From the filings
Software purchasing at BNI is centralized through its North Carolina headquarters, where the executive team controls technology decisions for 191 total units (101 franchised, 90 company-owned). The franchise mandates an Operating Management System and the proprietary BNI Connect platform, creating a defined tech landscape for vendors. With a 2.02% year-over-year unit growth and a 20% royalty rate, the addressable market is compact but concentrated among professional-services locations.
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.
20%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
16 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 13 explicit no's; 5 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to all of this information without any contractual limitations (Franchise Agreement, Article 9).
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Other than BNI Global, LLC and BNI Connect Global, LLC, we and our affiliates did not derive any revenue from the sale of required supplies and materials to franchisees.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may change the CRM provider upon notice to you, but we will not change such provider more than one time each year during the Term of your Agreement with us.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
217582.09Item 8
In the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, BNI Global, LLC derived $217,582.09in revenue from the sale of required supplies and materials to franchisees by way of a rebate or reimbursement following sales effected through a third-party vendor.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
In the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, BNI Global, LLC derived $217,582.09in revenue from the sale of required supplies and materials to franchisees by way of a rebate or reimbursement following sales effected through a third-party vendor.
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?
1Item 8
Your estimated proportion of all required purchases and leases to all of your purchases and leases necessary to establish and operate your franchise is 1% to 5%.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We allow you to use other suppliers to provide many of our supplies and materials as long as we approve the alternative supplier in writing (as described in the procedure below) and these supplies and materials meet our branding standards as provided at www.bnibranding.com/director-materials.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Promptly assign to BNI any interest that Franchisee may have in the telephone number and telephone listing used by Franchisee in connection with the operation of the BNI Franchise.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
BNI, or a representative of BNI, has the unrestricted right to inspect the BNI Franchise and any Chapter meetings as it deems necessary and without prior notice to Franchisee to ascertain Franchisee's compliance with this Agreement; to confer with Franchisee, Franchisee’s employees, independent contractors…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase initial supplies (membership applications, member packets, training materials and other Chapter materials) from the list of items in Exhibit B of the Franchise Agreement, including the Operating Management System, from us, our affiliate or another authorized supplier prior to the opening of your…
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase initial supplies (membership applications, member packets, training materials and other Chapter materials) from the list of items in Exhibit B of the Franchise Agreement, including the Operating Management System, from us, our affiliate or another authorized supplier prior to the opening of your…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
All fees must be paid via ACH or in any other form that we may require.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
Your Principal Owner must supervise the Franchised Business and must successfully complete Executive Director Training program.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to all of this information without any contractual limitations (Franchise Agreement, Article 9).
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
If provided, Franchisor reserves the right to charge Franchisee for additional training.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 6
You must attend one (1) ED Summit (“ED Summit”) each year organized by us at a location determined by us.
BNI operates 191 total units in the professional-services sector—101 franchised and 90 company-owned—with headquarters in North Carolina. The franchise grew unit count by 2.02% year-over-year, signaling modest but steady expansion. For software vendors, the addressable market is the full 191 locations, though purchasing decisions flow through a centralized HQ structure. The brand charges a 20% royalty on franchisees, which may influence operators’ appetite for additional software spend outside the mandated stack. No average unit volume (AUV) is disclosed in the 2026 FDD, so vendors should size the opportunity based on unit count and the professional-services vertical’s typical technology needs.
Software purchasing authority sits at the corporate level. The 2026 FDD lists five C-suite executives: Mary Kennedy Thompson (Chief Executive Officer), Andrew Bender (Chief Financial Officer), David Collins (Chief Operating Officer), Michael Walchonski (Chief Development Officer), and Heather McLeod (Chief Marketing Officer). No chief information or technology officer is named, which suggests operations and marketing leaders likely evaluate and approve technology investments. Vendors should tailor outreach to the COO and CMO as probable buyers, with the CFO involved in financial sign-off. The absence of a dedicated IT executive means pitches must connect software capabilities directly to operational efficiency or member engagement outcomes.
BNI mandates two systems across its network: an Operating Management System and the BNI Connect Management Operating System. The FDD does not name third-party vendors for these platforms, so they may be proprietary or custom-built. No other mandated or recommended technology—such as POS, CRM, or accounting software—appears in the disclosure. This narrow mandate leaves room for vendors offering complementary tools in areas like scheduling, billing, member analytics, or communication, provided they integrate with BNI Connect. Because the tech stack is lean on paper, vendors should confirm the actual in-market technology footprint during discovery conversations with HQ.
The 2026 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so BNI’s supplier model—whether designated, approved, or open—remains undisclosed. Franchise agreements run an initial term of 5 years, with renewal available for successive terms if the franchisee notifies BNI in writing between 6 and 12 months before expiration. BNI retains the right to approve or deny renewal requests and requires the then-current franchise agreement form. These renewal windows, combined with the 5-year cycle, create natural points when franchisees may reassess their technology stack, giving vendors a recurring opportunity to engage HQ about system updates or replacements.
The 2026 BNI Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executive team), Item 11 (mandated systems), and Item 17 (renewal conditions). Because Item 8 is absent, you will not find supplier-program details in this filing. Focus on the mandated tech stack and the centralized decision-making structure to shape your pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise systems aligned with your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment BNI files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
148 operators run 148 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| CA | 26 |
|---|---|
| VA | 8 |
| TX | 8 |
| NY | 8 |
| OH | 7 |
Ownership
unknown of bni enterprises.
Related Professional services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.