YEL! Youth Enrichment League Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
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 does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $57K – $83K
- 18th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Education
- Units
- 5
- 19th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $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).
- 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.
- Parent company
- None
- 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 89% 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%
- 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
YEL! Youth Enrichment League 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 YEL! Youth Enrichment League unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
150%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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
- $257K
- Low and high are the same figure — no dispersion disclosed
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- 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% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
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 averages
How YEL! Youth Enrichment League Compares
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
- 0.0%
- 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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- 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 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.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
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: 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
- 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
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 |
| 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?
YEL! Youth Enrichment League 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 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), 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?
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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.