lities sufficient to run all of the software required to operate your Franchised Business; (ii) a laser printer meeting our standards and specifications; (iii) updated versions of QuickBooks, Microsof
From the filings
The Designery
Financial servicesSoftware purchasing at The Designery is driven by a franchisor mandate that covers business management, closet design, kitchen design, and Service Minder platforms. With 73 franchised units and a 2026 FDD on file, the addressable market is modest but concentrated under a single decision-making structure. Vendors should understand the mandated stack and the HQ executives who control technology standards before engaging.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
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.
9%of gross sales (FY2026)
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.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
28 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 3 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
Franchisor may require use of a specific accounting software and version thereof as set forth in the Operations Manual, and Franchisee will be solely responsible for any associated cost.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
There are no contractual limitations on our right to access data stored in the Business Management and Technology System, and we may program the Business Management and Technology System to automatically transmit data and reports about the operation of your Franchised Business to us.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will, at its expense, submit to the Franchisor within 60 days of the end of each calendar year of the Franchised Business during the term of this Agreement, a complete financial statement for the said calendar year, including, without limitation, both an income statement and balance sheet, which may beā¦
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
we approve or designate suppliers (which may be us or an affiliate of ours) from time to time in the Operations Manual and otherwise in writing (each an āApproved Supplierā).
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor has the irrevocable right to modify, supplement, or otherwise change its lists of Approved Suppliers and any items that must be purchased from such Approved Suppliers at any time, as Franchisor deems advisable in its sole discretion.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
2546609Item 8
The total revenue of $2,546,609 represents 60% of Franchisorās total revenue of $4,232,602.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may derive income in the form of rebates or marketing allowances paid to us by Approved Suppliers that we require you to use.
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?
70Item 8
approximately 70% to 95% of your total ongoing purchases and leases to operate the Franchised Business after the initial start-up phase.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You will be required to pay us a $1,000 alternative supplier fee/new product review fee plus our actual cost of the inspection and our actual cost of testing the proposed product or evaluating the proposed service or service provider, including personnel and travel costs to review any alternate supplier.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you wish to purchase any unapproved item, including inventory, and/or acquire approved items from an unapproved supplier, you must provide us the name, address and telephone number of the proposed supplier, a description of the item you wish to purchase, and the purchase price of the item, if known.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor reserves the right to procure and supply all telephone numbers and email accounts associated with the Franchised Business.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees that, in order to maintain the high quality and uniform standards associated with the Franchise System and to protect its goodwill and reputation, Franchisee will permit Franchisor, during business hours, to inspect Franchiseeās Franchised Business or attend a project site, confer with Franchiseeā¦
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor will have the right to add to and otherwise modify the contents of the Operations Manual from time to time in writing in any manner, including through the Operations Manual, email, Franchisorās website, or any other means.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Your Approved Location is subject to our written approval.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Except as approved in advance in writing by Franchisor, Franchisee must not establish or maintain a separate website, splash page, profile or other presence on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Franchised Business, including any profile onā¦
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
In connection with the opening of the Franchised Business, you must spend a minimum of $15,000 for grand opening advertising and promotion in the 30 days prior to opening the Franchised Business and the 60 days after opening the Franchised Business in accordance with a plan that you must submit to us.
