QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatory: HARDWARE Computer or Laptop Internet Connection Fax Machine, Copier, Scanner Phone SOFTWARE Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Internet Explorer Windows Operating System QuickBooks As of the
From the filings
+275% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Hite Digital
Professional servicesSoftware purchasing at Hite Digital is controlled at the headquarters level, with Chief Technology Officer Karen Lacayo positioned as the key technical decision-maker. The franchise mandates Go High Level, QuickBooks by Intuit Inc., and Sales Force by Salesforce, Inc., creating both integration opportunities and competitive displacement angles for vendors. With 16 total units (15 franchised) and 275% year-over-year unit growth, the addressable market is small but expanding rapidly.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
16
15 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+275%
vs prior filing
AUV
$304K
Item 19, 2021
Royalty
8%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$57K–$120K
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.
10%of gross sales (FY2022)
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.
FacebookMeta
other presence on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, Li
Facebook AdsMeta
-performance sales teams for fast growing tech start-ups in the Washington, D.C. area. Johanna Valasquez – Ms. Valasquez has more than six years of experience in training for PPC, Facebook ads, and we
InstagramMeta
on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, o
LinkedInLinkedIn
the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, You
PinterestPinterest
advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram,
SalesforceSalesforce
17 to October 2020, Ms. Lacayo served as a Customer Success representative for Fast Cloud Consulting in Delaware. Prior to that, from November 2014 to November 2017, she served as Salesforce Administr
TikTokTikTok
rnet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, or any other
TwitterX
sence on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, P
YouTubeGoogle
otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Hite Digital Business, including any profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, YouTube, Pinterest,
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 5 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
As of the issuance date of this disclosure document, we require you to purchase, use, and maintain the following software programs: Zoom Phone, Zoom Meeting, Sales Force, Go High Level, and Proposal Technology.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor will have full access to all of Franchisee’s data, system, and related information by means of direct access, whether in person, or by telephone/modem installed and maintained at Franchisee’s sole expense.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must also provide an unaudited profit and loss statement covering the Franchised Business for Franchisee’s fiscal year end.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to at any time establish exclusive purchasing arrangements with any of our designated and approved suppliers.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may derive income, consideration and other benefits from your purchases or lease of any products, services, supplies or other items from us and from approved and designated suppliers.
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?
90Item 8
We estimate that approximately 90% to 100% of your expenditures on an ongoing basis will be for goods and services that must be purchased from either us or any Affiliate, an Approved Supplier or in accordance with our standards and specifications.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must reimburse Franchisor for Franchisor’s reasonable costs in connection with testing a particular product or evaluating an unapproved supplier at Franchisee’s request, or pay Franchisor a fee of $500, whichever is greater, regardless of whether Franchisor subsequently approves the item or supplier.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesFranchise agreement
In the event Franchisee wishes to purchase any unapproved item, including supplies and equipment, and/or acquire approved items from an unapproved supplier, Franchisee must provide Franchisor the name, address and telephone number of the proposed supplier, a description of the item Franchisee wishes to purchase, and…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Upon the expiration, transfer or termination of this Agreement for any reason, Franchisee must terminate Franchisee’s use of such telephone number and listing and assign the same to Franchisor or Franchisor’s designee.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee expressly agrees to strictly comply with Franchisor’s standards and specifications for all items associated with Franchisee’s Computer System and any Required Software, including any security software.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
conduct inspections of your Franchised Business, at the frequency and duration that we deem advisable.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will operate the Franchised Business in strict compliance with the Operations Manual, as it may be reasonably changed from time to time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor has the right to review, evaluate and approve Franchisee’s proposed lease for the Approved Location (“Lease”) prior to execution.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is prohibited, however, from establishing any website or other presence on the Internet, except as provided herein.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 11
Each month, you must pay to us a Brand Development Fee in the amount of the greater of $1,500 or 2% of Gross Sales.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to purchase: (a) Franchised Business equipment; and (b) supplies, computer hardware and software, and other equipment from Franchisor’s designated or approved suppliers
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to purchase: (a) Franchised Business equipment; and (b) supplies, computer hardware and software, and other equipment from Franchisor’s designated or approved suppliers
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to purchase: (a) Franchised Business equipment; and (b) supplies, computer hardware and software, and other equipment from Franchisor’s designated or approved suppliers (which may include third party suppliers, Franchisor and/or one or more of Franchisor’s affiliates).
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may institute an electronic funds transfer program (the “EFT Program”) under which Franchisor automatically deducts the Royalty and Brand Development Fees owed to Franchisor under this Agreement, or any other agreement between Franchisee and Franchisor, from Franchisee’s bank account.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee’s Franchised Business must, at all times, be staffed with at least one (1) individual who has successfully completed Franchisor’s initial training program as set forth in Section 8.1.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
Presently, you must purchase hardware and software as set forth below.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We may access the information in your computer system at any time.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
As of the issuance date of this disclosure document, we require you to purchase, use, and maintain the following software programs: Zoom Phone, Zoom Meeting, Sales Force, Go High Level, and Proposal Technology.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
We may require you to attend ongoing Remedial Training; You must also pay your training, additional training, and remedial Ongoing Training Programs expenses as well as training as we determine appropriate or employees’ expenses in necessary throughout the term.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
If we schedule any national business meeting or convention, you must attend and you must pay us a registration fee per attendee as we designate.
