Little School of MusicFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Little School of Music franchise requires a total initial investment of $248K – $619K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $538K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $248K – $619K
- 46th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $538K
- 25th pct Education
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 31st pct Education
- Units
- 1
- 2nd pct Education
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Education avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
97% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $248K – $619K including a $25K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $538K/year, with an estimated 97% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 46/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Once Upon A Tune, LLC
- CEO title
- President and CEO
- Mindy Cabral
- CEO experience
- 19 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 1320 Arrow Point Drive, Ste 501-90, Cedar Park, TX 78613
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate music instruction studios offering lessons in instruments (piano, guitar, violin, etc.) to children and adults. Day-to-day operations include scheduling lessons, managing instructors, handling student registration/billing, facility maintenance, and marketing to local families. Revenue depends entirely on student enrollment and lesson pricing.
- CEO
- Mindy Cabral
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Feenot refundable | $499 | $499 | |
| Initial Feesnot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Trainingnot refundable | $3K | $15K | |
| Rent / Real Estate Depositnot refundable | $0 | $9K | |
| Real Estate Site Selectionnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Utility and Miscellaneous Security Depositsnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $25K | $50K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $24K | $28K | |
| Opening Inventory and Equipmentnot refundable | $106K | $132K | |
| Office Suppliesnot refundable | $5K | $7K | |
| Grand Openingnot refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Licensing and Permitsnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Technology Setup Feenot refundable | $8K | $9K | |
| Security Systemnot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| Professional Legal / Financial Servicesnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds (Three Months)not refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Franchise Add-On (Studio Plus Optional)not refundable | $8K | $8K | |
| Concert Grand Piano (Studio Plus Optional)not refundable | $45K | $85K | |
| Total initial investment | $433K | $599K |
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.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$65K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
14%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $248K – $619K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 1.0 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $225 |
| Training fee | $25K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $4K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $538K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $420K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 96.9%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- historical
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $308K→$734K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 6 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
vs Education averages
How Little School of Music Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- 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
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 5
- 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 · 19 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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Single-unit franchise with unverified financials, no territory protection, and franchisor stability concerns presents substantial execution and scalability risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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
Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 operating unit with unknown growth trajectory indicates unproven scalability and potential system collapse risk
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation despite claiming $537,893 avg revenue—unverifiable claims raise transparency concerns
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; franchisor can open competing units in your market
- 04HIGHGoing Concern = False suggests potential franchisor financial instability or operational uncertainty
- 05MINOR8% royalty on $537k revenue = $43k+ annual ongoing fees with only 1 unit for support infrastructure
- 06MINORWide investment range ($248k-$619k spread of 150%) indicates unclear startup costs and poor cost controls
- 07MINOR10-year term is unusually long for an unproven single-unit franchise system
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | geographical boundaries |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| 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
- 126 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 36 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- QuickBooks Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks Online
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
30 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Little School of Music · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Little School of Music franchise?
The total investment to open a Little School of Music franchise ranges from $248K – $619K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Little School of Music franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Little School of Music FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $538K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Little School of Music's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Little School of Music (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 Little School of Music franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Little School of Music has 1 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Little School of Music a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Little School of Music as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 46 out of 100, 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
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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.