The Alternative Board Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $77K – $95K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 13 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Alternative Board (TAB) is a B2B franchise running peer-advisory boards and one-on-one coaching for small-business owners. Franchisees facilitate monthly owner boards and coaching, recruiting members and earning membership fees, typically home-based.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise requires a total initial investment of $77K – $95K, including a $44K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above 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: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ 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 scored4 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $77K – $95K
- 25th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Partial period
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 103
- 47th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services 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 $77K – $95K including a $44K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports Average and Median Monthly Dues and Fees rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 51/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -4 franchised outlets in the latest year (7 opened, 10 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports Average and Median Monthly Dues and Fees 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
- TAB Boards International, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Direct Communication Service, Inc. (formerly Infinite Horizons, Inc.)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director
- Jason P. Zickerman
- CEO experience
- 23 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Colorado
- HQ
- 11031 Sheridan Boulevard, Westminster, Colorado 80020
- Auditor
- JDS Professional Group
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.6M
- vs $6.5M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchisee Advisory Board
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- Sun Development Company
- and predecessor DCS is a Missouri
- Allen Training Centers
- StratPro
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jason P. Zickerman
- Headquarters
- CO
- Founded
- 1996
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 30
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 35% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $44K | $44K | |
| Initial Training Feenot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Marketing Feenot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Initial Miscellaneous Marketing Campaign Expenses | $4K | $6K | |
| Mentor's Travel and Living Expenses | $0 | $4K | |
| Your Travel and Living Expenses During Initial Training Program | $0 | $5K | |
| Equipment | $0 | $2K | |
| Supplies, Stationery, and Business Cards | $250 | $500 | |
| Deposits and Licenses | $0 | $600 | |
| Website Fees for Three Months from the Start of Service Offering | $180 | $180 | |
| Accounting and Professional Fees | $0 | $4K | |
| Additional Funds for First Three Months After the Start of Service Offering | $2K | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $77K | $95K |
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
- $77K – $95K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $44K – $44K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Sliding scale from 20% to 6% of Amounts Collected on Your…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 22.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | A percentage of the Amounts Collected on Your Behalf paid on a sliding scale. You will not pay more than $60,000.00 as Royalty Fees in any given calendar year. |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% |
| Technology fee | $720 |
| Training fee | $25K |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 22.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD 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 THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD 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, royalty rate, 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports Average and Median Monthly Dues and Fees rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. We omit it from rankings.
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 22.0% — above the Business Services median of 9.0%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Average and Median Monthly Dues and Fees rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 Business Services medians
How The Alternative Board Compares
Category median of published Business Services 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 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 103
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Terminated
- 4
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 2
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.7%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 92%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 4
- Not renewed
- 2
- Transferred
- 2
- Termination rate
- 5.8%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 12.6%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
88 current owners across 31 states.
- CO 8
- NJ 8
- TX 7
- FL 6
- GA 5
- PA 5
- CA 4
- OH 4
- SC 4
- IL 3
- MA 3
- MN 3
- +19 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 13
- Loan volume
- $1.5M
- Median loan
- $114K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 13 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 13 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 13 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 13 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 9
- Defaults
- 3
Vintage analysis
The Alternative Board charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing The Alternative Board franchisees
Showing 3 of 9 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for The Alternative Board from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
Top SBA lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 4 | $585K | 50.0% |
| 2 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 2 | $270K | 50.0% |
| 3 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 1 | $100K | 0.0% |
| 4 | Traditional Bank, Inc. | 1 | $70K | 0.0% |
| 5 | b1BANK | 1 | $150K | 100.0% |
| 6 | Stearns Bank National Association | 1 | $76K | N/A |
| 7 | Old National Bank | 1 | $75K | 0.0% |
| 8 | Mountain America FCU | 1 | $62K | 0.0% |
| 9 | Hanover Community Bank | 1 | $95K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| COColorado | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| FLFlorida | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| GAGeorgia | 1 | 0 | -- |
| IDIdaho | 1 | 0 | -- |
| KSKansas | 1 | 0 | -- |
| KYKentucky | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MIMichigan | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MNMinnesota | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NHNew Hampshire | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
One concluded Item-3 suit (franchisor v. terminated franchisee, dismissed with prejudice per Aug 2024 settlement) and audited financials with $6.16M revenue and Item 19 disclosed. Main concern is a -17.6% net unit decline (103 units). No bankruptcy or going-concern issues.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
TAB Boards International, Inc. v. Lawrence Reines (Case No. 2023CV33449, Denver County District Court, Colorado). Suit filed November 22, 2023 against former franchisee terminated April 18, 2023 for failure to pay accrued amounts and violation of non-disparagement and non-competition covenants. Dismissed with prejudice pursuant to Settlement and Release Agreement dated August 30, 2024.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · JDS Professional Group
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Total franchisor revenue for fiscal year 2024 was $6,159,681.00 (Item 8 disclosure).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 51 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHSingle concluded litigation matter, dismissed with prejudice
- 02MINORNegative net unit growth of -17.6%
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, audited financials, $6.16M revenue
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 22.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Geographic |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Denver, Colorado |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Colorado |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
TAB Boards International, Inc. v. Lawrence Reines (Case No. 2023CV33449, Denver County District Court, Colorado). Suit filed November 22, 2023 against former franchisee terminated April 18, 2023 for failure to pay accrued amounts and violation of non-disparagement and non-competition covenants. Dismissed with prejudice pursuant to Settlement and Release Agreement dated August 30, 2024.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 56 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Pipedrive
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Pipedrive
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
88 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise?
The total investment to open a THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise ranges from $77K – $95K, with an initial franchise fee of $44K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD 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 THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD?
THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD is franchised by TAB Boards International, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD 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 THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD (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 THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD has 103 total units in the United States, including 95 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 51 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.