FacebookMeta
ins the sole right to market on the Internet, including all use of websites, domain names, URLs, linking, advertising, public/social media and/or networking pages and groups (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn)
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
SmallBizPros
Financial servicesSoftware purchasing at SmallBizPros is controlled at the franchisor level, with a tightly mandated technology stack. The system comprises 164 franchised units, all single-operator locations, concentrated in California, Georgia, and Florida. For vendors, this means a single, HQ-driven procurement point for a network of financial services franchises.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
164
164 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-1.205%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
9%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$63K
per unit
Investment range
$9K–$85K
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.
11%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
LinkedInLinkedIn
le right to market on the Internet, including all use of websites, domain names, URLs, linking, advertising, public/social media and/or networking pages and groups (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn) and their
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters
he estimated cost of these items is $3,500. We also require that you install the Padgett Accounting System. The Padgett Accounting System includes a bundle price for software from Thomson Reuters and
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
12 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 11 explicit no's; 11 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
We also require that you install the Padgett Accounting System.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
If Padgett deems necessary, Franchisee shall furnish to Padgett monthly profit and loss statements for the preceding month and a profit and loss statement from the beginning of Franchisee’s fiscal year to the end of the preceding month.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We may designate ourselves, or one of our affiliates, as the approved supplier for given materials, such as marketing materials or forms to be used in 11 25475097.1 your business, and we may charge you our associated costs plus a profit margin for purchases of these materials.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 16
PADGETT may change or modify the system presently identified by the Proprietary Marks including the adoption and use of new or modified trade names, trademarks, service marks or copyrighted materials, and new products and services, and you must use any of these changes in the system as directed as if they were part…
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?
80Item 8
We estimate that the purchases and leases we require you to make will be 80-90% of all purchases and leases you make in establishing and operating the franchise.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
Any supplier who is able to provide supplies and materials meeting our standards and specifications is, in effect, an approved supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Such name registrations, including Padgett or Padgett Affiliate telephone numbers, will automatically become the property of and revert to Padgett upon expiration or termination of the Agreement and Franchisee shall cause any such transfer to be made not later than date of expiration or termination of this Agreement.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees that Padgett or its agents shall, at reasonable times, have the right to examine or audit the books and accounts of Franchisee to verify the Gross Receipts as reported by Franchisee.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Padgett may, from time to time, revise, delete, add to or replace the contents of the Confidential Manuals in Padgett’s sole discretion.
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 independently market on Internet, or use any domain name, address, locator, link metatag, or search technique with words or symbols similar to the Proprietary Marks.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We will not charge you for our personnel costs.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
We also require you to attend each year our annual tax seminar or equivalent other education for which equivalent CE credits are given and for which you acquire PADGETT’s prior written approval, and you also must attend each year either our annual conference or one of our practice management seminars.
The filing answers no to 11 questions
- Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?Item 11
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?Item 12
- 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
- Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?Franchise agreement
- Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?Item 6
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Item 15
- Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at SmallBizPros
SmallBizPros operates 164 franchised units, all held by single-unit operators. The system showed a year-over-year unit decline of 1.2%, suggesting a mature network where replacement and compliance-driven technology sales may be the primary opportunity. The top states by location count are California (12), Georgia (11), Florida (10), Illinois (9), and Pennsylvania (8). No company-owned units are disclosed in the 2026 FDD.
The franchise is classified under financial services and is independently owned, with no parent company on file. The royalty rate is 9.0% of gross revenue, and the initial franchise term runs for 10 years. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the most recent FDD.
Who controls software purchasing
Purchasing authority is centralized. The FDD lists Brian Austin as Chairman of the Board, and with no multi-unit operators in the system, there is no distributed buying center at the franchisee level. All 164 operators are single-unit owners, which means any technology decision that is not explicitly delegated to the franchisee likely requires HQ approval or is directly procured by the franchisor.
For a software vendor, the path is straightforward: you are selling to the corporate entity in Georgia. There is no need to map a complex web of large franchisee groups because none exist in this system.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2026 FDD mandates three specific technology systems. Padgett Accounting System is required, as is Padgett Processing Software. Thomson Reuters is also listed as a mandated vendor. These three systems form the core operational and compliance backbone for franchisees. Any software that overlaps with accounting, tax processing, or financial workflow will need to demonstrate either a clear integration path or a compelling reason to replace an entrenched, mandated vendor.
No other mandated or recommended technology vendors are named in the FDD. This leaves open questions around CRM, payroll, document management, and other operational tools, but any pitch should assume that the Padgett and Thomson Reuters relationship is deeply embedded.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD provides no extract regarding procurement restrictions. This absence means the franchisor does not publicly detail a designated supplier program or approved vendor list beyond the mandated systems in Item 11. For a vendor, this can be a double-edged sword: there is no published list to get on, but also no published barrier to being considered.
Renewal terms, outlined in Item 17, require written notice, full compliance with all agreements, completion of Padgett’s training requirements, signing the then-current Franchise Agreement, and execution of a general release. The renewal term is 10 years. With negative unit growth, the most likely trigger for a software evaluation is a compliance update, a mandated system change, or a franchisee pushing for a modern alternative at the time of renewal.
How to read the SmallBizPros FDD
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding the legal and operational constraints on this franchise system. For software vendors, the critical sections are Item 11 (mandated technology), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), and Item 17 (renewal and termination). The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full filing. Use it to verify the mandated vendor list, identify any new restrictions added in the latest filing, and confirm the decision-maker structure before building your pitch.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on tech stack gaps, unit growth, and decision-maker concentration.
Questions vendors ask
SmallBizPros, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Brian Austin as Chairman of the Board. With a fully mandated tech stack and no multi-unit operators, purchasing authority is centralized at the franchisor headquarters in Georgia.
The 2026 FDD mandates three systems: Padgett Accounting System, Padgett Processing Software, and Thomson Reuters. No POS or alternative operational platforms are disclosed as mandated or recommended.
There are 164 total units, all franchised. The company-owned unit count is not disclosed. The system is entirely single-unit operators, with no multi-unit franchisees on file.
Item 8 of the FDD provides no extract on procurement restrictions. Without a designated supplier list on file, the model appears to be franchisor-mandated for core systems, with other purchasing pathways not publicly detailed.
The initial franchise term is 10 years. Renewal requires full compliance, signing the current agreement, and a general release. With -1.2% unit growth, replacement-driven opportunities may be more common than new-unit sales.
The 2026 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below for the full legal text, including Item 11 tech mandates and Item 17 renewal conditions.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment SmallBizPros files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
150 operators run 150 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit150
Top states by locations
| CA | 12 |
|---|---|
| GA | 11 |
| FL | 10 |
| IL | 9 |
| PA | 8 |
Related Financial services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.