From the filings

HQ-led decisions

Natural Life CBDKratomKava

Retail non food

Software purchasing decisions at Natural Life CBDKratomKava are controlled at the corporate level by President & Founder Gabriel Suarez. The franchise currently mandates Lightspeed (formerly VEND) as its point-of-sale system and QuickBooks Online for accounting. With 19 total units, the addressable market for new software vendors is small and concentrated at the franchisor's Florida headquarters.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

Live signals

Total units
19
13 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
$222K
Item 19, 2023
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$205K–$354K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
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.

7%of gross sales (FY2024)

Ongoing fees: 7% of gross sales (FY2024)Royalty 5%, Ad fund 2%. Total 7% of gross sales. Drawn against a 15% reference scale.

15% reference

Royalty 5%Ad fund 2%

Mandated & recommended tech

The systems vendors compete with

4 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.

LightspeedLightspeed
Mandatory
POSItem 11

st license and use QuickBooks Online. You must also purchase and use our designated point-of-sale system, VEND (which was acquired by, and is in the process of being rebranded as, Lightspeed), includi

QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
Mandatory
AccountingItem 11

of our Technology Systems Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) Page 25 is your “computer system” (which includes your computer and point-of-sale system). You must license and use QuickBooks Online. Yo

RockbotRockbot
Mandatory
MarketingItem 8

and utilize a company we designate to: (a) develop and/or implement your grand opening marketing campaign; and/or (b) manage your social media. Music You must license and utilize Rockbot Music to cont

VendLightspeed
Mandatory
POSItem 11

er system” (which includes your computer and point-of-sale system). You must license and use QuickBooks Online. You must also purchase and use our designated point-of-sale system, VEND (which was acqu

QuickBooksIntuit
AccountingItem 8

franchised and company-owned Stores from designated or approved suppliers (including purchase from NL Fulfillment). The source of this information is financial data generated from QuickBooks, the fina

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

29 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 2 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?

Yes

Item 11

You must license and use QuickBooks Online.

Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?

Yes

Item 11

We will have independent unlimited access to the data collected by your POS system and security system and there are no contractual limits imposed on our access.

Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

No later than the 15th day of each month, you must prepare and send us a monthly balance sheet and profit and loss statement for your Business in the format we prescribe.

How the franchisor buys

Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?

Yes

Item 8

We are the exclusive supplier for any software, Intranet, Extranet, email accounts, website services, mobile Apps or other technology or services that we provide in exchange for the technology fee

Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?

Yes

Item 11

We may change the components of the Technology Systems from time

How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?

41394

Item 8

During that year, we generated $41,394 in revenue as a result of franchisee purchases or leases of goods or services from designated or approved suppliers (including from us), which represents 7.9% of our total revenue for the 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?

70

Item 8

We estimate between 70% and 80% of the total purchases and leases to establish and operate your Store will consist of source-restricted goods or services, as further described below.

Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?

Yes

Item 8

You must reimburse us for all costs we incur to evaluate products and suppliers you propose.

Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?

Yes

Item 8

If you wish to purchase or lease a source-restricted item from a non-approved supplier, you must send us a written request for approval and submit all additional information we request.

Communications

Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?

Yes

Item 17

22.1 Manual and branded materials; assign telephone numbers, listings and on termination/ domain names; assign customer information and accounts; cancel non-renewal fictitious names; comply with data retention policies; and pay amounts due (also see “r”, below).

Data and IT

Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

You must also comply with the standards established by PCI-DSS to protect the security of credit card information.

Franchise management

Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?

Yes

Franchise agreement

For quality control purposes we may: (a) periodically inspect your Store in accordance with §6.5 and §17.1; and/or (b) engage the services of a “mystery shopper” or quality assurance firm to inspect your Store.

Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?

Yes

Item 11

We can modify the Manual at any time, but the modifications will not alter your status or fundamental rights under the Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) Page 18 Franchise Agreement.

Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?

Yes

Item 11

You must identify and obtain our approval of the site for your Store within 60 days after signing the Franchise Agreement.

Marketing

Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?

Yes

Item 11

Under current policy, you may not: (a) develop, host, or otherwise maintain a website or other digital presence relating to your Store (including any website bearing our Marks); (b) utilize the Internet to conduct digital or online advertising; or (c) engage in ecommerce.

Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?

Yes

Item 11

You must spend at least $20,000 on your grand opening marketing activities during the 60-day period that begins 30 days prior to your opening date.

Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?

Yes

Item 11

Commencing with the expiration of your grand opening period (i.e., 30 days after opening), you must spend at least 2% of your monthly Gross Sales on approved local marketing.

Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You must fully participate and implement all required customer loyalty, rewards and other affinity programs designed to increase customer loyalty, generate new customers or improve overall demand for our network of Stores.

Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?

Yes

Item 11

If your Store is located within a region subject to an advertising cooperative you must: (a) participate in the cooperative according to its rules and procedures and abide by its decisions; and (b) pay a cooperative advertising fee.

Operations

Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?

Yes

Item 8

Inventory All inventory must meet our standards and specifications and be purchased only from suppliers we designate or approve.

Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

All furniture, fixtures and décor must meet our standards and specifications and be purchased from suppliers we designate or approve.

Payments

Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 8

You must use a merchant service provider we designate or approve to process credit card transactions.

Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?

