Discovery Map franchise unit economics
Discovery Map franchisees publish an illustrated visitor map of their area about once a year and sell print and website advertising on it to local businesses.
Discovery Map franchise at a glance
Discovery Map franchisees averaged $58,171 of sales in the fiscal year to 30 September 2025, with a median of $53,210, according to Item 19 of Discovery Map’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 December 2025. The 102 in that group are 88%* of Discovery Map’s 116 locations. Fees paid to Discovery Map come to about 13.8%* of sales.
- A Discovery Map franchise costs $29,250 to $36,300 to open, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Discovery Map charges a royalty of 10% of sales and a 1% brand fund contribution.
- Discovery Map reported 116 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- Discovery Map franchisees averaged $58,171 of sales in the fiscal year to 30 September 2025, with a median of $53,210.
- 37% of reporting Discovery Map locations reached the average.
- Work out Discovery Map's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Discovery Map's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- A map sells $58,171 on average and $53,210 at the median. Only 38 of 102 reach the average, because a $214,930 top map pulls the two apart *.
- That is about $145 from each business in the area. That is across roughly 400 businesses *. Dividing sales by businesses is a quick test of what a new Discovery Map area can support.
- Website advertising has two and a half times the royalty of print. 25% against 10% *, so a digital sale is worth far less to the owner than the same dollar of print.
- The opening cost is half an average map’s annual sales. That is $29,250 against $58,171 *, among the lightest entry costs in this library.
- The brand requires $40,000 of sales from year three. The requirement steps up from $20,000 and then $30,000, and the lowest-selling map billed $10,430, a quarter of that line *.
How much does a Discovery Map franchise make?
The average Discovery Map unit reported $58,171 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $53,210. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 13.8% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Top performers
What separates the top Discovery Map performers
Discovery Map publishes a range for its maps instead of grouped averages. The highest-selling of the 102 Discovery Map editions had $214,930 of advertising sales in the year to 30 September 2025. The lowest-selling Discovery Map edition had $10,430. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $53,210. The average was $58,171. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The highest-selling Discovery Map edition sells 20.6× the lowest-selling one. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $29,250 to $36,300, a 1.2× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 13.8% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
- Cash needed in the first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up: the month sales cover costs, and how much cash you fund before then.
Live operating levers
- Advertisers sold.Track how many of the area's businesses buy an ad, the average sale per advertiser, and how many renew for the next edition.
- Service and retail mix.Retail sales and the share of customers on higher service tiers raise revenue per hour without adding hours or rooms.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 102 of 116 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
What a map sells
Sales by map, year to September 2025
| Measure | Sales a map | A business in the area * |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $214,930 | $537.33 |
| Average | $58,171 | $145.43 |
| Median | $53,210 | $133.03 |
| Lowest | $10,430 | $26.07 |
| Reaching the average | 38 of 102, 37% | n/a |
Every sales figure and count is as the brand reported it and the per-business column divides them by the roughly 400 businesses in a typical area, marked *.
The highest-selling map sells 20.6 times the lowest-selling one. * That is on the same annual publication and the same selling cycle.
The average sits $4,961 above the median. * That is a small gap for a distribution with a $214,930 top.
Sixty-four of the 102 maps fell below the average. 63% *, so the median is the better planning figure.
These are gross advertising sales before every cost. These sales are net of sales tax and documented refunds, chargebacks and credits, and before printing, distribution, the royalty and the owner’s own time.
Only maps published and sold within the year are counted. The 102 maps come from 66 of the 74 Discovery Map franchisees who traded, so the figures describe completed selling cycles.
Ten percent, and twenty-five
Franchise fees at four sales levels
| Map sales | Royalty at 10% * | Publication system fee | Total * | Share * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,430, the lowest | $1,043 | $2,200 | $3,243 | 31.1% |
| $40,000, the required minimum | $4,000 | $2,200 | $6,200 | 15.5% |
| $58,171, the average | $5,817 | $2,200 | $8,017 | 13.8% |
| $214,930, the highest | $21,493 | $2,200 | $23,693 | 11.0% |
The 10% print royalty and the $2,200 annual publication system fee are as the brand reported it and the dollar figures apply them at each sales level, marked *.
Website advertising is charged at 25%. Two and a half times the print rate *, so $10,000 of digital sales costs $2,500 against $1,000 in print.
The publication system fee rises up to 5% a year, compounded. Taking $2,200 to $2,674 by the fifth year *, and it is the only fixed charge.
A 1% advertising fund sits unused in the agreement. The brand can introduce it at any anniversary, and it would cost $582 a year at the average map *.
Local advertising obligations are absent entirely. With no required spend, no cooperative and no plans for one, the owner directs every marketing dollar.
A late or incomplete report costs $200. Monthly interest of 1.5% applies on top, small amounts for a business of this size, and worth automating.
