SmartBooks PartnersFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SmartBooks Partners franchise requires a total initial investment of $58K – $79K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2021 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2021 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $58K – $79K
- 25th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 30th pct Financial Ser…
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 7th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 1
- 0th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Financial Services 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $58K – $79K including a $50K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Item 19 disclosed $3.6M from 1 outlet. Single-unit data is not representative.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 95/100.
- Item 19 reports "Historical Revenue" instead of annual gross sales. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- SmartBooks Partners, LLC
- Parent company
- SmartBooks Corp. and Provestments LLC
- Ultimate parent
- SmartBooks Corp.
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Calvin Wilder
- CEO experience
- 15 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- SD
- HQ
- 2352 Main Street, Suite 200, Concord, MA 01742
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
SmartBooks Partners franchisees appear to provide bookkeeping, accounting, or financial management services to small/medium businesses. Day-to-day operations likely involve client onboarding, maintaining financial records, reconciling accounts, generating reports, and providing advisory services. However, with only one unit in existence, the actual business model and franchisee responsibilities remain unvalidated.
- CEO
- Calvin Wilder
- Headquarters
- MA
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2021
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2021 filing · 7 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Travel Expenses during initial trainingnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Computer Hardware; Software; Other Office Equipmentnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Supplies & Miscellaneous Expensesnot refundable | $0 | $500 | |
| Insurance - 3 monthsnot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Legal Feesnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - first 3 months after you begin operationsnot refundable | $5K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $58K | $79K |
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
- $58K – $79K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $175 |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
Item 19 disclosed $3.6M from 1 outlet. Single-unit data is not representative.
vs Financial Services averages
How SmartBooks Partners 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 5
- 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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
SmartBooks Partners is a single-unit, financially opaque franchise with going concern issues, no territory protection, and zero growth data — representing extreme investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 95 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 unit in entire system indicates brand is either brand new or experiencing severe contraction — impossible to validate franchise model viability
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (average unit economics) disclosed — cannot verify if $58k-$78.5k investment generates positive ROI against 8% royalty structure
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting potential financial instability or discontinued franchise recruitment
- 04MINORTerritory is completely unprotected — franchisee has no exclusivity; brand can recruit competitors in same geographic area
- 05MEDNet income not disclosed — cannot assess profitability; combined with single unit, suggests franchisor cannot demonstrate franchisee success
- 06MINORSingle unit with unknown growth trajectory indicates no validated replication model and extreme survival risk
- 07MINOR10-year term with $50k upfront fee plus $58-78.5k investment locks franchisee into underfunded, unproven 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 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Massachusetts |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 31 hrs
- Training location
- Greater Boston or Remote
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Genie practice management software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Genie practice management software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
SmartBooks Partners · FDD (2021) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SmartBooks Partners franchise?
The total investment to open a SmartBooks Partners franchise ranges from $58K – $79K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SmartBooks Partners franchise owners earn?
SmartBooks Partners 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 SmartBooks Partners's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for SmartBooks Partners (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 SmartBooks Partners franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SmartBooks Partners has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is SmartBooks Partners a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SmartBooks Partners as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 95 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.
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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.