |
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Focus CFO unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 medians
How Focus CFO Compares
Category median of published Business Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 65
- Opened
- 11
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 7.7%
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 3
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 15
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
9 current owners across 4 states.
- OH 6
- HI 1
- NY 1
- TX 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
No litigation disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BHM CPA Group, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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.
ⓘ 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 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| 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
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Focus CFO?
Focus CFO is franchised by Focus CFO Group, LLC. Its parent company is Focus CFO Holdings, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
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). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.