Ultimate Sustainability Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $115K – $235K
- Disclosed sales
- $602K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Ultimate Sustainability is a services franchise providing side-by-side life-skills training and community-based programs for young adults with autism. Franchisees run the centers, managing staff, participants, and community programming.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Ultimate Sustainability franchise requires a total initial investment of $115K – $235K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $602K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2024. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2024 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - figures are from a filing two or more years old
Evidence: partial✓ 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $115K – $235K
- 33rd pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $602K
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 7th pct Education
- Units
- 3
- 12th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $115K – $235K including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $602K/year (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 48/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- EARLYEmerging franchise: only 2 years of franchising with 3 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Ultimate Sustainability Group, LLC
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 5240 12th Avenue East, Shakopee, Minnesota 55379
- Auditor
- Naper CPA Group
- Audited financials
Affiliated brands
- Ultimate Sustainability has operated Ultimate Sustainability in Shakopee
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kathryn Marshall
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 10% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $60K | $60K | |
| Rent and Lease Security Deposit | $4K | $12K | |
| Utilities | $250 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Market Introduction Programnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Computer Systemsnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $400 | $2K | |
| Vehiclenot refundable | $0 | $45K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Office Expensesnot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $500 | $2K | |
| Dues and Subscriptionsnot refundable | $100 | $500 | |
| Professional Fees (lawyer, accountant, etc.)not refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Trainingnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Additional Funds (for first 3 months)not refundable | $25K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $115K | $235K |
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
- $115K – $235K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- No separate Brand Fund contribution rate disclosed; Brand…
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 48% above the education norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Ultimate Sustainability until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$212K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Ultimate Sustainability 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 ad fund 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Avg gross sales
- $602K
- Per unit, per year
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate-Owned Units
- Sample size
- 3 outlets
- vs category median 16 · small
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $602K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 3.4x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.0% — below the Education median of 9.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 3/10 — moderate disclosure depth. Average and range data are available but detailed cohort breakdowns may be limited. Sample size of 3 outlets — treat as directional only.
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 Education medians
How Ultimate Sustainability Compares
Category median of published Education 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 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
New brand (franchising 2024) with 3 company-owned units and 0 franchised. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern; audited financials and Item 19 disclosed with $602K average gross sales. Limited operating history is the primary concern.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Naper CPA Group
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 48 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORVery new brand, 3 units, 0 franchised
- 02MEDLimited operating history
- 03MEDMitigant: audited, Item 19 disclosed, clean legal/financial profile
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 37,500 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Minneapolis, Minnesota (franchisor's headquarters location) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Wyoming |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 57 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- franchisor location and on-site
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes; franchisor approves within 30 days
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Pavillio Software, QuickBooks Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Pavillio Software, QuickBooks Online
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Ultimate Sustainability franchise?
The total investment to open a Ultimate Sustainability franchise ranges from $115K – $235K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Ultimate Sustainability franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Ultimate Sustainability FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $602K. Important context: Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Ultimate Sustainability?
Ultimate Sustainability is franchised by Ultimate Sustainability Group, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Ultimate Sustainability 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 Ultimate Sustainability FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Ultimate Sustainability's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Ultimate Sustainability (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 Ultimate Sustainability franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Ultimate Sustainability has 3 total units in the United States.
Is Ultimate Sustainability a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Ultimate Sustainability as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 48 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.