YEL! Youth Enrichment LeagueFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
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]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $209K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $57K – $83K
- 17th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $209K
- 6th pct Education
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Education
- Units
- 5
- 16th pct Education
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Education 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
103% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $57K – $83K including a $23K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $209K/year (median $201K), with an estimated 103% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 35/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- YEL Franchising, Inc.
- Predecessor
- of ours
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- MN
- 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
YEL operates youth enrichment programs (likely afterschool, summer camps, or skill-building activities) where franchisees manage enrollment, hire instructors, schedule classes, and deliver age-appropriate educational/recreational programming. Day-to-day involves marketing to schools/parents, student registration, staff management, program scheduling, and facility operations.
- CEO
- Chet Gunhus
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 13 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.
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
$33K
16.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
42%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
29 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $57K – $83K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $23K – $23K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 1.0 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
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 |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $209K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $201K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $72K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 102.6%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Actual Revenues, Expenses, and Income
- Sample size
- 3 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $169K→$257K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
vs Education averages
How YEL! Youth Enrichment League Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 20%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 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 20 · 29 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Micro-franchise system with unverified financials, franchisor financial concerns, and unproven unit growth creates elevated risk despite no litigation.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $22,500
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: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 35 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 5 operating units with unknown growth trajectory suggests minimal system traction and scale
- 02HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE — indicates financial instability or uncertainty at franchisor level
- 03MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation limits ability to validate the $72,010 average net income claim
- 04MINOR6% royalty on $209k average revenue = $12.6k annually, but high initial investment ($57-83k) creates long payback period
- 05MINORExtremely small franchise system increases risk of franchisor viability and support quality
- 06MINORYouth enrichment/education sector has thin margins and high sensitivity to enrollment/seasonal volatility
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | County |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 44 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Youth Database
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Youth Database
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
33 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
YEL! Youth Enrichment League · FDD (2024) PDF
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?
According to Item 19 of the YEL! Youth Enrichment League FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $209K. The median is $201K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
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 A-grade franchise with a risk score of 35 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent YEL! Youth Enrichment League, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Education franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Education category
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.