HERLIFE Magazine Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
HERLIFE Magazine is a media franchise publishing a free lifestyle magazine geared toward women. Franchisees run local editions, selling advertising and managing content and distribution.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A HERLIFE Magazine franchise requires a total initial investment of $55K – $100K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $55K – $100K
- 15th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 16th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 4
- 11th 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 $55K – $100K including a $35K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFigures from the audited financial statements of HERLIFE Magazine, LLC (a Kansas LLC; the franchisor), the sole entity in the exhibit; no parent/guarantor. Fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (yr1) with comparative FY2022 (yr2). Whole US dollars, no scaling. Total Revenues = $55,113 consisting of 'Royalties and creation fees' (FY2022: $59,119). Net Loss FY2023 = $(54,475). Balance sheet reconciles: Total Liabilities $461,741 + Members Equity Deficit $(418,160) = Total Assets $43,581. Auditor noted substantial doubt about going concern (Note H).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- HERLIFE Magazine, LLC
- Predecessor
- Her Life Magazine, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Owner and Publisher
- Tammy Crystal McDonald
- Incorporated in
- KS
- HQ
- 7500 W. 160th St. Ste. 102, Overland Park, Kansas 66085
- Auditor
- Christopher J. Clair, CPA, P.A.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $55K
- vs $59K prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2024
- Status as of 2024; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Tammy Crystal McDonald
- Headquarters
- KS
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 72% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35K | $35K | |
| Business Premises or Storage Unit | $0 | $2K | |
| Furniture & Equipmentnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Licenses & Permitsnot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Travel & Lodging While Trainingnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Salaries and Wages - 6 Monthsnot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $0 | $500 | |
| Miscellaneous Costsnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $10K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $55K | $100K |
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
- $55K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $500 |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
HERLIFE Magazine 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 HERLIFE Magazine unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
100%
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 financial statements of HERLIFE Magazine, LLC (a Kansas LLC; the franchisor), the sole entity in the exhibit; no parent/guarantor. Fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (yr1) with comparative FY2022 (yr2). Whole US dollars, no scaling. Total Revenues = $55,113 consisting of 'Royalties and creation fees' (FY2022: $59,119). Net Loss FY2023 = $(54,475). Balance sheet reconciles: Total Liabilities $461,741 + Members Equity Deficit $(418,160) = Total Assets $43,581. Auditor noted substantial doubt about going concern (Note H).
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
7.0% royalty.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
Net unit growth roughly flat at 0.0%.
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 HERLIFE Magazine Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 75%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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.
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?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Christopher J. Clair, CPA, P.A.⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
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 |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Johnson County, Kansas |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | KS |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 36 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Overland Park, Kansas
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee (home office expected; franchisor does not assist with site selection)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- QuickBooks software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
HERLIFE Magazine · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a HERLIFE Magazine franchise?
The total investment to open a HERLIFE Magazine franchise ranges from $55K – $100K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do HERLIFE Magazine franchise owners earn?
HERLIFE Magazine 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 HERLIFE Magazine 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 HERLIFE Magazine FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is HERLIFE Magazine's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for HERLIFE Magazine (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 HERLIFE Magazine franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, HERLIFE Magazine has 4 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is HERLIFE Magazine a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates HERLIFE Magazine as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 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 HERLIFE Magazine, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.