You will be responsible for purchasing any additional hardware, upgrades, software, Internet connection and service, dedicated telephone and power lines, and other computer related accessories, peripherals, and equipment. Currently, we require you to purchase data processing software (e.g., Microsoft Office suite products) and an accounting software program (e.g., QuickBooks Pro) to go along with our Proprietary Software. You will be responsible for maintaining a high-speed internet access for the computer system. You will be responsible for maintaining the one or more e-mail addresses assigned to you by us. You will use such e-mail address(es) at all times when communicating within the System and to the public.” We currently estimate the costs of purchasing these items to range from approximately $2,000 to $4,000, but these estimated costs may change over time as technology changes.
From the filings
Craters & Freighters Franchise
Professional servicesCraters & Freighters is a 65-unit professional services franchise with 64 franchised locations and one company-owned unit. The 2026 FDD names QuickBooks by Intuit and Microsoft Office suite products in its technology requirements, and the franchisor controls standards through an approved-supplier model. For software vendors, the addressable market is 64 franchised locations plus the franchisor’s own operations.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ordinary royalty terms
5% component; full terms unconfirmed
Complete royalty terms are not confirmed for the selected filing.
Recorded percentage components
These are recorded percentage components. Each has its own base and conditions; the chart does not state the total payment or confirm ad-fund completeness.
1recorded components (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
17 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 8 explicit no's; 9 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?
YesItem 11
Currently, we require you to purchase data processing software (e.g., Microsoft Office suite products) and an accounting software program (e.g., QuickBooks Pro) to go along with our Proprietary Software.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to independently access your electronic information and data through a proprietary data management and intranet system, and to collect and use your electronic information and data in any manner we choose to promote the development of the franchise system and the sale of franchises.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
You must promptly accept and comply with any change to the System and incur any expenditures as necessary to comply with the System; however, such expenditures will not exceed an aggregate amount of $10,000 during the term of your Franchise Agreement.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
Neither we nor any of our Affiliates derived any revenue in 2025 from franchisee purchases or leases of products and services from our designated suppliers, but we and our Affiliates reserve the right to do so in the future.
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?
2Item 8
We estimate that the purchase of products and services from us or our designated or approved sources, or those meeting our standards and specifications, will be approximately 0% of your total cost to establish a Craters & Freighters Franchised Business, and 2% to 3% of your total cost of operating a Craters &…
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to require you to pay or reimburse us for the reasonable cost of investigation in determining whether a proposed alternative supplier satisfies our specifications.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you desire to use suppliers other than those which have been approved by us, you must submit your request to us in writing.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
discontinue use of telephone numbers associated with the Franchised Business
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 9
s. Inspections and audits Sections 6.18, 12 of Franchise Agreement Item 11
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
may be modified from time to time to reflect changes in the image, specifications, standards, procedures, products and System Standards for Craters & Freighters Franchised Businesses, provided that no such addition or modification will alter your fundamental status and rights under the Franchise Agreement.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must select the area and Premises for your Franchised Business subject to our consent.
Marketing
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Cooperative has been established for a geographic area where your Craters & Freighters Franchised Business is located when the Franchise Agreement is signed, or if any Cooperative is established during the term of the Franchise Agreement, you must become a member of the Cooperative and abide by the rules of the…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We Business, your Minimum will provide you with Monthly Royalty Fee will written notice prior to be tied to the Minimum collecting such payments Performance Standards we through direct debit. determine for the Weekly payments may be successor term. required by us upon 30 days written notice to you.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
At least one member of your staff must be designated as the lead salesperson for your Franchised Business (“Lead Salesperson”), and such Lead Salesperson will direct the lead generation efforts and manage the day- to-day customer sales of your Franchised Business.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to independently access your electronic information and data through a proprietary data management and intranet system, and to collect and use your electronic information and data in any manner we choose to promote the development of the franchise system and the sale of franchises.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
The cost of any training provided by us (upon your request or as determined by us) to any Designated Manager engaged by you after the opening of your Franchised Business will be paid by you based on our then-current daily rate for additional training;
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 6
As incurred. Franchisee owners or their Attendance Fee designees are required to attend our annual convention.
The filing answers no to 8 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 11
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Item 8
- Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
The vendor opportunity at Craters & Freighters
Craters & Freighters operates 65 total units, of which 64 are franchised and 1 is company-owned. The Item 19 section makes no financial performance representation, so no average unit volume figure is available from the filing.
For software vendors, the practical addressable market is the 64 franchised locations. The franchisor’s own location is a single unit, but the franchisor’s standards and approval rights make HQ the key gatekeeper for any technology sale into the system.
Who controls software purchasing
The franchisor controls technology standards through Item 11 of the FDD. The filing states: “Currently, we require you to purchase data processing software (e.g., Microsoft Office suite products) and an accounting software program (e.g., QuickBooks Pro) to go along with our Proprietary Software.” It also anticipates that franchisees “may be required to upgrade or update the computer system during the term of the franchise.”
This means the franchisor sets the baseline technology stack, and franchisees must comply. Any vendor selling into the system must first clear the franchisor’s standards, then win individual franchisee adoption. The decision-making level is HQ for standards and franchisee-level for execution.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
Item 11 names two third-party systems: QuickBooks by Intuit and Microsoft Office suite products. The filing requires franchisees to purchase data processing software and an accounting software program, and it gives Microsoft Office and QuickBooks Pro as examples of what meets those requirements. The franchisor also has its own Proprietary Software that franchisees must use alongside these tools.
No other third-party software systems are named in the FDD. The filing’s technology requirements are functional — data processing and accounting — rather than a closed list of approved vendors. That leaves room for vendors in adjacent categories, but any replacement or addition must satisfy the franchisor’s specifications.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 establishes an approved-supplier model. Franchisees must purchase certain insurance policies from a designated insurance supplier. For other equipment, products, and services, franchisees must meet or exceed minimum requirements and specifications established by the franchisor. Franchisees may propose alternative suppliers, and the franchisor will approve them based on criteria.
The filing also discloses that The Great Online, owned by Chief Growth Officer Tony Shaw, provides some franchisees with SEO assistance, but those services do not fall into an area where the franchisor has established approved suppliers. Neither the franchisor nor its affiliates derived revenue from franchisee purchases from designated suppliers in 2025, but they reserve the right to do so in the future.
Renewal terms run 15 years. To renew, a franchisee must sign the then-current Franchise Agreement, meet financial performance targets, execute a general release, and pay a successor fee. These renewal events create natural windows for software re-evaluation, especially if the franchisor updates its technology standards between terms.
How to read the Craters & Freighters FDD
The embedded PDF below is the brand’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. For vendor due diligence, start with Item 11 (technology and training), Item 8 (supplier restrictions), Item 17 (renewal, transfer, and termination), and Item 19 (financial performance). Item 20 lists outlet counts by state, which is useful for territory planning. Item 2 names the officers, though the list in this summary is not necessarily exhaustive.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, talk to FranCloud.
Ordinary royalty terms
Complete royalty terms are not confirmed.
Questions vendors ask
Craters & Freighters Franchise, answered from the filing
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Operator footprint
Craters & Freighters Franchise’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Professional services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Read the original filing for definitions, conditions, and qualifications.