The Alternative Board franchise
2026 filing · April 7, 2026Shares sales figures
The Alternative Board at a glance
A business coaching practice running peer advisory boards and one-on-one coaching for business owners. At the end of 2025 there were 98 The Alternative Board locations in the US, 88 franchised and 10 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Business services
- Franchisor
- TAB Boards International, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Westminster, Colorado
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $77K–$95K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $44,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%–20% + minimum
- A sliding share of the member fees collected for you (20% up to $125,000 a year, falling to 6% above $200,000), capped at $60,000 a year, with a monthly minimum rising to $1,800, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 2% of amounts collected for the first twelve months, then 2% or $300.00 a month, whichever is more
- Renewal fee
- $5,000.00.
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 98
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 88
- Company-owned
- 10
- States
- 31
- Most in Texas, Colorado and New Jersey
From TAB Boards International, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Alternative Board among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Alternative Board | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $86,268 | Costs less than 90% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $44,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 98 | More than 76% of franchises |
How much a The Alternative Board franchise costs
Opening one The Alternative Board costs an estimated $77,130 to $95,405. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
Source: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 16
The Alternative Board franchise fee
The franchise fee is $44,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | A sliding share of the member fees collected for you (20% up to $125,000 a year, falling to 6% above $200,000), capped at $60,000 a year, with a monthly minimum rising to $1,800, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of amounts collected for the first twelve months, then 2% or $300.00 a month, whichever is more. |
| Technology Fee | The then-current fee. The current fee is $60.00 per month. |
| Transfer Fee | $7,500.00. |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000.00. |
| Initial Training Fee | $24,500.00. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 10 and 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Alternative Board publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 44
SBA loans to The Alternative Board franchisees
Lenders approved 8 SBA 7(a) loans for The Alternative Board franchisees from 2018 to 2025, $893K in all. Of the 5 that have ended, 4 were paid in full and 1 was charged off. The other 3 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How The Alternative Board compares
Of the 324 business services franchises on this site, The Alternative Board is the 163rd cheapest to open and the 86th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Alternative Board | Typical business services brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $77K | $77K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $95K | $136K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $44K | $45K | $40K |
| US locations | 98 | 32 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −22.1% | +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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 128 (+1) | 14 |
| 2022 | 113 (−15) | 13 |
| 2023 | 100 (−13) | 11 |
| 2024 | 96 (−4) | 8 |
| 2025 | 88 (−8) | 10 |
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.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 127 to 88 (−39, −31%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 48
2021–2022: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2024 filing, page 54
Where The Alternative Board locations are
At the end of 2025, The Alternative Board had locations in 31 states. The most are in Texas, Colorado and New Jersey.
- Texas10
- Colorado8
- New Jersey8
- Pennsylvania8
- Florida7
- Ontario6
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Colorado | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Florida | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Ontario | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| California | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Georgia | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 0 | 4 |
All 31 states
| Illinois | 3 |
|---|---|
| Ohio | 3 |
| Virginia | 3 |
| Maryland | 2 |
| Minnesota | 2 |
| Nevada | 2 |
| New York | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 2 |
| Tennessee | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 2 |
| Alberta | 1 |
| Arkansas | 1 |
| Connecticut | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| Montana | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
Source: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 49
Who owns The Alternative Board?
The Alternative Board franchises are sold by TAB Boards International, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From TAB Boards International, Inc’s 2026 filing, page 6.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 9–10. |
|---|---|
| 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: TAB Boards International, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10
The Alternative Board filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from TAB Boards International, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 7, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 7, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
