YEL! Youth Enrichment League Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $57K – $83K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
YEL! Youth Enrichment League is a children's education franchise offering after-school enrichment classes, camps, and STEM activities. Franchisees run local programs, managing instructors, scheduling, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A YEL! Youth Enrichment League franchise requires a total initial investment of $57K – $83K, including a $23K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 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: high - issued more than two years ago
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 scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $57K – $83K
- 15th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 7th pct Education
- Units
- 5
- 18th 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 $57K – $83K including a $23K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports historical revenue and income rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 50/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports historical revenue and income 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
- YEL Franchising, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Youth Enrichment League, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Director
- Chet Gunhus
- Incorporated in
- Minnesota
- HQ
- 343 Bluff Road, Carver, MN 55315
- Auditor
- Thoresen Diaby Helle Condon & Dodge, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $27K
- vs $20K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Chet Gunhus
- Headquarters
- Minnesota
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 64% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $23K | $23K | |
| Vehicles | $0 | $1K | |
| Real Estate, Furniture and Equipment | $200 | $1K | |
| Initial Supplies | $16K | $18K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $2K | $4K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $3K | $5K | |
| Ongoing Marketing | $3K | $5K | |
| Technology Expenses | $3K | $3K | |
| Insurance | $600 | $700 | |
| Permits and Licenses | $200 | $400 | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $1K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds and Working Capital for First 3 Months | $5K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $57K | $83K |
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
- $57K – $83K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $23K – $23K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $6K |
| Renewal fee | $6K |
| Inventory (initial) | $16K – $18K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for YEL! Youth Enrichment League 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 YEL! Youth Enrichment League 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, 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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- historical revenue and income
- Reported figure
- $257KCited, not corroborated — printed on page 32 of the 2024 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Low and high are the same figure — no dispersion disclosed
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 7 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
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.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Education median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports historical revenue and income rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
Net unit growth roughly flat at 0.0%.
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 YEL! Youth Enrichment League 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
- 5
- 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
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 20%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 3 states 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.
3
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
Micro-franchise system with unverified financials, franchisor financial concerns, and unproven unit growth creates elevated risk despite no litigation.
Why this reads harsher than the B grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Thoresen Diaby Helle Condon & Dodge, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 50 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 5 operating units with unknown growth trajectory suggests minimal system traction and scale
- 02MINOR6% royalty on $209k average revenue = $12.6k annually, but high initial investment ($57-83k) creates long payback period
- 03MINORExtremely small franchise system increases risk of franchisor viability and support quality
- 04MINORYouth enrichment/education sector has thin margins and high sensitivity to enrollment/seasonal volatility
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | American Arbitration Association office in or nearest to Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 44 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- Carver, Minnesota (classroom); franchisee's Designated Territory / company locations and online (on-the-job)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Youth Database
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Youth Database
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a YEL! Youth Enrichment League franchise?
The total investment to open a YEL! Youth Enrichment League franchise ranges from $57K – $83K, with an initial franchise fee of $23K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do YEL! Youth Enrichment League franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the YEL! Youth Enrichment League FDD discloses outlet figures from $257K to $257K 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 YEL! Youth Enrichment League?
YEL! Youth Enrichment League is franchised by YEL Franchising, Inc.. The FDD names no parent company. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the YEL! Youth Enrichment League 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 YEL! Youth Enrichment League FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is YEL! Youth Enrichment League's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for YEL! Youth Enrichment League (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 YEL! Youth Enrichment League franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, YEL! Youth Enrichment League has 5 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is YEL! Youth Enrichment League a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates YEL! Youth Enrichment League as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 50 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.