yorCMO Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
yorCMO is a B2B marketing franchise providing fractional chief marketing officer services to small and midsize businesses. Franchisees run local practices, developing marketing strategy and managing client campaigns and teams.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A yorCMO franchise requires a total initial investment of $14K – $28K, including a $8K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 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 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $14K – $28K
- 5th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 16th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 30
- 29th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services 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 $14K – $28K including a $8K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports Actual rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 55/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 107.1% CAGR over 3 years with 30 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- yorCMO Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Co-Founder
- Joseph Frost
- Incorporated in
- Nebraska
- HQ
- 802 S 80th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68114
- Auditor
- Roos & McNabb CPA's PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $580K
- vs $791K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Joseph Frost
- Headquarters
- NE
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 18
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 93% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $8K | $8K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $3K | $8K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $3K | $13K |
| Total initial investment | $14K | $28K |
Source: yorCMO 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $14K – $28K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $8K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $8K – $8K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- $750
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $120 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $2K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
yorCMO 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 yorCMO unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
376%
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- Actual
- Sample size
- 21
- vs category median 35
- Range (low → high)
- $0→$290K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · below
Compared against 296 Business Services 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 7.0% — below the Business Services average of 11.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Actual rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 107.1% CAGR over 3 years across 30 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Business Services averages
How yorCMO Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 30
- Opened
- 6
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 10.3%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +107.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +107.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 6
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 18 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.
18
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
Two litigation matters, both regulatory/founder-related and resolved: a Virginia SCC finding that yorCMO sold 3 franchises while unregistered (2021 settlement, $6,750 penalties + rescission offers) and an old co-founder fraud/contract suit settled 2018 for $7,500. Financials appear healthy with audited statements, Item 19 disclosed, and strong 107.1% net growth on a 30-unit base.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roos & McNabb CPA's PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORRegulatory: VA SCC unregistered-franchise-sale finding, $6,750 penalties + rescission (2021)
- 02HIGHOld co-founder fraud/breach suit settled 2018 for $7,500
- 03MINORSmall 30-unit system but low 10.3% turnover and audited financials
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 3 years |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Nebraska |
| Litigation count | 2 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 12 hrs
- POS system
- Business Management System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Business Management System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
32 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
yorCMO · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a yorCMO franchise?
The total investment to open a yorCMO franchise ranges from $14K – $28K, with an initial franchise fee of $8K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do yorCMO franchise owners earn?
yorCMO 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 yorCMO 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 yorCMO FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is yorCMO's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for yorCMO (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 yorCMO franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, yorCMO has 30 total units in the United States, including 29 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is yorCMO a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates yorCMO as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 55 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?
If you represent yorCMO, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.