From the filings

+20% units YoYHQ-led decisions

The Seals

Home services

The Seals, part of EverSmith Brands, franchises six home-services units under a 2026 FDD that mandates QuickBooks Online and requires franchisees to buy a Software Suite directly from the franchisor. Unit count grew 20% year over year. This is a HQ-controlled account: the franchisor already owns the software relationship, and any pitch runs through headquarters, not individual owners.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

Live signals

Total units
6
6 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+20%
vs prior filing
AUV
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
8%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$49K
per unit
Investment range
$101K–$147K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No 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.

10%of gross sales (FY2026)

Ongoing fees: 10% of gross sales (FY2026)Royalty 8%, Ad fund 2%. Total 10% of gross sales. Drawn against a 15% reference scale.

15% reference

Royalty 8%Ad fund 2%

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.

QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
Mandatory
AccountingItem 11

ich may be purchased from any computer equipment manufacturer, are Windows 11 or higher with Office Suite of products. We require the following software: Microsoft Office 365, and QuickBooks Online pl

FacebookMeta
MarketingItem 11

28 area or territory where your Franchised Business is located. You may not advertise or promote on any unauthorized website or social media platform, including but not limited to Facebook, X, LinkedI

LinkedInLinkedIn
MarketingItem 11

rritory where your Franchised Business is located. You may not advertise or promote on any unauthorized website or social media platform, including but not limited to Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, bl

TikTokTikTok
MarketingItem 11

ere your Franchised Business is located. You may not advertise or promote on any unauthorized website or social media platform, including but not limited to Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, blogs, or fo

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 7 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.

Accounting

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

Yes

Item 11

We have independent access to all data that is stored on your computer system or within the required Software system(s), including sales information and customer data, with no contractual limitations.

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

Yes

Franchise agreement

Franchisee will submit to Franchisor, via any means specified by Franchisor (including electronic means), such information and accounting data as Franchisor may request, including but not limited to bank statements, profit & loss statements in such format as Franchisor directs for each calendar month (“Monthly…

How the franchisor buys

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

Yes

Item 8

Presently, with the exception of the Technology Package, neither the Company nor any affiliate are the supplier of any products or services to System franchises, but we reserve the right to sell proprietary and non- proprietary equipment and supplies to franchisees in the future.

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

Yes

Item 8

The Company reserves the right to designate a single supplier for any equipment and supply items and to require you to use such a designated supplier exclusively, which exclusive designated supplier may be the Company or its affiliates.

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

0

Item 8

As of our fiscal year, which ended on December 31, 2025, neither we, nor did any of our affiliates, derived revenue from required franchisee purchases or leases.

Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

In 2025, we received $265.54 in rebates for purchases by Franchisees from 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?

50

Item 8

The required purchase of products and equipment from the Company, its affiliates or its designated suppliers, or according to our specifications is 80% to 90% of your overall purchases in establishing your business, and 50% to 60% of your overall purchases in operating your business.

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

Yes

Item 8

If you wish to purchase any equipment or supplies that have not been approved by the Company or from a supplier who has not been approved by the Company, you must submit a written request to change products or suppliers to the Company.

Communications

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

Yes

Franchise agreement

Transfer to us or our designee all telephone numbers, telephone listings, domain names, websites, social media accounts, online listings, and other digital or communication assets used in connection with the Franchised Unit or that contain, display, or reference any Proprietary Marks or Intellectual Property.

Data and IT

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

Yes

Franchise agreement

Franchisee must take all steps, including but not limited to those related to visibility and management of the Business network, that are necessary to ensure that the Business is compliant with all data privacy and security laws and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) requirements, as such…

Franchise management

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

Yes

Item 11

We may audit your Office at any time to ensure compliance with our systems and procedures.

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

Yes

Item 11

We may revise the Operations Manual at any time.

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

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchised Business may be operated at such location (the “Location”) within the Territory as may be approved in advance by Franchisor in writing.

Marketing

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

Yes

Franchise agreement

You must participate in our Website and no other Website related to the Business unless we direct.

Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Franchisee must engage in a Grand Opening Advertising campaign and spend, as we may direct, a minimum of $1,000 monthly on local marketing, advertising, public relations, and promotions.

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

You must engage in a Grand Opening Advertising campaign, and spend, as we may direct, a minimum of $1,000 monthly on local marketing, advertising, public relations, and promotions.

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

Yes

Item 11

If a Cooperative is established applicable to your Franchised Business, then you must participate in and contribute to the Cooperative.

Operations

Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?

Yes

Item 8

The required purchase of products and equipment from the Company, its affiliates or its designated suppliers, or according to our specifications is 80% to 90% of your overall purchases in establishing your business, and 50% to 60% of your overall purchases in operating your business.

Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

You may purchase equipment and supply items only from Company-approved suppliers or, if there is no approved supplier for a particular equipment or supply item, from suppliers who meet all of the Company’s specifications and standards as to quality, composition, and functionality and adequately demonstrate their…

Payments

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

Yes

Franchise agreement

You must sign an electronic transfer of funds authorization, attached as Appendix E, to authorize and direct your bank or financial institution to transfer electronically, on a weekly basis, directly to our account or our affiliates’ and to charge to your account all amounts due to us or our affiliates.

People

Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?

Yes

Item 15

At all times, the Franchised Business must be staffed by you (or one of your principals who has completed our Initial Training Program) and/or an approved Designated Manager.

Point of sale

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

Yes

Item 11

We have independent access to all data that is stored on your computer system or within the required Software system(s), including sales information and customer data, with no contractual limitations.

Training

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

Yes

Item 11

We reserve the right to impose reasonable charges for training classes and materials in connection with such training courses, which is currently $750 per day.

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

Yes

Item 6

Every The Seals franchisee (or the General Manager) for every Territory must attend the Seals Annual Conference at least 6 times during the Initial 2026 The Seals Franchise Disclosure Document Page 18 Term as a condition to renewal of your franchise.

The filing answers no to 3 questions
  • Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Franchise agreement
  • Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
  • Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement

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.

Sales LeaderSingle 1 19

The franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.

OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. With median unit growth of only 2.62% YoY across 323 disclosed brands, you need to find the outliers poised for expansion before they hit the market.Using growth signals to identify high-velocity brands lets you engage them during expansion phases, capturing deals 2x faster than reactive competitors who wait for public announcements.

The vendor opportunity at The Seals

The Seals is a home-services franchise under EverSmith Brands, alongside sibling brands Restoration Specialties Franchise Group, Kitchen Guard Services, 1 Tom Plumber, Clintar, and U.S. Lawns. Its 2026 FDD covers six franchised units, up 20% year over year, at an 8% royalty and a 10-year term.

Who controls software purchasing

Item 2 names five officers: Justin Ghadery (Chief Executive Officer), Keri Thoma (Chief Financial Officer), John Dobelbower (Senior Vice President, Brand Development), Sean McPhee (Brand Leader), and Michael Eblin (Chairman and Director). With QuickBooks Online mandated system-wide and the franchisor selling its own Software Suite, purchasing authority sits at HQ, not with the individual franchisee.

Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required

Item 11 mandates QuickBooks Online by Intuit — franchisees are obliged to use it. The same item names Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok, but none of the three carries a requirement; the FDD mentions them without locking any in.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 runs on an Approved Vendors List or Approved Supplies List, and where no approved supplier exists for an item franchisees may buy from suppliers meeting the franchisor's specifications. One item is a required direct purchase from the franchisor or an affiliate: the Software Suite. Item 17 gives franchisees in good standing two successive ten-year renewal periods, each requiring the then-current franchise agreement, which may carry a higher royalty and promotional fee.

How to read The Seals FDD

The filing was made with state franchise regulators in 2026. The embedded PDF viewer below lets you confirm the QuickBooks Online mandate in Item 11 and the Software Suite purchase requirement in Item 8. Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of similar EverSmith Brands targets.

Questions vendors ask

The Seals, answered from the filing

Justin Ghadery (CEO), Keri Thoma (CFO), and John Dobelbower (SVP, Brand Development). With QuickBooks Online mandated and a Software Suite bought directly from the franchisor, HQ is the confirmed buying center.
QuickBooks Online is mandated under Item 11. Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok are also named in Item 11, but none of those three is a required system.
Six franchised units as of the 2026 FDD, up 20% year over year, in the home services segment.
An approved-supplier list, plus a required purchase directly from the franchisor or an affiliate: the brand's Software Suite. Franchisees may otherwise propose a supplier for approval.
The initial term is 10 years, with two five-year renewal options available to franchisees in good standing. The next renewal signing is the natural checkpoint to revisit the mandated stack.
The filing was made with state franchise regulators in 2026. Use the embedded PDF viewer below to confirm the QuickBooks Online and Software Suite mandates in Item 11 and Item 8.
Source

Read the filing itself

Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.

The Seals2026 FDDView only

Loading filing…

View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.

FDD alert

Tell me when this brand refiles.

We’ll email you the moment The Seals files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.

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

Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

41 operators run 41 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit41

Top states by locations

TX7
MI5
MA3
FL3
SC3

Ownership

The portfolio behind The Seals

holding_vehicle of EverSmith Brands.

Sibling brands

Related Home services brands

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