QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatoryas Office 365 (either Personal version or Office, Home and Student version). You must purchase accounting software that we designate as provided by an Approved Supplier (currently QuickBooks Essential
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Elder-Well
Health servicesSoftware purchasing at Elder-Well is controlled at the headquarters level by a small executive team led by President and CEO Kara Harvey. The franchisor mandates QuickBooks Essentials Online by Intuit Inc. for financial management. With only 3 total units (2 franchised, 1 company-owned), the addressable market is extremely limited, making this a niche target for vendors offering complementary or migration-ready solutions.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
3
2 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
—
per unit
Investment range
$131K–$508K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
8%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 6 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?
YesItem 11
You must purchase accounting software that we designate as provided by an Approved Supplier (currently QuickBooks Essentials Online) as well as a third-party data automation company responsible for providing scheduling and contact management.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee’s Financial Records for the Franchised Business as contained in this software database or elsewhere will be fully accessible by Franchisor at all times;
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must compile, keep and submit to Franchisor the books, records and reports according to reporting formats, bookkeeping and accounting methodologies and time schedules that Franchisor establishes from time to time in the Manuals or otherwise in writing.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may change equipment, Services and Related Products and/or suppliers at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In our fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, neither we nor any affiliate derived revenue from the sale of supplies, Services and Related Products to franchisees.
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
approximately 2% to 5% of your cost to operate the Franchised Business on an ongoing basis.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
With advance written notice, you may request our approval to add new products, services or supplies that are not then part of the Franchised Business.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee specifically agrees that as between Franchisor and Franchisee, Franchisor has the sole right to and interest in all telephone numbers and directory listings associated with any Mark.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that it shall hold such information in the strictest of confidence, and protect such information in accordance with the confidentiality provisions set forth in this Agreement, then-current industry standards applicable to such information (including but not limited to the Payment Card Industry…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Inspect your Franchise Location at any time it is open for business or at any other reasonable time to check on the condition and operation for compliance with the Franchise Agreement and require that franchisee comply with any other applicable laws.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have the right from time to time to add to, and otherwise modify, the Manuals to reflect changes in authorized Services and Related Products, the System, and specifications, standards and operating procedures of an Elder-Well Business and certain fees associated therewith.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must select a location for the operation of your Franchised Business within your LSA subject to our approval, which must be a leased or owned residential home or commercial space that is unoccupied and dedicated specifically to the Franchised Business.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You may not create, develop, maintain, and/or use your own website, blog, vlog, social network, or other on-line venue or communication on the Internet using any of the Marks.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Unless otherwise explicitly stated in the Manuals, Supplies must be purchased from suppliers designated or approved by us (“Approved Suppliers”).
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Unless otherwise explicitly stated in the Manuals, Supplies must be purchased from suppliers designated or approved by us (“Approved Suppliers”).
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Payments for Royalty Fees, Brand Development Fees, Technology Fees, and any other fees owed to Franchisor will be due no later than the 1st of the month for the preceding Reporting Period and will be paid by debiting Franchisee’s bank account through electronic funds transfer (“EFT”).
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor reserves the right to expand required software and to access all information and data in connection with the Franchised Business produced by Franchisee’s computer system.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase and at all times exclusively use customer relationship management software as required by Franchisor for the Franchised Business.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may also require your Owner (if you are an entity) and you to attend refresher courses and additional training courses, and may charge a fee for this, which will in no event be less than $500 per attendee.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee or at least one manager of Franchisee’s staff shall, in every instance during the Term of this Agreement, attend Franchisor’s annual/regional meeting if Franchisor holds such a meeting.
The filing answers no to 6 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 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 participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Elder-Well
Elder-Well is a health-services franchise based in Massachusetts with a total of 3 units—2 franchised and 1 company-owned—as disclosed in its 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The system is small, and no year-over-year unit growth rate is reported. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is just 3 locations. This is not a volume play; it is a relationship-driven opportunity where a single deal could cover the entire system if you win HQ approval.
Average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed in the FDD, so vendors cannot benchmark revenue-based ROI for franchisees. The royalty rate is 6.0%, and the initial franchise term is 10 years. These numbers suggest a standard franchisor economic model, but the tiny footprint means any software sale will be low in total contract value unless it carries a high per-unit price or expands beyond the current unit count.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing decisions at Elder-Well are centralized. The 2025 FDD lists Kara Harvey as President and CEO and Ken Harvey as Vice President and COO. These two executives are the most likely final decision-makers for any system-wide software adoption. Laura Erb, Program Development and Training Director, and Taylor Seitz, Franchisee Support and Training, may influence tools that affect training or program delivery. Kelly Mirken, Program Manager of Therapies, could be a stakeholder for clinical or therapy-management platforms.
Because the system has only 3 units, there is no multi-tiered buying center. A vendor’s pitch will almost certainly need to go through the C-suite. The operator footprint is not mapped in our corpus, meaning no franchisee-level buyer names are available. This reinforces the HQ-centric purchasing dynamic.
Mandated and current tech stack
The only technology system mandated in the 2025 FDD is QuickBooks Essentials Online by Intuit Inc. This is a financial accounting platform, not a point-of-sale or operational system. No other mandated or recommended vendors are named in Item 11 or elsewhere in the disclosure. This leaves a wide-open landscape for vendors selling POS, scheduling, CRM, HR, compliance, or therapy-management software—provided they can integrate with or replace the existing QuickBooks environment.
Vendors should note that QuickBooks Essentials is a cloud-based small-business accounting product. Its presence suggests the franchisor values simplicity and low overhead. Any proposed software must align with that ethos and demonstrate clear integration paths.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the 2025 FDD contains no extract regarding procurement restrictions or designated suppliers. This means the franchisor has not publicly disclosed a closed procurement model. In practice, vendors should assume an open or approved-supplier model and be prepared to justify their solution directly to HQ.
Franchise agreements run for 10 years. Renewal conditions include providing notice, paying a successor fee, signing the then-current Franchise Agreement (which may contain materially different terms), not being in default, completing additional training and refurbishment, and signing a general release. These renewal triggers could create natural windows for software evaluation, especially if the franchisor updates its tech stack as part of refurbishment requirements. However, with no recent unit growth reported, the primary timing opportunity is the renewal cycle of existing franchisees or a strategic initiative at HQ.
How to read the Elder-Well FDD
The full Elder-Well 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executives), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, if any), Item 11 (mandated systems), and Item 17 (renewal and term). Because the system is so small, the FDD is the single best source of truth on who buys and what is required. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on real FDD data.
Questions vendors ask
Elder-Well, answered from the filing
President and CEO Kara Harvey and Vice President and COO Ken Harvey are the top executives. Program and training directors may influence operational tools, but final purchasing authority likely rests with the C-suite given the small size.
The 2025 FDD mandates QuickBooks Essentials Online by Intuit Inc. No POS or other operational systems are disclosed as mandated or recommended.
Elder-Well has 3 total units in the US: 2 franchised and 1 company-owned, according to the 2025 FDD.
The 2025 FDD does not disclose a specific procurement model or designated supplier list in Item 8. Vendors should inquire directly about approved supplier processes.
Franchise agreements run 10 years with renewal conditions including a successor fee and potential materially different terms. Contract windows may align with renewal cycles or new unit openings, but no recent growth is reported.
The Elder-Well FDD is filed with state franchise regulators in 2025. You can view it directly in the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Elder-Well’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Health services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.