From the filings
Software purchasing at Set the Stage is controlled at the headquarters level by a tight executive team led by CEO Cameron Wheat. The franchisor mandates the Set The State Management App across its 9-unit system, which includes 8 franchised and 1 company-owned location. With a small, concentrated footprint and a 10-year initial term, vendors face a single-buyer dynamic where timing renewals and demonstrating integration with the mandated stack are critical.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
8%of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
23 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 7 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?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will use QuickBooks Online to manage Franchisee’s accounting and financial records. No other accounting software may be used unless approved by Franchisor.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor reserves the right to have full access to Franchisee’s QuickBooks Online account to determine royalties to charge, audit Franchisee’s records, and to advise Franchisee.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will furnish to Franchisor, at the times and in a form Franchisor prescribes from time to time: (a) A complete and properly filled out Monthly Revenues Report, as defined in Section 3.3 above, for each month.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are currently among the approved supplier for the items listed above.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may amend the Operations Manual, including changes that may affect minimum requirements for your franchise operations.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During calendar year 2023, we received no such revenue.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We also reserve the right to receive rebates, price adjustments, or discounts on products or services sold to you by recommended or approved 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?
50Item 8
We estimate that purchases from approved suppliers or Franchisor will be from 50% to 100% of the total purchases you make to establish and operate your franchise.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We may approve other suppliers for the equipment or supplies outlined above.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges and agrees that Franchisor has the absolute right to, and interest in, all domain names, websites, and search engines related to the Franchised Business (the “Digital Assets”) and that Franchisor has the full right and authority to direct the Digital Assets and to instruct all search engines…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
The accounts, books, records, and tax returns of the Franchisee shall be open for inspection, examination and audit by Franchisor and its authorized representatives at all times.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may modify the Operations Manual, but the modifications will not alter your basic status and rights under the Franchise Agreement.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Both the principal office and the warehouse facility must be located in the Operating Territory and must be approved in advance by the Franchisor.
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 covenants that it will use only the website provided by Franchisor and that it will not maintain any other website or link to any other website relating to activities conducted in connection with this Agreement, without the express written approval of Franchisor.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Prior to commencement of operations the Franchisee shall stage a Grand Opening, with the assistance of Franchisor.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase supplies, products, and services only from distributors and suppliers approved by the Franchisor.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase supplies, products, and services only from distributors and suppliers approved by the Franchisor.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We will auto-withdraw from your bank account the amount to cover Royalty Fee payments.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 16
In offering these products and services, you may use only materials, supplies, uniforms, forms, and products that meet our specifications.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
will subscribe to, activate and pay for Franchisee and each of Franchisee’s team members any software prescribed from time to time in the Operations Manual or in Franchisor’s System Standards, includingaccounting software, point-of-sale or payment processing services or software
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 7
You will be required to have Franchisor as a user and can be listed as “Reports Only” for the user type access.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may, from time to time, offer additional training programs for Franchisees, their employees and team members, which may include a annual system-wide Summit.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
We require our franchisees to attend our annual Summit, which is generally held each January.
Set the Stage operates a compact network of 9 real estate-focused units—8 franchised and 1 company-owned—under parent company The Key Design, LLC. For software vendors, the addressable market is small and concentrated: a single operator is mapped in Wisconsin, and no multi-unit operators are recorded. The most recent Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) reports no year-over-year unit growth, meaning the system is stable but not expanding. Vendors should approach this as a single-account sale with potential for deep integration rather than a volume play.
The royalty rate is 6.0% on gross revenue, and the initial franchise term runs 10 years. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the FDD. Because the franchisor mandates a specific management application, any complementary software must either integrate with that system or replace it entirely—a high bar given the mandate.
Purchasing authority sits with the C-suite at the Utah headquarters. The 2024 FDD lists Cameron Wheat as CEO, Lisa Wheat as COO, and Courtney Clark as CCO. In a system this small, these three executives likely evaluate and approve any technology that touches franchise operations. There is no indication of a franchisee advisory council or decentralized purchasing. Vendors should direct outreach to the CEO and COO, framing value in terms of operational efficiency and compliance with the mandated tech stack.
The only technology explicitly mandated in the FDD is the Set The State Management App. No other POS, CRM, or back-office systems are named as required or recommended. This creates a clear integration point for vendors selling adjacent tools—accounting, marketing automation, or lead management—provided they can demonstrate compatibility. The absence of a named POS mandate suggests franchisees may have flexibility there, but any solution must not conflict with the core management app.
Item 8 of the FDD does not extract a procurement signal, meaning there is no published designated-supplier or approved-supplier program. Franchisees may have autonomy in selecting non-mandated software, though HQ’s tight control over the core stack implies informal approval is likely required. Renewal terms under Item 17 are clear: franchisees must be in full compliance, provide notice, sign the then-current Franchise Agreement, and pay a renewal fee. The new agreement may contain materially different terms, and royalties can increase up to the ceiling imposed on similarly situated renewing and new franchisees. The renewal term is 10 years. With only 9 units and no disclosed growth, software contract opportunities will arise sporadically as individual franchise agreements approach their renewal dates.
The 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding Set the Stage’s obligations, fees, and technology mandates. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executive team), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), Item 11 (mandated systems), and Item 17 (renewal and transfer conditions). The embedded viewer below provides the full text. Focus on the management app mandate and the centralized decision-making structure when building your pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Set the Stage files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| WI | 1 |
|---|
Ownership
unknown of the key design.
Related Real estate brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.