Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
We will have independent access to all data in the Sunbelt listing management system.
From the filings
+6.612% units YoYHQ-led decisions
MMI Business Brokers
Professional servicesSoftware purchasing at MMI Business Brokers is controlled at the headquarters level by President Brian Knoderer and President/CEO Ben Davies. The system mandates the Sunbelt Brokerage Management System (SBMS) and the Sunbelt Resource Center, with FrontPorch Solutions and Tupelo also in use. The addressable market consists of 130 total units, 129 of which are franchised.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
130
129 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+6.612%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
—
of gross sales
Ad fund
0%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$61K–$115K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
from the filing
Non-compete
1 years
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
17 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 6 explicit no's; 11 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall also submit to us current financial statements and other reports as we may reasonably request to evaluate or compile research and performance data on any operational aspect of the Business.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
However, Sunbelt’s affiliates, Marathon Management Services, LLC and Front Porch Solutions, LLC may provide certain marketing services for a fee and, as such, will derive profits.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
We reserve the right to change required telephone system vendors from time to time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
we did not receive any revenue based on franchisee purchases during our previous fiscal year.
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?
0Item 8
we did not receive any revenue based on franchisee purchases during our previous fiscal year.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
You may also purchase additional marketing services from other vendors subject to our prior approval which shall be granted upon reasonable requests within thirty (30) days of such requests.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
EXHIBIT E: Collateral Assignment of Telephone Numbers, Telephone Listings and Internet Addresses
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 6
Franchisor has the right to audit Franchisee’s records to ensure Franchisee is providing accurate information in the Quarterly Gross Revenue Reports.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 14
We will modify the Electronic Operations Manual, but the modifications will not alter your status and rights under the Franchise Agreement.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Your business office for your Business must be approved by us and shall at all times be physically located within the Territory.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
We will provide you with one website for your office and you are prohibited from maintaining other separate websites for your office.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Each monthly Marketing Fee payment shall be the greater of (i) the amount described above or (ii) $1,600 per month for a Type 1 Territory or $1,200 per month for a Type 2 Territory.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must participate in our electronic funds transfer program which authorizes us to utilize a pre-authorized bank draft system.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
We will have independent access to all data in the Sunbelt listing management system.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You will be required to use our approved CRM.
Training
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
However, attendance is mandatory for the annual conference, and you will be required to pay the annual conference attendance fee in advance regardless of whether you attend the conference.
The filing answers no to 6 questions
- 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
- 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
- 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 MMI Business Brokers
MMI Business Brokers operates a network of 130 total units, with 129 of those being franchised locations and a single company-owned outlet. The system grew its unit count by 6.612% year-over-year, signaling a modest but positive expansion trajectory. For a software vendor, the addressable market is concentrated: 104 mapped operators have been identified, and every single one of them is a single-unit operator. There are no multi-unit owners controlling blocks of locations, which means a sale to the franchisor is the only path to system-wide adoption.
The geographic footprint is dispersed but clusters in a handful of states. Florida leads with 12 units, followed by California with 10, Texas with 9, South Carolina with 6, and Ohio with 5. The brand is classified under professional services and is headquartered in Ohio. No parent company is on file, indicating the system appears to be independently owned.
Who controls software purchasing
Purchasing authority sits squarely at headquarters. The FDD lists Brian Knoderer as President and Ben Davies as President/CEO of Marathon. In a system of this size and structure, these are the individuals a vendor needs to reach. There is no field operations team or multi-unit franchisee committee to navigate; the decision-making unit is lean and centralized.
Because every franchisee is a single-unit operator, individual owners are unlikely to have the leverage or appetite to adopt unsanctioned software. Any vendor strategy must start with winning over the HQ team. The absence of a parent company further simplifies the org chart—there is no larger corporate entity to layer into the approval process.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2025 FDD is explicit about the core operational software. The Sunbelt Brokerage Management System (SBMS) is mandated, as is the Sunbelt Resource Center. These systems form the backbone of daily operations for franchisees. Additionally, the document names FrontPorch Solutions and Tupelo as technology providers currently in use within the network.
For a vendor pitching MMI Business Brokers, this stack represents both a barrier and an opportunity. Any proposed solution must either integrate with SBMS or demonstrate a compelling reason to replace or supplement it. The presence of named, mandated systems indicates a franchisor that is actively involved in technology selection, which means the HQ team is accustomed to evaluating software and making binding recommendations.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Item 8, which typically outlines designated or approved supplier requirements, provided no signal in this case. Vendors should approach the initial conversation prepared to clarify whether the franchisor operates an open, approved, or designated supplier framework.
Renewal terms offer a potential window for technology change. The initial franchise agreement runs for 10 years. To renew, a franchisee must sign the then-current form of agreement, pay a $2,000 renewal fee, and execute a Waiver and Release of Claims Agreement. The franchisor explicitly notes that the renewal contract “may have materially different terms and conditions than your original contract.” This language creates a natural inflection point where new technology mandates could be introduced across the system as franchisees renew.
How to read the MMI Business Brokers FDD
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding the legal and operational constraints of selling into this system. Key items for a software vendor to scrutinize include Item 11 (the source of the mandated SBMS and Sunbelt Resource Center disclosures) and Item 17 (which governs renewal conditions and the 10-year term). Item 8 should be reviewed in full to determine the procurement model, given that the extract provided here contained no signal.
A close reading of Item 1 will confirm the identities and backgrounds of the executives who control purchasing. With only 130 units and a centralized management structure, the FDD is a compact but critical document for building a pitch strategy. For a ranked target list tailored to your software category, FranCloud can help you identify where MMI Business Brokers sits among your best-fit franchise prospects.
Questions vendors ask
MMI Business Brokers, answered from the filing
The buying center is led by Brian Knoderer (President) and Ben Davies (President/CEO of Marathon). As a small, HQ-controlled system, these executives are the primary decision-makers for any software vendor pitching the brand.
The 2025 FDD mandates the Sunbelt Brokerage Management System (SBMS) and the Sunbelt Resource Center. FrontPorch Solutions and Tupelo are also named as current technology providers within the system.
There are 130 total units: 129 franchised and 1 company-owned. The operator base is entirely single-unit operators, with the highest concentration in Florida (12), California (10), and Texas (9).
The specific procurement model is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. The Item 8 extract provided contains no signal regarding designated or approved supplier requirements, so the model remains unconfirmed.
The initial franchise term is 10 years. Renewal requires signing the then-current agreement, paying a $2,000 fee, and executing a release of claims. Contract windows may align with these 10-year cycles or system-wide tech changes.
The 2025 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze the full legal document and its specific disclosures.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment MMI Business Brokers files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
104 operators run 104 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit104
Top states by locations
| FL | 12 |
|---|---|
| CA | 10 |
| TX | 9 |
| SC | 6 |
| OH | 5 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind MMI Business Brokers
single_brand_holdco of Marathon Management Services.
Related Professional services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.