Four hundred businesses
Territory terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Area | Typically at least 400 businesses |
| Sized by | Physical geography, population and business density |
| Minimum sales, year one | $20,000 |
| Year two | $30,000 |
| Year three onward | $40,000 |
| Reserving an unfranchised area | 20% of the current fee, for one year |
Every term is as the brand reported it, with the drawn map possibly covering less than the whole area because of the physical limits of a 17-by-22-inch page.
The exclusivity is conditioned on market penetration. Leaving part of the area unrepresented for two years lets the brand shrink it to what the map actually covers.
Reaching $40,000 takes $100 from each of 400 businesses. * The average map achieves $145.
Reserving an area costs $5,000 for a year. 20% of the current fee, non-refundable, useful where a market needs time to prepare.
A second franchise costs 75% of the then-current fee. $18,750 today *, and it is granted at the brand’s sole discretion.
Internet, mobile, retail and direct marketing all stay with the brand. Inside your area as well as outside, with no compensation, which is the context for the 25% website royalty.
Opening and the system
Opening costs and franchised outlets
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchised at start | 117 | 115 | 119 |
| Opened, United States | 2 | 11 | 4 |
| Terminated, United States | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Franchised at end | 115 | 119 | 116 |
| Total investment | $29,250 to $36,300 | ||
Every figure is as the brand reported it, with international outlets falling from two to zero across the period and affiliate-owned maps from three to zero.
The brand exited its own three maps during 2024. So every map in the system is now franchisee-run.
Seventeen maps opened and thirteen were terminated in the United States. * Eleven of those openings came in a single year.
Both international maps closed. One closed in each of 2024 and 2025, leaving the system entirely domestic.
The investment is $29,250 to $36,300, of which $26,250 to $26,750 goes to the brand. That is a $25,000 fee plus $1,250 to $1,750 of map coloring, and the Discovery Map business runs from home.
Map racks and equipment cost $1,500 to $3,250. It is the only physical asset in the model, alongside a computer at $500 to $1,200.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks
How much does a Discovery Map franchise make?
Discovery Map franchisees averaged $58,171 of sales in the fiscal year to 30 September 2025, with a median of $53,210, according to Item 19 of Discovery Map’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 December 2025. The 102 in that group are 88%* of Discovery Map’s 116 locations. Fees paid to Discovery Map come to about 13.8%* of sales.
What does a map sell at Discovery Map?
In the year to 30 September 2025, across 102 maps, advertising sales averaged $58,171 with a median of $53,210. The highest was $214,930 and the lowest $10,430. Thirty-eight of the 102, or 37%, reached the average.
What does that mean per business at Discovery Map?
An area typically holds at least 400 businesses, so on our reading the average map earns about $145 from each of them and the median about $133. The highest-selling map earns $537.
What fees does Discovery Map charge?
Discovery Map charges 10% of printed advertising sales and 25% of website advertising sales, plus $2,200 a year for the publication system. That may rise up to 5% a year compounded. A 1% advertising fund exists in the agreement but is currently uncharged.
What does that total at Discovery Map?
On our reading, Discovery Map fees come to $8,017 at the average map, 13.8% of sales, falling to 11.0% at the highest and rising to 31.1% at the lowest.
Why does the website rate matter at Discovery Map?
The website rate matters because at 25% it is two and a half times the print rate. Ten thousand dollars of digital advertising costs $2,500 in royalty against $1,000 for the same sales in print. That changes what a digital sale is worth to the owner.
Are there minimum sales at Discovery Map?
Yes. The minimum is $20,000 in year one, $30,000 in year two and $40,000 from year three. Reaching $40,000 takes about $100 from each of 400 businesses on our reading, against an average map achieving $145.
How much does a Discovery Map franchise cost to open?
A Discovery Map franchise costs $29,250 to $36,300 to open, of which $26,250 to $26,750 goes to the brand as a $25,000 fee plus map coloring. The business runs from home, and the largest remaining item is $1,500 to $3,250 of map racks.
Which two numbers should run through the selling cycle at Discovery Map?
Track advertisers sold against the 400 businesses in your area, because penetration is what the exclusivity depends on. Then track the average sale per advertiser against $145, because that is where this system's average map lands.
- The filing gives no profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- The filing breaks out no cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
Questions worth putting to Discovery Map
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- Which factors does Discovery Map see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Discovery Map locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →How many of your 400 businesses advertise?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around $145 a business, a 25% royalty on digital sales, and minimum sales that reach $40,000 by year three.
Talk to Averanthe franchise library, all 447 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Discovery Map reads against the rest of the business services group: Aire-Master · City Wide Facility Solutions · Exit Factor · TeamLogic IT · The FRONTdoor Collective. The business services guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?It traces where the extra revenue went, line by line.
- At what point do spreadsheets stop coping?It explains what changes at around ten units and why lenders care.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Discovery Map International. Inc.’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us, we are unaffiliated with the brand, calculations of our own are marked with an asterisk where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Discovery Map® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Discovery Map International, Inc., 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 1 December 2025.