Brightway Insurance Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Brightway Insurance franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Brightway Insurance discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross commission revenue by producer count (2024); new business policy production; annualized premium by owner; production ramp-up. Cherry-picks high performers; excludes underperformers and failed locations.
What a Brightway Insurance franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Advertising fund | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 3% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $23,325 – $136,900 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
20% new business, 50% renewal commissions retained by franchisor. Variable shared expenses, E&O, transfer fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Brightway Insurance system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 338 |
| Ceased operations | 48 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 16 |
| Transferred to new owners | 2 |
| Closure rate | 14.2% of outlets |
48 ceased ops (2024); 16 terminations (3-yr); 40 ceased ops (2023); modest recent growth.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Brightway Insurance worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 3% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $23,325 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 14.2% of outlets | worse than 92% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Brightway Insurance
The franchisor's framing: Gross commission revenue by producer count (2024); new business policy production; annuali… 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
Brightway Insurance franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Brightway Insurance franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $23,325–$136,900, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Brightway Insurance franchise owners make?
- Gross commission revenue by producer count (2024); new business policy production; annualized premium by owner; production ramp-up. Cherry-picks high performers; excludes underperformers and failed locations. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Brightway Insurance franchise fees?
- Brightway Insurance's FDD discloses a $35,000 initial franchise fee, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 3% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 20% new business, 50% renewal commissions retained by franchisor. Variable shared expenses, E&O, transfer fees.
- What is the Brightway Insurance franchise profit margin?
- Brightway Insurance does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross commission revenue by producer count (2024); new business policy production; annualized premium by owner; production ramp-up. Cherry-picks high performers; excludes underperformers and failed locations. Recurring fees alone take about 3% 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 Brightway Insurance franchise failure rate?
- 48 ceased ops (2024); 16 terminations (3-yr); 40 ceased ops (2023); modest recent growth.
- How many Brightway Insurance locations are there?
- Brightway Insurance's FDD reports 338 total outlets, with 48 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 2 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Brightway Insurance have complaints or lawsuits?
- Brightway Insurance discloses 1 legal matter 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 Brightway Insurance franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Brightway Insurance scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 3% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Brightway Insurance? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Brightway Insurance to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: MN CARDS 34758-202509-04 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Brightway Insurance or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.