Discovery Map franchise
2025 filing · December 1, 2025Shares sales figures
Discovery Map at a glance
A local advertising business that publishes illustrated tourist and visitor maps funded by advertisers, plus digital advertising. At the end of 2025 there were 116 Discovery Map locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Business services
- Franchisor
- Discovery Map International, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1993
- 32 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Waitsfield, Vermont
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $29K–$36K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- For one map area
- Royalty
- 10%
- 10% of gross sales of printed advertising and 25% of gross sales of website ads, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 20% of the then-current Franchise Fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 116
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 116
- Company-owned
- 0
- States
- 28
- Most in Florida, Vermont and Massachusetts
Support and records
From Discovery Map International, Inc’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Discovery Map among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Discovery Map | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $32,775 | Costs less than 99% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 10% | Higher than 95% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 116 | More than 79% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $58,171 | Lower than 100% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.8× | Higher than 57% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Discovery Map franchise costs
Opening one Discovery Map costs an estimated $29,250 to $36,300. 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 $30K.
Source: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, page 13
Discovery Map franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, for one map area. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 10% of gross sales of printed advertising and 25% of gross sales of website ads, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Transfer, Assignment Fee | 20% of the then-current Franchise Fee |
| Renewal Fee | 20% of the then-current Franchise Fee |
| Additional Initial and Optional Training | $75 per hour |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from page 11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Discovery Map publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $58,171
- Median sales
- $53,210
Yearly figures for fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, covering franchised maps that completed a full sales cycle (102 locations). The average is about 1.8 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, pages 32–33
How Discovery Map compares
Of the 324 business services franchises on this site, Discovery Map is the 41st cheapest to open and the 73rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Discovery Map | Typical business services brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $29K | $77K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $36K | $136K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 10% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $58K | $472K | $794K |
| US locations | 116 | 32 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −0.9% | +3.8% | – |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 115 (−2) | 3 |
| 2024 | 119 (+4) | 0 |
| 2025 | 116 (−3) | 0 |
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: franchise failure rates.
Source: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, page 34
Where Discovery Map locations are
At the end of 2025, Discovery Map had franchised locations in 29 states and territories. The most are in Florida, Vermont and Massachusetts.
- Florida12
- Vermont11
- Massachusetts9
- New York9
- North Carolina9
- Colorado7
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Florida | 12 |
| Vermont | 11 |
| Massachusetts | 9 |
| New York | 9 |
| North Carolina | 9 |
| Colorado | 7 |
| Maine | 6 |
| New Hampshire | 6 |
| New Jersey | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 |
All 29 states
| South Carolina | 5 |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 3 |
| Maryland | 3 |
| Rhode Island | 3 |
| Texas | 3 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| Idaho | 2 |
| Michigan | 2 |
| Montana | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 2 |
| Tennessee | 2 |
| California | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Hawaii | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 |
| Utah | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 |
Source: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, page 37
Who owns Discovery Map?
Discovery Map franchises are sold by Discovery Map International, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Discovery Map International, Inc’s 2025 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| 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: Discovery Map International, Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Discovery Map filings
The figures on this page come from Discovery Map International, Inc’s 2025 filing, issued December 1, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | December 1, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
