YEL! franchise
2025 filing · June 16, 2025Growing
YEL! at a glance
A youth enrichment business running after-school classes and camps at schools, on subjects from chess to robotics. At the end of 2024 there were 5 YEL! locations in the US, 2 franchised and 3 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Industry
- Education
- Franchisor
- YEL Franchising, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Carver, Minnesota
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $45K–$72K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $22,500
- Plus $10 for each public elementary school over 75 in the territory
- Royalty
- 6% + minimum
- 6% of monthly gross revenue with a monthly minimum, plus 1% to the brand fund and a 1% technology fee
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 25% of the then-current flat fee amount of initial franchise fee.
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 5
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 2
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 2
- Most in Minnesota and Wisconsin
Support and records
From YEL Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
YEL! among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | YEL! | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $58,150 | Costs less than 95% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $22,500 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 5 | Fewer than 71% of franchises |
How much a YEL! franchise costs
Opening one YEL! costs an estimated $44,800 to $71,500. 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 $50K.
The biggest costs are initial franchise fee ($22,500) and additional funds and working capital for first 3 months ($5,000 to $15,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $22,500 | ||
| Vehicles | $0 | $1,200 | |
| Real Estate, Furniture and Equipment | $200 | $2,000 | |
| Initial Supplies | $3,500 | $4,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $1,800 | $3,700 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Ongoing Marketing | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Technology Expenses | $2,500 | $3,000 | |
| Insurance | $600 | $700 | |
| Permits and Licenses | $200 | $400 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $1,000 | $4,000 | |
| Additional Funds and Working Capital for First 3 Months | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Total | $44,800 | $71,500 | |
Source: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 14
YEL! franchise fee
The franchise fee is $22,500, plus $10 for each public elementary school over 75 in the territory. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of monthly gross revenue with a monthly minimum, plus 1% to the brand fund and a 1% technology fee. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly. |
| Technology Fee | 1% of your monthly Gross Revenue |
| Transfer Fee | 25% of the then-current flat fee amount of initial franchise fee. |
| Renewal Fee | 25% of the then-current flat fee amount of initial franchise fee. |
| Initial Training Fee | Currently, $500 per day. |
| Local Marketing | 2% of Gross Revenue |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from page 11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures YEL! does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 32
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | YEL! | Typical education brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +100% / +100% | +3.7% / +24% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 2.5% / 16% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical education brand is the median of the 88 brands in education franchises with three years of counts.
How YEL! compares
Of the 221 education franchises on this site, YEL! is the 24th cheapest to open and the 146th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | YEL! | Typical education brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $45K | $120K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $72K | $228K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $23K | $42K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 5 | 15 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 148 of 221 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 221 brands in education franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 (+1) | 4 | – | – |
| 2022 | 1 (0) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 (0) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 (+1) | 3 | +1 | 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.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2024, franchised locations went from 0 to 2 (+2). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 33
2021: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2024 filing, page 34
Where YEL! locations are
At the end of 2024, YEL! had locations in 2 states. The most are in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Minnesota2
- Wisconsin2
Source: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 34
Who owns YEL!?
YEL! franchises are sold by YEL Franchising, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From YEL Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing, page 9.
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: YEL Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
YEL! filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from YEL Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing, issued June 16, 2025; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | June 16, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
