FranConnectFranConnect
Mandatorypdates to any component of your Computer System, and determine the additional cost for the services. Software System You must license our Software System (currently GGPro, Qvinci, FranConnect, one vid
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
The Grounds Guys
Home servicesThe Grounds Guys requires every location to license its full Software System — GGPro, Qvinci and FranConnect among them — plus QuickBooks Online, and bars substituting any other software. Across 219 fully franchised US locations, the Item 19 average is $820,392 for a cohort of 161 reporting businesses, though franchised outlets fell 4.4% year over year, and the brand sits inside KKR alongside Junk King, Precision Door Service and Mr. Appliance.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
219
219 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-4.367%
vs prior filing
AUV
$820K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$44K
per unit
Investment range
$108K–$253K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
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.
8%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
5 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.
IntuitIntuit
Mandatoryme specify and pay the monthly charges applicable to such software usage. Currently, we require that you also license QuickBooks Online either directly from our designated vendor, Intuit Limited, or t
QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatoryputer system and data THE GROUNDS GUYS - 2026 FDD 49 • Data backup and recovery system of your choice • QuickBooks Online, licensed pursuant to the terms and conditions at https://quickbooks.intuit.co
QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
Mandatorys, accounting, reporting and other software we from time to time specify and pay the monthly charges applicable to such software usage. Currently, we require that you also license QuickBooks Online ei
QvinciQvinci
Mandatoryment and/or technology. We may modify or discontinue the Call Center Program at any time upon notice to you. Software System You must license the Software System (currently GGPro, Qvinci, FranConnect,
LMNLMN
ING PROGRAM (REQUIRED) Hours of Hours of on Subject online/virtual the job Location training training 1X1 coaching sessions w/ Sure 14+ Live Virtual Training Start 1x1 coaching w/ LMN 6+ Live Virtual
ParadoxParadox
te of this Disclosure Document we don’t anticipate an increase of more than 30% annually in addition to any price increases from the vendor, Paradox, Inc. You may opt out of using Paradox at any time.
QuickBooks PayrollIntuit
spend your access to any or all software within the Software System if you fail to timely pay these fees. Other QuickBooks add-ons may be available, that are not required, such as QuickBooks Payroll,
ValpakValpak
enter Licensing, LLC in Los Angeles, CA. From April 2021 till July 2022, he was self-employed as a consultant in Los Angeles, CA. From May 2017 until April 2021, he was the CEO of Valpak Direct Market
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 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?
YesItem 8
We require that you use an appropriate chart of accounts, comply with our operating procedures and specifications, including internal audit standards, and use our required software (as part of the Software System) and that your accounting must also be compatible with our required software system.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the Software System and certain information in your Computer System, including sales and related data, and there are no contractual limitations on our right to access this information and data.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
In addition, within 15 days after the end of each month, you must submit to us the following information for the preceding month: (i) copies of your most recent balance sheet and statement of profit and loss, including a summary of your costs for labor, rent and other material cost items; and (ii) if requested by us…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to designate a primary or single source of supply for certain products and supplies, and we or our affiliates may be that single source.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
The MAP Fund is administered in part by an Advisory Council consisting of our President; our Vice President of Operations; a member of our Marketing department; and certain franchisees elected by their peers.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to designate a primary or single source of supply for certain products and supplies, and we or our affiliates may be that single source.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We or an affiliate (including ProTradeNet) may make available to you the opportunity to participate from time to time in certain discounts, rebates, or other benefits in connection with approved suppliers (collectively, “Rebates”), if you meet certain conditions, such as supplier terms and conditions and attendance…
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?
20Item 8
The cost of items purchased in accordance with our specifications represents approximately 50% to 77% of your total purchases in connection with the establishment of your Business and approximately 20% of your on-going purchases in connection with operation of your Business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay upon demand our (or the third party’s) actual costs of the testing and any related costs/expenses (regardless of whether we grant an approval).
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
You may purchase from other suppliers if you follow our supplier approval procedures, as described in the Manuals, and obtain our prior written approval.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
assign and transfer all right, title and interest in the telephone numbers, domain names, and social media or digital marketing accounts used at any time for the Business
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must make sure that you are in compliance with all laws that are applicable to the Computer System or other technology used in the operation of your Business, including all data protection or security laws as well as payment card industry compliance.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesItem 12
Beginning with the second full calendar year of operations, your Business must achieve (a) in each calendar year, annual Gross Sales that are in the top 90% of the annual Gross Sales per franchised business for The Grounds Guys franchise system for that calendar year (the “Gross Sales MPS”) and (b) a Net THE GROUNDS…
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
We and our authorized representative have the right to visit and inspect your Business at all reasonable times during the business day for the purpose of making periodic evaluations and to ascertain your compliance with the provisions of this Agreement, and to inspect and evaluate your services, supplies or products…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We will revise the Operations Manual and these standards, procedures, techniques and management systems periodically to meet changing conditions and in the best interest of THE GROUNDS GUYS Businesses and the System.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
We will approve your site so long as it meets our site selection guidelines.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
You may not separately register any domain name containing any of the Marks or operate a website or social media account for your Business.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 6
Regardless of whether we impose the Minimum Local Marketing Spending on you, you must spend at least $25,000 for local marketing during each of Year 1 and Year 2 of operation of the Business (the “Initial Marketing Spend Requirement”, and with the Minimum Local Marketing Spending, collectively, the “Minimum Local…
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 6
Regardless of whether we impose the Minimum Local Marketing Spending on you, you must spend at least $25,000 for local marketing during each of Year 1 and Year 2 of operation of the Business (the “Initial Marketing Spend Requirement”, and with the Minimum Local Marketing Spending, collectively, the “Minimum Local…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right to designate local advertising markets and advertising cooperatives and/or local marketing groups for such markets (collectively, each such cooperative or group, a “LMG”), and if designated, you must participate in the LMG and its programs in your designated local advertising market.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You may be required to pay by automatic bank draft all current and future fees specified in this Item 6.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
We require that you use an appropriate chart of accounts, comply with our operating procedures and specifications, including internal audit standards, and use our required software (as part of the Software System) and that your accounting must also be compatible with our required software system.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the Software System and certain information in your Computer System, including sales and related data, and there are no contractual limitations on our right to access this information and data.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may also require you to attend and complete a “refresher” training course or advanced training course if we determine that you are not current on all aspects of the System or are otherwise in need of training.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
You must attend, at your expense, any annual franchise convention we may hold or sponsor and any meetings relating to new services or products, new operational procedures or programs, training, business management, sales or sales promotion, or similar topics, including any system-wide teleconferences or…
The filing answers no to 2 questions
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 16
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Item 8
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- 95.3% of home services brands mandate no POS, leaving a massive whitespace for tech vendors to target before competitors catch on.By identifying the 525 brands with no mandated POS, your sales team can prioritize high-fit targets and cut prospecting waste by 40%, converting weeks of manual research into a single query that surfaces ready-to-sell accounts.
