Mobius Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Mobius is a children's education franchise operating centers that offer after-school and summer STEAM enrichment and physical play for kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. Franchisees run the centers, managing instructors, curriculum, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Mobius franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.9M – $4.8M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.9M – $4.8M
- 78th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 18th pct Education
- Units
- 1
- 2nd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $1.9M – $4.8M including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 audited statements are balance-sheet-only (new franchisor established Oct 31, 2023; fiscal year ends June 30). No income statement, so no franchisor revenue or net income disclosed. Most recent balance sheet present in text is as of Dec 31, 2024: total assets $100, shareholders' equity $100, liabilities $0. A Dec 31, 2025 audit is referenced in the auditor consent but the 2025 balance sheet table does not appear in the extracted text.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 38/100 (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
- Mobius Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Mobius Learning Academy, Inc.
- Predecessor
- None
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Kathryn Bartelt
- Incorporated in
- AR
- HQ
- 8313 West Pleasant Grove Road, Bentonville, Arkansas 72713
- Auditor
- Roos & McNabb CPA's PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2026
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- maintains a pr
- Mobius IP
- is the owner of the Licensed Marks
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kathryn Bartelt
- Headquarters
- AR
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 410% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $100K | $250K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $1.8M | $4.5M |
| Total initial investment | $1.9M | $4.8M |
Source: Mobius 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.9M – $4.8M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $250K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Mobius 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 Mobius unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
3%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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
Item 21 audited statements are balance-sheet-only (new franchisor established Oct 31, 2023; fiscal year ends June 30). No income statement, so no franchisor revenue or net income disclosed. Most recent balance sheet present in text is as of Dec 31, 2024: total assets $100, shareholders' equity $100, liabilities $0. A Dec 31, 2025 audit is referenced in the auditor consent but the 2025 balance sheet table does not appear in the extracted text.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and profit
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 17 · small
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales and profit rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Education averages
How Mobius Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
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
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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
Mobius presents HIGH RISK due to a nascent single-unit system with unvalidated unit economics, extreme capex variability, and inadequate profitability relative to investment required.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roos & McNabb CPA's PCⓘ Going-concern language present, but this is an early-stage franchisor with limited operating history — common for new systems and not necessarily a sign of distress.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 38 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 1 unit in system with unknown growth trajectory indicates early-stage/unproven model with no performance benchmarks
- 02MINORMassive investment range ($1.9M-$4.8M) suggests highly variable buildout costs and unclear unit economics
- 03MINORNet income of $349K represents only 20.9% net margin on $1.67M revenue—below healthy franchise standards and may not justify capex
- 04MINORSingle data point makes avg revenue/income metrics statistically meaningless for forecasting franchisee returns
- 05MINOR5-year term is short for franchise model; suggests franchisor hasn't committed to long-term partner relationships
- 06MEDNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed (Avg Revenue/Net Income appear franchisee-reported, not FDD-certified)
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 5,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Benton County, Arkansas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | AR |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 45 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 23 hrs
- Training location
- Bentonville, Arkansas
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 10 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Procare Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Procare Software
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Mobius franchise?
The total investment to open a Mobius franchise ranges from $1.9M – $4.8M, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Mobius franchise owners earn?
Mobius 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 Mobius 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 Mobius FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Mobius's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Mobius (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 Mobius franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Mobius has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Mobius a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Mobius as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 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
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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.