FranchiseVerdict
SpiderSmart Learning logo
FV-02414·MODERATEExcellent86

SpiderSmart Learning

Education - Tutoring & Test PrepFranchising since 2014Website
Investment
$80K – $139K
34th pct Tutoring & Te…
Avg revenue
55th pct Tutoring & Te…
Royalty
Units
19
49th pct Tutoring & Te…
SBA default

Bottom line

  • Total investment $80K – $139K including a $30K franchise fee.
  • No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
  • Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 62/100.
  • No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
SpiderSmart, Inc.
Parent company
JLS Education, LLC
Incorporated in
Virginia
HQ
8401 Maryland Dr, Ste S, Richmond, Virginia 23294
Auditor
Ahmad Associates, Ltd (AAL)
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$259K
vs $260K prior year

Yale framework · single-unit ROIC

Returns Analysis

Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.

The model · Yale framework

What would one SpiderSmart Learning unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
Item 19 not disclosed — typing your own estimate
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: education
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $80K–$139K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $15K–$20K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

83%

Above typical band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$105K
EBITDA margin
14.0%
Total invested
$127K
Payback
15 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Overview

About

SpiderSmart Learning franchisees operate tutoring and test-prep centers serving K-12 students. Day-to-day activities include recruiting and managing tutors, scheduling student sessions, delivering academic instruction (or managing instructors), marketing to parents, and maintaining client retention through performance tracking.

CEO
Jordan Steinberg
Founded
2004
FDD year
2025
States available
6

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$80K – $139K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$15K – $20K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$30K
Royalty
greater of 5% of Gross Revenue or $1,500 per month
Ad fund
n/d
Total fee load
5.0%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
19
Opened
2
Last reporting year
Closed
0
Turnover rate
0.0%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Multi-unit owners
50.0%
Net growth (yr3)
+11.8%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
+5.6%
Compounded over last 3 years
2023
19+2
Franchised units
2024
17
Franchised units
2025
18
Franchised units

Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.

Item 20 · 7 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).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 7 states
Not registered

States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.

Government records

SBA Loan Data

Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.

No SBA loan data available for this brand.

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

62
Risk · 0-100
MODERATE62 / 100

Undisclosed financials, regulatory history, minimal growth trajectory, and high fixed royalties create significant uncertainty about unit economics and franchisor stability for a small learning center concept.

Score breakdown · what drove the 62 / 100 rating

  1. 01MINORNo financial performance disclosure (Item 19) — cannot assess actual franchisee profitability against $79,900-$139,400 investment
  2. 02MED2015 Maryland Securities Commissioner Consent Order for unregistered franchise sales indicates regulatory compliance issues in franchisor's past
  3. 03MEDSlow unit growth (11.8% YoY on only 19 units) suggests limited system traction and market appeal
  4. 04MINORHigh floor royalty ($1,500/month = $18,000 annually) creates significant fixed cost burden even if revenue is low
  5. 05MINOR10-year term locks franchisees into long commitment with minimal system track record or profitability proof
  6. 06MINORMinimal franchise fee ($30,000) may indicate franchisor prioritizes recruitment over franchisee success, combined with regulatory history

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Demographic
Protected territory
Yes
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
10 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
1
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
No
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Required
Governing law
Virginia

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
22 hrs
On-the-job training
0 hrs
POS system
Spidersmart.com Website
Operating tech stack

Item 20

Franchisee Contacts

Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.

Franchisee contacts

21 numbers

Locked
(833) 492-••••
The franchisor is SpiderSmart, Inc., located at
(301) 770-••••
MD
(770) 827-••••
GA

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

SpiderSmart Learning · FDD (2025) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above