Goosehead Insurance Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Goosehead Insurance franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Goosehead Insurance discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses producer gross revenues by region/year (2023-2025) for new/renewal business; averages 37-40% meet average. Omits net income, operating costs, franchisee profitability data.
What a Goosehead Insurance franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 35% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 37% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $66,000 – $111,500 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty: 20% new business, 50% renewal. Marketing up to 2%. Technology $590-$420/user monthly. Multiple ancillary fees apply.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Goosehead Insurance system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 1,022 |
| Ceased operations | 165 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 51 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 16.1% of outlets |
165 ceased operations (2025); 51 terminations; -93 net outlets YoY trend indicates systemic attrition.
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 Goosehead Insurance worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 37% of sales | steeper than 99% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $66,000 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 16.1% of outlets | worse than 93% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 5 | more litigious than 83% of peers |
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 Goosehead Insurance
The franchisor's framing: Discloses producer gross revenues by region/year (2023-2025) for new/renewal business; ave… 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
Goosehead Insurance franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Goosehead Insurance franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $66,000–$111,500, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Goosehead Insurance franchise owners make?
- Discloses producer gross revenues by region/year (2023-2025) for new/renewal business; averages 37-40% meet average. Omits net income, operating costs, franchisee profitability data. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Goosehead Insurance franchise fees?
- Goosehead Insurance's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 35% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 37% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty: 20% new business, 50% renewal. Marketing up to 2%. Technology $590-$420/user monthly. Multiple ancillary fees apply.
- What is the Goosehead Insurance franchise profit margin?
- Goosehead Insurance does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses producer gross revenues by region/year (2023-2025) for new/renewal business; averages 37-40% meet average. Omits net income, operating costs, franchisee profitability data. Recurring fees alone take about 37% 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 Goosehead Insurance franchise failure rate?
- 165 ceased operations (2025); 51 terminations; -93 net outlets YoY trend indicates systemic attrition.
- How many Goosehead Insurance locations are there?
- Goosehead Insurance's FDD reports 1,022 total outlets, with 165 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Goosehead Insurance have complaints or lawsuits?
- Goosehead Insurance 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 Goosehead Insurance franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Goosehead Insurance scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 37% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 5 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Goosehead Insurance or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.