Mobius Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $1.9M – $4.8M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
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 on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (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: partial✓ 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $1.9M – $4.8M
- 77th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 21st 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 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 $1.9M – $4.8M including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports gross sales and profit rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 38/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports gross sales and profit rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Mobius Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Mobius Learning Academy, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- 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
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 1640% 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%
- 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
No Item 19 revenue figure for Mobius is on file. 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 Mobius 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, 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
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 16 · small
- 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% (near the Education median).
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 medians
How Mobius Compares
Category median of published Education 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
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 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?
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
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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.
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
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 territory |
| 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?
Item 19 of the Mobius FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Mobius?
Mobius is franchised by Mobius Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Mobius Learning Academy, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
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.
Is Mobius a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Mobius as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 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.