BeLocal franchise
2025 filing · October 10, 2025Fewer locationsShares sales figures
BeLocal at a glance
A local magazine business publishing BeLocal for people new to an area, funded by advertising sold to local businesses. At the end of 2025 there were 148 BeLocal locations in the US, 135 franchised and 13 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Business services
- Franchisor
- N2 Franchising, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Irving, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $2K–$12K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $735
- Waived for owners starting a new publication under this filing
- Royalty
- 15% of ad value + costs
- N2 keeps 15% of the advertising value of each issue plus a publication expense for printing, mailing and other publishing work; the owner is paid the rest as a commission
- Brand fund
- None now
- No brand fund
- Agreement length
- 3 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 148
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 135
- Company-owned
- 13
- Change in 3 years
- −4
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 34
- Most in Texas, Ohio and Florida
Support and records
From N2 Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
BeLocal among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | BeLocal | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $6,918 | Costs less than 100% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $735 | Lower than 99% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 148 | More than 82% of franchises |
How much a BeLocal franchise costs
Opening one BeLocal costs an estimated $1,925 to $11,910. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the franchises under $10K.
The biggest costs are office furniture & equipment ($0 to $2,650) and computer hardware & software ($0 to $2,650). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $735 | ||
| Office Furniture & Equipment | $0 | $2,650 | |
| Computer Hardware & Software | $0 | $2,650 | |
| Office Supplies and Stationery | $90 | $125 | |
| Insurance Coverage (1 year) | $400 | $650 | |
| Initial Training Expenses | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $0 | $2,100 | |
| Licenses and Permits | $0 | $500 | |
| Entity Formation | $100 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds (for first 3 months of operation) | $600 | $1,000 | |
| Total | $1,925 | $11,910 | |
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 31
BeLocal franchise fee
The franchise fee is $735, waived for owners starting a new publication under this filing. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | N2 keeps 15% of the advertising value of each issue plus a publication expense for printing, mailing and other publishing work; the owner is paid the rest as a commission. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | No brand fund |
| Software Fee | Currently $0 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, pages 14 and 38
Other fees as filed, from page 22. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures BeLocal publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 55
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | BeLocal | Typical business services brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +1.5% / −2.9% | 0% / +3.6% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 67% / 151% | 5.9% / 25% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 9% / 17% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical business services brand is the median of the 114 brands in business services franchises with three years of counts.
How BeLocal compares
Of the 324 business services franchises on this site, BeLocal is the cheapest to open and the 58th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | BeLocal | Typical business services brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $2K | $77K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $12K | $136K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $735 | $45K | $40K |
| US locations | 148 | 32 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 187 of 324 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 324 brands in business services franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 139 (+28) | 1 | – | – |
| 2023 | 154 (+15) | 3 | +67 | −52 |
| 2024 | 133 (−21) | 10 | +60 | −81 |
| 2025 | 135 (+2) | 13 | +103 | −101 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: home-based franchises and franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 111 to 135 (+24, +22%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 59
2022: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2024 filing, page 53
Where BeLocal locations are
At the end of 2025, BeLocal had locations in 35 states and territories. The most are in Texas, Ohio and Florida.
- Texas18
- Ohio11
- Florida10
- North Carolina10
- Colorado9
- Arizona8
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 15 | 3 | 18 |
| Ohio | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Florida | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| North Carolina | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Colorado | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Arizona | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| California | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Georgia | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Illinois | 7 | 0 | 7 |
All 35 states
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 61
Who owns BeLocal?
BeLocal franchises are sold by N2 Franchising, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From N2 Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 13. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: N2 Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on page 13, bankruptcy on page 13
BeLocal filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from N2 Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing, issued October 10, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | October 10, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