The filing answers no to 4 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?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Hite Digital
Hite Digital is a professional services franchise headquartered in Delaware, operating 16 total units—15 franchised and 1 company-owned. The system reported average unit volume (AUV) of $304,005.85 in the 2022 FDD, with a striking 275% year-over-year unit growth rate. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is small: 16 units across a scattered geographic footprint that includes Texas (2 units), Ohio (1), Tennessee (1), Oregon (1), and Maine (1). All 11 mapped operators are single-unit owners; no multi-unit operators appear in the disclosure. This fragmentation means any sale into the franchisee base requires reaching many independent decision-makers, but the franchisor's tight control over technology mandates suggests the real path to adoption runs through headquarters.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2022 FDD Item 1 names four executives: J.C. Hite (Chief Executive Officer), Agustina Cardenal (Chief Operating Officer), Karen Lacayo (Chief Technology Officer), and Jeffrey Zelaya (Vice President of Franchise). For a software vendor, Karen Lacayo as CTO is the most direct entry point for technical evaluation and integration discussions. CEO J.C. Hite and COO Agustina Cardenal likely hold final budget authority. Because the franchisor mandates specific platforms—Go High Level, QuickBooks, and Salesforce—the buying center at HQ is the gatekeeper for any technology that touches franchisee operations. Franchisees have no demonstrated independent purchasing power for core systems; the mandate structure pushes all strategic software decisions to the corporate level.
Mandated and current tech stack
Hite Digital's 2022 FDD mandates three named systems and vendors: Go High Level, QuickBooks by Intuit Inc., and Sales Force by Salesforce, Inc. This stack covers marketing automation and CRM (Go High Level and Salesforce) plus accounting (QuickBooks). The presence of two CRM platforms—Go High Level and Salesforce—is notable and may indicate separate use cases (e.g., agency delivery vs. sales pipeline) or a transition in progress. Vendors selling adjacent capabilities—ERP, payroll, analytics, or integration middleware—should map their value proposition against this mandated core. No POS, scheduling, or additional operational tools are disclosed as required, leaving room for complementary software that integrates with the existing stack.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the 2022 FDD contains no extract regarding procurement policies, designated suppliers, or approved vendor programs. This absence means the formal purchasing process is not publicly documented. However, the renewal terms in Item 17 offer timing signals: franchise agreements run for an initial 5-year term, and renewal requires written notice between 90 days and 9 months before expiration, execution of the then-current franchise agreement (which may contain materially different terms), and payment of a renewal fee. For vendors, the combination of rapid unit growth (275% YoY) and 5-year terms suggests new location openings are the most frequent software evaluation windows, rather than mass renewals. The single company-owned unit may also serve as a testbed for new technology before system-wide mandates.
How to read the Hite Digital FDD
The 2022 Hite Digital Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors: Item 1 lists the executive team and buying center; Item 11 details the mandated technology stack (Go High Level, QuickBooks, Salesforce); Item 17 outlines renewal conditions and contract timing; and Item 20 provides the unit count, growth rate, and operator footprint. The document was filed with state franchise regulators in 2022. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on tech mandates, decision-maker concentration, and unit growth trajectories.
Questions vendors ask
Hite Digital, answered from the filing
The CTO, Karen Lacayo, is the named technology executive. CEO J.C. Hite and COO Agustina Cardenal likely hold budget authority. All purchasing signals point to centralized, HQ-driven decisions given the mandated tech stack.
The 2022 FDD mandates three systems: Go High Level (marketing/CRM), QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. (accounting), and Sales Force by Salesforce, Inc. (CRM). No POS or additional operational platforms are disclosed as mandated.
There are 16 total units: 15 franchised and 1 company-owned. The operator footprint shows 11 mapped operators across approximately 11 located units, with top states including Texas (2), Ohio (1), and Tennessee (1).
The procurement model is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Item 8 contains no extract regarding designated or approved suppliers, so the specific purchasing process for non-mandated software remains unclear.
The initial franchise term is 5 years. Renewal requires 90 days' to 9 months' written notice, execution of the then-current agreement, and a renewal fee. With 275% recent unit growth, new location openings may create additional buying windows.
The 2022 Hite Digital Franchise Disclosure Document is available in the embedded PDF viewer below. It was filed with state franchise regulators in 2022. Review Item 11 for the full mandated tech stack and Item 1 for executive decision-makers.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Hite Digital files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
11 operators run 11 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit11
Top states by locations
| TX | 2 |
|---|---|
| OH | 1 |
| TN | 1 |
| OR | 1 |
| ME | 1 |
Related Professional services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.