TownePost NetworkFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A TownePost Network franchise requires a total initial investment of $83K – $118K, including a $70K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $269K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $83K – $118K
- 24th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $269K
- 5th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 28th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 19
- 21st pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business 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
Franchised units fell from 19 to 18 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
117% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $83K – $118K including a $70K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $269K/year (median $234K), with an estimated 117% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 44/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- TownePost Network Inc.
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Tom Britt
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- IN
- HQ
- 8800 North Street, Suite 117, Fishers, IN 46038
- Auditor
- Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.9M
- vs $6.1M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
TownePost Network franchisees operate hyperlocal digital media and community engagement platforms, managing content creation, local advertising sales, and community event promotion for specific geographic territories. Day-to-day operations involve cultivating local advertiser relationships, managing digital/print content publishing, and serving as the primary digital hub for community news and local business promotion within their protected territory.
- CEO
- Tom Britt
- Headquarters
- IN
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $70K | $70K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $3K | $18K |
| Total initial investment | $83K | $118K |
Source: TownePost Network 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$27K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
22%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $83K – $118K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $70K – $70K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- Up to 2% of Monthly Gross Sales
- Total fee load
- 12.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 0.9 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $800 |
| Transfer fee | $14K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 12.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $269K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $234K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $118K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 117.2%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Average and Median
- Sample size
- 17 units
- vs category median 32
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How TownePost Network Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 19
- 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
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +5.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +5.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 5.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $350K
- Median loan
- $175K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 1
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into TownePost Network's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
TownePost Network presents moderate-to-cautionary risk: tiny system size, unverified financial claims, and aggressive royalty structure warrant deep validation before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 44 / 100 rating
- 01MEDMinimal unit growth of 5.6% YoY with only 19 total units suggests limited brand traction and market acceptance
- 02MINORHigh royalty burden (10% + $750 minimum) combined with $70,000 franchise fee creates significant fixed cost pressure relative to $117,875 average net income
- 03MEDNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) disclosed — cannot independently verify the $269,030 revenue and $117,875 net income claims across franchisees
- 04MINORInitial investment range ($83,350-$117,736) requires 8-10 months of average net income just to break even on franchise costs alone
- 05MEDVery small unit count (19 franchises) indicates immature franchise system with limited economies of scale and higher failure risk
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Zip codes |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Training location
- Fishers, Indiana
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 48 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- MediaOS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MediaOS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
22 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
TownePost Network · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a TownePost Network franchise?
The total investment to open a TownePost Network franchise ranges from $83K – $118K, with an initial franchise fee of $70K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do TownePost Network franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the TownePost Network FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $269K. The median is $234K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is TownePost Network's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for TownePost Network (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 TownePost Network franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, TownePost Network has 19 total units in the United States, including 19 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is TownePost Network a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates TownePost Network as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 44 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.