- Teams spend weeks manually combing through FDDs to assess unit counts and financials across 554 active home services brands.Replacing manual FDD research with instant corpus search saves 15+ hours per brand evaluation, allowing your team to assess 10x more targets and accelerate pipeline velocity by 30%.
- Without instant access to AUV data, you cannot gauge franchisee ROI or brand health across 239 disclosed home services brands.Seeing median AUV of $661,803.61 at a glance lets you prioritize brands with strong unit economics, increasing win rates by focusing on financially healthy targets and avoiding low-ROI pursuits.
The vendor opportunity at The Grounds Guys
219 fully franchised US locations already license an entire mandated Software System — GGPro, Qvinci and FranConnect among its named components — with no substitution allowed, and QuickBooks Online is also required. The Item 19 average is $820,392 for a cohort of 161 reporting businesses split by tenure, and the brand sits inside KKR alongside Junk King, Precision Door Service, Mr. Appliance and HouseMaster, giving a vendor a multi-brand home-services portfolio to court through one relationship.
Who controls software purchasing
CEO Michael Anthony Davis, President Lori Johnson, VP of Operations Philip Peter Hultquist, SVP Corporate Controller Malia Gelfo, and VP of Finance Heather Shipley lead The Grounds Guys. The company licenses its Software System to franchisees and collects the license fee itself or through its designee, currently ZorWare, which means the purchasing relationship for any competing or adjacent tool runs through this headquarters team, not through individual franchise owners.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
GGPro, Qvinci and FranConnect are mandated components of the required Software System, along with Office365 email accounts, a Greenius video training account, the Customer Engagement Platform and the Neighborly Franchise Portal, which franchisees must license from the franchisor or its designee and may not substitute. QuickBooks Online is also required, licensed from Intuit or through ZorWare, along with Google Chrome and Adobe Acrobat Reader. LMN and Paradox are named in the filing. Franchisees must also purchase a Computer System meeting the company's standards, at a current hardware cost of $2,250 to $4,300, and must use a Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and provide an iPad to each technician.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The Grounds Guys furnishes lists of approved supplies and approved suppliers and reserves the right to require that franchisees use only those it names for products, inventory, signage, telephone and internet equipment, and other categories; a franchisee who wants a different source must give 30 business days' written notice. The company reported 2025 revenue of $190,529 — about 1.71% of its $11.1 million total revenue — from franchisee purchases through approved suppliers and its own specifications. Item 17 of the FDD sets renewal, transfer and termination terms, which is where a software vendor should look for the cadence of contract renegotiation across the network.
How to read The Grounds Guys FDD
The embedded PDF viewer below carries the full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Start with Item 11 for the Software System mandate, Item 8 for the approved-supplier terms, and Item 2 for the leadership roster. Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of KKR home-services brands like this one, sized and scored for software fit.
Questions vendors ask
The Grounds Guys, answered from the filing
The Grounds Guys licenses its entire Software System — GGPro, Qvinci and FranConnect among them — from itself or its designee, currently ZorWare, and franchisees may not substitute other software. CEO Michael Anthony Davis and President Lori Johnson lead the company, part of KKR.
GGPro, Qvinci and FranConnect are mandated as part of the required Software System, alongside Office365 email accounts, and QuickBooks Online is also required. LMN and Paradox are also named in the filing.
The Grounds Guys operates 219 home-services locations in the US, all franchised with none company-owned, though franchised outlets fell 4.4% year over year.
The Grounds Guys runs an approved-supplier list: the entire Software System, including GGPro, Qvinci and FranConnect, must be licensed from the franchisor or its designee, and it reserves the right to require approved suppliers it names for other supplies. Franchisees may seek approval for an alternate supplier on 30 business days' written notice.
Item 17 of the FDD sets The Grounds Guys' renewal, transfer and termination terms, which is where a software vendor should look for the cadence of contract renegotiation across the network.
The embedded PDF viewer below holds The Grounds Guys' 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document in full. Read Item 11 for the Software System mandate and Item 8 for the supplier terms.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
203 operators run 203 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit203
Top states by locations
| TX | 39 |
|---|---|
| FL | 23 |
| OH | 10 |
| GA | 10 |
| NC | 10 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind The Grounds Guys
pe_firm of KKR.
Sibling brands
Related Home services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.