Story Time Chess
Bottom line
- Total investment $56K – $76K including a $45K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $581K/year (median $644K).
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 60/100.
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
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 Story Time Chess unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
126%
Above typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Story Time Chess units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.0M
on $5.2M purchase
Total debt
$4.2M
SBA $2.6M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Story Time Chess franchisees operate chess education programs, likely delivering instruction to children through storytelling-based learning methods. Daily operations typically include scheduling classes, managing student enrollment, delivering in-person or virtual instruction, handling parent communications, and managing local marketing to build client base.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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 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
Severely underdeveloped franchise system (5 units) with revenue and profitability opacity, no territorial protection, and aggressive royalty burden for unproven concept.
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 5 units system-wide with unknown/stagnant growth trajectory indicates minimal scale and market validation
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosure prevents ROI assessment; $55.6K-$76K investment lacks profitability transparency
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk—multiple franchisees could operate in same market, cannibalizing $580.8K average revenue
- 04MINOR7% royalty on declining revenue base plus $200/week minimum ($10.4K annually) creates significant fixed cost burden with thin margins
- 05MINOR5-year term is short; franchisor reinvestment commitment and long-term viability unclear with such a micro-system
- 06HIGHNo disclosed litigation history in such small system may indicate lack of transparency rather than absence of disputes
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
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
18 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Story Time Chess · FDD (2026) PDF