Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
To use such accounting, record keeping and reporting systems as may be approved by us from time to time;
From the filings
ACFN is a financial-services franchise based in California with 210 franchised locations. Software purchasing decisions run through the HQ team led by President/CEO Jeffrey D. Kerr, with operational oversight from VP of Operations Gershon Yakir. The franchisor mandates a proprietary lead allocation and tracking system, creating a defined technology environment for vendors to navigate.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
2.25%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
22 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 8 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
To use such accounting, record keeping and reporting systems as may be approved by us from time to time;
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We may, as often as we deem appropriate, including on a daily basis, independently access the computer systems that you must maintain in connection with the operation of the franchise and to retrieve all information relating to the operation of the franchise (FA - Article 10.2).
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within fifteen (15) days after the end of each calendar month, a profit and loss statement for the BUSINESS for the immediately preceding calendar month and a year-to-date balance sheet as of the end of such month;
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesFranchise agreement
If required by us, to participate in such ACFN franchisee advisory council as may be established or sponsored by us from time to time and to attend and participate at such meetings of such advisory council as may be required by us from time to time;
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
To maintain at all times such arrangements with (and only with) such electronic funds transfer systems, automatic bank transfer systems, inventory control systems, record keeping and reporting systems and all related computer hardware and software systems, as we may designate or approve from time to time;
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
677304Item 8
During our 2025 fiscal year (October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025), we received revenue in the amount of $677,304 from required purchases of products and services by franchisees, which was 4.52% of our total revenue of $14,999,971 according to our audited financial statement attached as Exhibit B.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates reserve the right to collect rebates and other consideration from third party approved suppliers of 1% to 10% or more of franchisee purchases.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
20Item 8
We estimate that between 50% and 70% of the cost in establishing your ACFN business will be on required purchases and leases, and that between 20% and 60% of the cost of operating your ACFN business will be on required purchases and leases.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We have procedures for approving vendors and suppliers you recommend based on safety and professional compatibility.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
you will notify the telephone company and all telephone directory publishers of the termination or expiration of your right to use any telephone, telecopy or other numbers and any regular, classified or other telephone directory listings associated with any Marks, authorize the transfer of such numbers and directory…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to present to your customers such evaluation forms that we periodically prescribe and to participate and/or request your customers to participate in any surveys performed by us or on our behalf.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right at any time during regular business hours, and without prior notice to you, to inspect and audit, or cause to be inspected and audited, your (if you are a corporation or partnership) and the BUSINESS’ business, bookkeeping and accounting records, sales and income tax records and returns and other…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may periodically modify Methods of Operation, as we determine, and any such modifications may obligate you to invest additional capital in the BUSINESS (“Capital Additions”) and/or incur higher operating costs;
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You may not locate and operate an ATM at a particular location under the Franchise Agreement until you have reviewed/selected that location, received our prior approval of that location and met all of our then-current criteria for operating additional ATMs.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
As of the issuance date of this disclosure document, you must purchase from us at least one ATM and an extra cash cassette when you sign the Franchise Agreement.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall purchase or lease such Equipment from us, or our affiliate, at our then-current prices, or, at our direction, from sources or suppliers approved or designated in writing by us.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
To maintain at all times such arrangements with (and only with) such electronic funds transfer systems, automatic bank transfer systems, inventory control systems, record keeping and reporting systems and all related computer hardware and software systems, as we may designate or approve from time to time;
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
At all times, the franchise must be under the direct management and supervision of a Managing Owner or a trained and qualified manager we approve.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
To wear and require all managers and employees to wear such uniforms or apparel in operation of the BUSINESS as we may designate from time to time, such uniforms or apparel to be purchased by you from suppliers or sources designated by us;
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We may, as often as we deem appropriate, including on a daily basis, independently access the computer systems that you must maintain in connection with the operation of the franchise and to retrieve all information relating to the operation of the franchise (FA - Article 10.2).
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may require your Managing Owner and/or previously trained and experienced employees to attend periodic refresher training courses at such times and locations that we designate, and we may charge reasonable fees for such courses.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
If required by us, your Managing Owner and such of your managers and other personnel as we may reasonably require, shall attend and participate at any additional or supplemental training courses, conventions, conferences, seminars and franchisee meetings which may be conducted by or on behalf of us from time to time.
ACFN operates 210 franchised locations, all under a single franchise model with no company-owned units disclosed in the 2026 FDD. The brand is based in California and sits in the financial services segment. For software vendors, the addressable market is exactly those 210 units, though the system contracted by roughly 9.9% year-over-year. That contraction signals a franchise system that may be consolidating or facing churn — a dynamic that can either freeze technology budgets or create urgency for tools that improve unit economics.
The royalty rate is 1.25%, a relatively low figure that suggests franchisees retain more revenue at the unit level. That can mean more discretion over local software spend, but only where the franchisor does not mandate a system. Here, the franchisor does mandate a core piece of technology, which centralizes at least one major purchasing decision at HQ.
The 2026 FDD Item 1 names five executives: Jeffrey D. Kerr (President/CEO), Dana Kerr (Corporate Secretary), Avi Blankroth (Executive Vice President), Nida Crisostomo (Controller), and Gershon Yakir (VP Operations). No dedicated CIO, CTO, or VP of Technology appears in the filing. In a system this size, the President/CEO and VP Operations are the most likely approvers for technology that touches franchise operations. The Controller may weigh in on financial or back-office tools. Vendors should expect a concentrated buying group at the top of the organization rather than a dispersed, franchisee-led procurement process — at least for any system that the franchisor intends to mandate or recommend.
The FDD mandates lead allocation and tracking software, delivered through a proprietary system. No third-party vendor is named for this function. Beyond that mandate, the FDD does not disclose any other required or recommended technology — no POS, no accounting platform, no CRM, no scheduling tool. That absence does not mean those tools are not in use; it means the franchisor has not chosen to mandate or disclose them in the franchise disclosure document. For a vendor, this creates a landscape where the one known, non-negotiable system is proprietary, and everything else is potentially open to franchisee choice or HQ recommendation without a formal mandate.
Item 8, which typically describes procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, contains no extract in our corpus. Without that signal, we cannot confirm whether ACFN requires franchisees to buy from specific vendors, maintains an approved-supplier list, or leaves procurement entirely open. Similarly, Item 17 — covering renewal, termination, and transfer — shows no extract, so contract cycle timing and renewal windows are not publicly mapped. The combination of a shrinking unit count and absent procurement signals suggests vendors should approach with a clear ROI case tied to revenue recovery or cost reduction, rather than assuming a routine technology refresh cycle.
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is the primary source for the data above. It is filed with state franchise regulators and available in the embedded viewer on this page. When reading it, focus on Item 11 (franchisor's obligations) for any additional technology mandates not captured here, and Item 8 for procurement restrictions if a future filing includes that extract. The executive list in Item 1 is your starting point for identifying the buying center. For a ranked list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize targets by mandate strength, unit count, and growth trajectory.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
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Related Financial services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.