Hear Again America Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Hear Again America franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Hear Again America discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
16 affiliate-owned outlets FY2025: avg net sales $468,617 (range $227,094-$1,040,942); EBITDA margin 5%-25%. 7 franchised outlets: avg net sales $375,019 (range $76,879-$1,126,155). Cherry-pick: excludes part-time locations, 2 franchised units.
What a Hear Again America 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 | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 12% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 17% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $190,600 – $333,950 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Deferred initial fees (CA, IL, MD). 5% royalty + $500/mo tech fee + 12%-15% mandatory advertising spend. Liquidated damages up to $100k or 24mo royalty.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Hear Again America system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 41 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
No terminations/transfers reported 2023-2025. Only 10 franchised outlets; 33 company-owned declined 2 units.
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 Hear Again America worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 17% of sales | steeper than 90% of retail & business services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $190,600 | pricier than 60% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 2.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 Hear Again America
The franchisor's framing: 16 affiliate-owned outlets FY2025: avg net sales $468,617 (range $227,094-$1,040,942); EBI… 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
Hear Again America franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Hear Again America franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $190,600–$333,950, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Hear Again America franchise owners make?
- 16 affiliate-owned outlets FY2025: avg net sales $468,617 (range $227,094-$1,040,942); EBITDA margin 5%-25%. 7 franchised outlets: avg net sales $375,019 (range $76,879-$1,126,155). Cherry-pick: excludes part-time locations, 2 franchised units. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Hear Again America franchise fees?
- Hear Again America's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 12% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 17% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Deferred initial fees (CA, IL, MD). 5% royalty + $500/mo tech fee + 12%-15% mandatory advertising spend. Liquidated damages up to $100k or 24mo royalty.
- What is the Hear Again America franchise profit margin?
- Hear Again America does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 16 affiliate-owned outlets FY2025: avg net sales $468,617 (range $227,094-$1,040,942); EBITDA margin 5%-25%. 7 franchised outlets: avg net sales $375,019 (range $76,879-$1,126,155). Cherry-pick: excludes part-time locations, 2 franchised units. Recurring fees alone take about 17% 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 Hear Again America franchise failure rate?
- No terminations/transfers reported 2023-2025. Only 10 franchised outlets; 33 company-owned declined 2 units.
- How many Hear Again America locations are there?
- Hear Again America's FDD reports 41 total outlets, with 0 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 Hear Again America have complaints or lawsuits?
- Hear Again America 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 Hear Again America franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Hear Again America scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 17% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Hear Again America or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.