Verified — real FDD extraction
Not found in the SBA Franchise Directory under this name — though SBA loans to its franchisees exist; verify eligibility with your lender
THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD
Other · independent · est. —
The Alternative Board is a business advisory franchise that organizes peer advisory boards and coaching for owners of small and mid-sized companies. A franchisee facilitates monthly board meetings and one-on-one coaching sessions with local business-owner members, typically working from a home office.
THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD net unit count declined -11.7% from 2018–2025 per its FDD Item 20.
New to franchising? Start here
A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.
Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:
- Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
- Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
- Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).
The verdict
Proven & steady
Distress
A real track record with an unremarkable region of the ledger: neither the growth nor the exits stand out, for better or worse. The main concern in the record: the system is shrinking.
Exit rate · latest year
17.7%
fiscal 2025, per Item 20
Cost to open
$77K–$95K
Item 7 total investment range
SBA loan defaults
30.0%
10 loans resolved — directional only
Behind the verdict
the record, factor by factor · Item 20
3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1
terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3
transfers vs. base · Table 3
actual vs. projected openings · Table 5
Item 19 disclosure + completeness
Systemwide units
2023–2025
Survival record
FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year
In fiscal 2025, 17 of 96 franchised outlets left the system — a 17.7% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.
Show the outlet tables ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Status (FTC) | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 148 | 148 | 140 | 126 | 111 | 104 |
| Opened | 10 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| Transfers | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Terminations | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Non-renewals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 9 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 4 | 12 |
| Outlets at end | 148 | 140 | 140 | 111 | 104 | 98 |
| Net change | 0 | -8 | 0 | -15 | -7 | -6 |
The lender's view
SBA 7(a)/504 loan performance · FY1991–present
Banks have made 13 SBA-backed loans to THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchisees since 2006. Only 10 have resolved so far — too thin for a reliable default rate, but 3 of them charged off.
—
10 resolved · too thin to rate
—
avg. charged-off $ ÷ approved $
—
default rate × loss severity
$111,100
what recent franchisees borrowed
45 mo
approval → charge-off, defaulted loans
3 vs 5
distinct banks still lending
Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%)
SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD BY FRANCHISE NAME · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL
What it costs — and what it drags
FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty
Buying in means a $44K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $77K–$95K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.
To open (Item 7)
$77K–$95K
all-in investment range
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$44K
upfront, one-time
Royalty (Item 6)
20%
of sales, ongoing
Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.
Royalty you'd pay / yr
$200K
20% of sales, before profit
Over a 10-yr term
$2M
royalties alone, excl. ad fund
This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.
Build a real pro-forma for THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD with an independent CPAModeled risk
FDD Risk Score · modeled from the public record
The public record puts this brand toward the riskier end of the systems we score — but the evidence is thin, so treat it as a range, not a number.
Risk percentile (range)
66–90 / 100
Directional
Modeled SBA charge-off
17.2%
Observed SBA charge-off
30.0%
Top drivers: Investment ceiling (log) (raises) · Item 20 exit rate (raises) · System size (log units) (raises) · Royalty rate (lowers). Thin loan history — treat this as a range, not a number. A linear scorecard built from this brand's own disclosure figures plus the federal loan record behind its franchisees; full spec and cross-validated accuracy on the methodology page. A score is context, not a verdict.
Distress signals
news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits
No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise questions, answered from the filings
What percentage of THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchises closed last year?
In THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 17 of 96 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 17.7%. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.
How much does a THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD franchise cost?
Per THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD's 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $44K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $77K–$95K (Item 7).
What royalty does THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD charge?
THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD charges an ongoing royalty of 20.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2026 FDD.
Does THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD disclose earnings (Item 19)?
Yes — THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2026 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.