Exercise Coach Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Exercise Coach franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Exercise Coach discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross Sales & Select Operating Expenses (Marketing, Payroll, Rent, Utilities) for 182 Qualifying Studios in 2024. All Qualifying Studios open entire year. Excludes owner compensation, taxes, insurance, technology fees.
What a Exercise Coach franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $259,840 – $389,970 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% Gross Sales minimum $1k/mo royalty; 1% Brand Fund; $4k/mo Local Marketing post-opening; Equipment lease $799/mo.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Exercise Coach system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 215 |
| Ceased operations | 8 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 8 |
| Transferred to new owners | 13 |
| Closure rate | 3.7% of outlets |
8 closures, 8 terminations in 2024 of 191 open Studios = 8.4% churn rate.
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 Exercise Coach worth it? — how it compares to 71 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 9%) |
| Startup cost | from $259,840 | cheaper than most (median $295,540) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 82% of fitness & gyms franchises |
| Closure rate | 3.7% of outlets | worse than 72% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every fitness & gyms franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Exercise Coach
The franchisor's framing: Gross Sales & Select Operating Expenses (Marketing, Payroll, Rent, Utilities) for 182 Qual… 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
Exercise Coach franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Exercise Coach franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $259,840–$389,970, including a $49,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Exercise Coach franchise owners make?
- Gross Sales & Select Operating Expenses (Marketing, Payroll, Rent, Utilities) for 182 Qualifying Studios in 2024. All Qualifying Studios open entire year. Excludes owner compensation, taxes, insurance, technology fees. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Exercise Coach franchise fees?
- Exercise Coach's FDD discloses a $49,500 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% Gross Sales minimum $1k/mo royalty; 1% Brand Fund; $4k/mo Local Marketing post-opening; Equipment lease $799/mo.
- What is the Exercise Coach franchise profit margin?
- Exercise Coach does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross Sales & Select Operating Expenses (Marketing, Payroll, Rent, Utilities) for 182 Qualifying Studios in 2024. All Qualifying Studios open entire year. Excludes owner compensation, taxes, insurance, technology fees. Recurring fees alone take about 7% 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 Exercise Coach franchise failure rate?
- 8 closures, 8 terminations in 2024 of 191 open Studios = 8.4% churn rate.
- How many Exercise Coach locations are there?
- Exercise Coach's FDD reports 215 total outlets, with 8 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 13 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Exercise Coach have complaints or lawsuits?
- Exercise Coach discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Exercise Coach franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Exercise Coach scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Exercise Coach to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 33862-202504-09 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Exercise Coach or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.