Yes

Franchise agreement

No later than 15 days after the Effective Date, you must send us a completed and executed ACH Agreement authorizing us to electronically debit your designated Account for all amounts owed to us and our affiliates on the applicable due date, excluding any amounts due within 15 days after the Effective Date.

Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You must participate in any gift card program we establish and honor all gift cards, including gift cards purchased from us or another franchisee.

People

Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?

Yes

Item 15

At all times during normal business hours, a fully-trained certified business manager (a “Store Manager”) must be present at the Store to provide onsite management and supervision.

Point of sale

Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

You must also purchase and use our designated point-of-sale system, VEND (which was acquired by, and is in the process of being rebranded as, Lightspeed), including the associated computers, computerized cash registers, cash drawers, point-of-sale terminals, touch screens, bar-code scanners, receipt printers, credit…

Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?

Yes

Item 11

We will have independent unlimited access to the data collected by your POS system and security system and there are no contractual limits imposed on our access.

Training

Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?

Yes

Item 11

We may charge you a training fee of up to $300 per person per day for each person who attends: (a) Management Training after your Store opens; (b) repeat training after failing a prior attempt; (c) remedial training; or (d) additional training requested by you.

Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Attendance is mandatory unless: (a) we designate attendance as optional; or (b) we waive your obligation to attend based on showing of good cause.

The filing answers no to 3 questions
  • Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
  • 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?Item 11

The vendor opportunity at Natural Life CBDKratomKava

Natural Life CBDKratomKava is a small retail non-food franchise with a total of 19 units, split between 13 franchised locations and 6 company-owned stores. The system generated an average unit volume (AUV) of $221,839, according to the 2024 FDD. The royalty rate is 5.0% of gross sales. For a software vendor, the total addressable market is capped at these 19 units, which are spread across five states with a concentration in Florida, Georgia, and Massachusetts. The operator footprint is entirely single-unit operators; no multi-unit franchisees were mapped in the disclosure, meaning every sale is a single-location decision or must go through headquarters.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority is centralized. The FDD lists Gabriel Suarez as President & Founder, making him the primary executive buyer. The support and marketing functions are managed by Jennifer Gassler (Support Manager) and Megan Hoss (Marketing Manager), respectively. These two managers are the most likely internal influencers for any operational support platform or marketing technology. There is no CIO, CTO, or dedicated IT leadership disclosed, which is consistent with a system of this size. A vendor's pitch must resonate with a founder-led leadership team that directly oversees technology mandates for all locations.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2024 FDD explicitly mandates two core systems. The point-of-sale system is Lightspeed by Lightspeed Commerce Inc., which is noted as a rebranding of the previously mandated VEND system. This indicates a recent or ongoing migration within the Lightspeed ecosystem. For accounting, the system mandates QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. No other operational, HR, inventory, or compliance software is disclosed as mandated or recommended. This leaves potential whitespace for vendors in areas like employee scheduling, loyalty, or CBD-specific compliance tracking, though any sale would need to integrate with the mandated Lightspeed POS and QuickBooks Online backbone.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The FDD does not provide an extract from Item 8, so the formal procurement model—whether it uses designated suppliers, approved suppliers, or an open market—is not publicly known. The initial franchise agreement term is 10 years. Renewals are for an additional 5 years and come with significant conditions: franchisees must sign the then-current form of the agreement, which may contain materially different terms and conditions than the original contract, and must remodel the store and upgrade furniture, fixtures, and equipment to current standards. This forced upgrade cycle at renewal is a natural trigger point for introducing new software that can be positioned as part of the modernization requirement.

How to read the Natural Life CBDKratomKava FDD

The full 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. When reviewing it, focus on Item 11 for the complete list of mandated technology and the franchisor's obligations regarding system updates. Cross-reference Item 17 for the renewal conditions that can force a technology refresh. Since the operator base is entirely single-unit, pay close attention to any provisions in Item 8 or the operations manual that restrict a franchisee's ability to adopt software independently of the franchisor's approval. For a ranked target list of franchise systems based on tech-stack fit and procurement timing, talk to FranCloud.

Questions vendors ask

Natural Life CBDKratomKava, answered from the filing

President & Founder Gabriel Suarez is the primary decision-maker. Support Manager Jennifer Gassler and Marketing Manager Megan Hoss are likely influencers for operational and marketing technology, respectively.
The 2024 FDD mandates Lightspeed by Lightspeed Commerce Inc. as the point-of-sale system, which is a rebranding of the previously mandated VEND system. QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. is also mandated.
There are 19 total units: 13 franchised and 6 company-owned. The footprint is concentrated in Florida (4), Georgia (3), and Massachusetts (2), with single units in North Carolina and Texas.
The specific procurement model for technology and supplies is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. The document does not contain an extract from Item 8 regarding designated or approved suppliers.
The initial franchise term is 10 years, with a 5-year renewal term. Renewals require signing the then-current franchise agreement, which may have materially different terms, creating a potential trigger for tech stack re-evaluation.
The 2024 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze the specific contractual obligations and restrictions.
Source

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Natural Life CBDKratomKava2024 FDDView only

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The brands you can actually sell into, from the filings.

Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

18 operators run 18 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit18

Top states by locations

FL4
GA3
MA2
NC1
TX1

Related Retail non food brands

Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.