Affordability calculator

Can you afford it? (The easy part.)

This is a rough gut-check, not the real question. It models investment vs. cash, financing, and fees to a ballpark cash flow — but whether a franchise is worth it is decided by things a calculator can't see: whether you're buying a job or an asset, how many units it really takes, and what happens if you want out. That analysis lives in the brand files. Use this to size the money, then go read the verdict.

Pick a brand to prefill real FDD numbers, or enter your own. Your own labor and salary are not counted as profit.

Your numbers

Prefill from a brand (optional)

Total initial investment ($)

FDD Item 7 — total to open one unit.

Cash you'll invest ($)

The rest is financed below.

Loan rate (% APR)

Loan term (years)

Expected annual revenue ($)

FDD Item 19 where disclosed — remember it's an average of selected units, not a promise.

Royalty + ad fund (%)

Store margin before fees (%)

Store margin = profit after COGS, labor, rent & utilities but before franchise fees and loan payments. 10–20% is typical for food; be conservative.

The estimate

Amount financed—

Loan payment (annual)—

Franchise fees (annual)—

Operating profit after fees—

Est. owner cash flow / yr—

Cash-on-cash return—

Simple payback on your cash—

Read this before you trust the number

This estimate does not include a salary for your own full-time work — owner cash flow is what's left after fees and debt but before paying yourself. A positive number is not the same as a good living. Item 19 is an average of a franchisor-selected group of units; your unit may earn far less.

Prefill data is drawn from each brand's most recent FDD (see the individual franchise files for sources). Some brands — 7-Eleven, Kumon, Anytime Fitness, Chick-fil-A — use fee structures that aren't a simple percentage of sales (gross-profit splits, per-student fees, flat monthly fees, or an operator model). For those, the royalty field is left for you to fill and the estimate is rougher; read the brand's file for how its fees really work. This tool is an educational estimate, not financial advice — see our disclaimer.