The Scout Guide Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Scout Guide is a franchise publishing a curated print-and-digital guide to locally owned businesses in a community. Franchisees run a local edition selling memberships to featured businesses and producing the guide, typically home-based.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Scout Guide franchise requires a total initial investment of $130K – $288K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $130K – $288K
- 44th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 32nd pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 95
- 47th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services avg · 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 $130K – $288K including a $50K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 76/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG5 units terminated last reporting year (5.3% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Scout Guide, LLC
- Parent company
- TSG Holding Company LLC
- CEO title
- Co-Founder, Creative Director
- Christy Ford
- Incorporated in
- Virginia
- HQ
- 3465 Ivy Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903
- Auditor
- Hantzmon Wiebel LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.0M
- vs $6.6M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Christy Ford
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 33
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 25% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $7K | $12K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $73K | $226K |
| Total initial investment | $130K | $288K |
Source: The Scout Guide 2025 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
- $130K – $288K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $7K – $12K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- TSG Royalty Rate Card Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 100 per month
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
The Scout Guide did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Scout Guide unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
34%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 10.0% — below the Business Services average of 11.9%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 28.8% CAGR over 3 years across 95 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 averages
How The Scout Guide Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 95
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 5
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 2
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 7.4%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +28.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +28.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 13
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 5
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 2
- Transfers (3yr)
- 10
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 33 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $118K
- Median loan
- $50K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (3 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Established 95-unit system with strong revenue ($7.3M) and net income ($672,110), no litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern. Only minor concern is a thin net worth of $144,561 relative to revenue and no Item 19 disclosure. Positive 28.8% growth.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hantzmon Wiebel LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 76 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORThin net worth $144,561 relative to $7.3M revenue
- 02MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 03MINORStrong net income $672,110, growth +28.8%
- 04MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% 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 | zip codes, natural, or political boundaries |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 13 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- POS system
- Quickbooks Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Quickbooks Online
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
85 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Scout Guide · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Scout Guide franchise?
The total investment to open a The Scout Guide franchise ranges from $130K – $288K, 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 The Scout Guide franchise owners earn?
The Scout Guide 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 Item 19 in the The Scout Guide 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 Scout Guide FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Scout Guide's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Scout Guide (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 Scout Guide franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Scout Guide has 95 total units in the United States, including 94 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 13 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Scout Guide a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Scout Guide as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 76 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent The Scout Guide, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.