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
In addition to the Brand Fund Contributions, each month you are required to spend the greater of (i) 3% of your Gross Revenue generated during the immediately preceding calendar month; or (ii) $3,000 per month on advertising and promoting your Franchised Business within the Designated Territory in accordance with ourā¦
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
If a Cooperative is established applicable to the Franchised Business, Franchisee must participate in the Cooperative.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
The Franchisee must currently use Franchisorās designated suppliers to purchase any items and/or services necessary to operate the Franchised Business.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase your initial inventory, Business Management and Technology System, branded items, signage and marketing materials, marketing services (of which we are an Approved Supplier), computer equipment and software, insurance, grand opening marketing, and other ongoing marketing from one of our Approvedā¦
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
With the exception of the Initial Franchise Fee, you must pay all fees and other amounts owed to us and/or our affiliates via electronic funds transfer (āEFTā) through an electronic funds transfer program (the āEFT Programā), under which we automatically deduct all payments owed to us and/or our affiliates from theā¦
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
The Franchised Business must, at all times, be staffed with at least one individual who has successfully completed the Initial Training Program.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Approved Products and Approved Services All Approved Products that we may designate, Approved Services, Approved Location/Storage Facility, vehicles, supplies, equipment, tools, uniforms, forms, advertising materials, computer hardware and software, and inventory used by you in connection with the Franchised Businessā¦
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
The Business Management and Technology System will use third-party software from our approved vendors, including our digital platform system, for point-of-sale functions, email marketing, and all customer management functions.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall also have the right to, at any time without notice, electronically connect with Franchiseeās Computer System to monitor or retrieve data stored on the Computer System or for any other purpose Franchisor deems necessary.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must obtain, maintain, and use the business management and technology system that we specify periodically in the Manuals .
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may charge Franchisee its thenācurrent training tuition fee for Franchisee and any other persons that attend such additional or refresher training, and Franchisee will be solely responsible for any and all expenses associated with such training (including travel, lodging, meals and employee wages incurred).
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Attendance at the Annual Conference is mandatory.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?Franchise agreement
The vendor opportunity at The Designery
The Designery operates 73 franchised locations, with no company-owned units disclosed in the 2026 FDD. The system is headquartered in North Carolina and classified under financial services. For software vendors, the addressable market is 73 franchise locations that must comply with HQ-mandated technology standards. The absence of disclosed company-owned units means the entire footprint is franchised, making the franchisor the sole gatekeeper for technology adoption across the system.
Average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. The royalty rate is 7.0%. Initial term length and year-over-year unit growth are also not disclosed. Vendors should weigh the modest unit count against the concentration of decision-making authority when evaluating the sales opportunity.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD Item 1 lists five executives: Casey Ridley (Co-Founder and President), Jeffrey Dudan (Chief Executive Officer), Michael OāDriscoll (Chief Operating Officer and President of Franchising), Joshua Krisher (Chief Financial Officer), and Thomas Ryan, Jr. (Chief Development Officer). Technology mandates are set at the HQ level, and the COO/President of Franchising is the most likely operational buyer for systems that touch franchisee workflows. The CFO is the probable financial approver for enterprise-level software investments.
No parent company is on file, indicating The Designery is independently owned. This simplifies the buying process: vendors need to influence only this leadership team, not a multi-brand corporate parent.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD mandates four categories of technology: a Business Management and Technology System, closet software, kitchen software, and Service Minder Software. All are listed as mandated, meaning franchisees cannot opt out or substitute alternatives without franchisor approval. This creates a single point of entry for vendors whose products can replace or integrate with these mandated systems.
Specific vendor names for the mandated systems are not disclosed in the available FDD extracts. Vendors should use discovery calls to map the incumbent providers and identify integration or displacement opportunities. The presence of both closet and kitchen software mandates reflects The Designeryās dual focus on closet and kitchen design services.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the supplier qualification process is not publicly documented. Vendors should expect some form of designated or approved supplier program given the mandated technology requirements. Without an Item 17 renewal extract or disclosed term length, contract renewal cycles cannot be estimated from public filings. The lack of year-over-year unit growth data further limits visibility into expansion-driven software buying windows.
How to read the The Designery FDD
The 2026 FDD is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executive team), Item 11 (mandated technology systems), and Item 8 (procurement restrictions, if available in the full document). The FDD is filed with state franchise regulators and serves as the authoritative source on franchisor policies. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
The Designery, answered from the filing
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
Weāll email you the moment The Designery files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
The Designeryās FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Ownership
The portfolio behind The Designery
holding_vehicle of Homefront Brands.
Sibling brands
Related Financial services brands
Primary franchise filings Ā· updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.