BNI Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a BNI franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
BNI discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it A.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross revenue and membership counts for 90 company-owned and 94 franchised outlets in 2025. Average franchised outlet revenue: $399,084; median: $293,449. No cherry-picking apparent; comprehensive percentile analysis provided.
What a BNI franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 20% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Total recurring fees | 20% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $53,410 – $270,070 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
20% continuing royalty on gross revenues; additional royalty 30% declining quarterly when acquiring existing territory; 25% renewal fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
BNI system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 191 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 2 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 0.5% of outlets |
Very low terminations/non-renewals; 1 closure in 2025. System stability evidenced.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is BNI worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 20% of sales | steeper than 94% of retail & business services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $53,410 | cheaper than most (median $157,952) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade A | more honest than 98% of retail & business services franchises |
| Closure rate | 0.5% of outlets | better than most (median 2.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 5 | more litigious than 88% of peers |
Benchmarked against every retail & business services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a BNI
The franchisor's framing: Gross revenue and membership counts for 90 company-owned and 94 franchised outlets in 2025… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
BNI franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a BNI franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $53,410–$270,070, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do BNI franchise owners make?
- Gross revenue and membership counts for 90 company-owned and 94 franchised outlets in 2025. Average franchised outlet revenue: $399,084; median: $293,449. No cherry-picking apparent; comprehensive percentile analysis provided. We grade this disclosure A for honesty.
- What are the BNI franchise fees?
- BNI's FDD discloses a $35,000 initial franchise fee, a 20% royalty on gross sales, for roughly 20% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 20% continuing royalty on gross revenues; additional royalty 30% declining quarterly when acquiring existing territory; 25% renewal fee.
- What is the BNI franchise profit margin?
- BNI does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross revenue and membership counts for 90 company-owned and 94 franchised outlets in 2025. Average franchised outlet revenue: $399,084; median: $293,449. No cherry-picking apparent; comprehensive percentile analysis provided. Recurring fees alone take about 20% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the BNI franchise failure rate?
- Very low terminations/non-renewals; 1 closure in 2025. System stability evidenced.
- How many BNI locations are there?
- BNI's FDD reports 191 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does BNI have complaints or lawsuits?
- BNI discloses 5 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a BNI franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. BNI scores A on disclosure honesty, carries about 20% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 5 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare BNI to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 35836-202604-14 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with BNI or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.