FAQ
Frequently asked questions about franchising with Retreva
Buying a franchise is a serious decision, and you should have a lot of questions. Below are straight answers to the ones we hear most, drawn from our Franchise Disclosure Document. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
01
The Retreva Opportunity
What does a Retreva franchise owner actually do?
You introduce businesses to Retreva’s sales prospecting service and help subscribers get ongoing value from it. Your work is business development: opening doors, building trust, and growing a base of active subscriptions. Retreva runs the platform, onboards and supports subscribers, and handles all billing.
Do I need a background in software or technology?
No. You are selling a service, not building or supporting one. Retreva’s team handles the platform and the technical side of every subscriber account, and initial training covers enough of the technology for you to speak about it with confidence.
Do I need sales experience?
Yes, and it matters more than anything else on this page. The business runs on consultative selling to business owners. Training will teach you Retreva’s system, but it is not a substitute for knowing how to open a conversation and ask for the business.
Is this a home-based business?
Yes. Owners work from a professional home office or a coworking space. There is no retail location, no inventory, and no buildout.
Is this a passive investment?
No. The Primary Owner leads the business unless Retreva approves a manager. Owners develop relationships, support subscribers, participate in coaching, and stay actively involved in growth. If you are looking for something that runs without you, this is not it.
02
Investment and Fees
Are there any other ongoing fees?
Yes, and we would rather you hear them from us. There is a $200 monthly technology fee, which may increase with notice. The FDD also allows a Brand Fund contribution of up to 3% of Total Revenue, currently set at 0%. Some fees apply only in specific situations, such as additional training, transfer, renewal, or missing a minimum subscription requirement. Item 6 lists every fee.
What is included with the franchise?
Your Retreva franchise gives you 16 hours of initial classroom training covering consultative selling, the Retreva platform, technology, financial practices, content, contacts, operations, marketing, compliance and market development. Training is held in Ohio, Florida, or virtually. You also get the operations manual, technology standards, a web presence, ongoing coaching, approved marketing resources, and the Subscriber Guidelines.
Is there a discount for military veterans?
Yes. The initial franchise fee is reduced to $36,000 for an honorably discharged United States military veteran, or for a franchise entity whose majority owner qualifies.
Do I need financing, and do you work with SBA lenders?
Retreva does not provide direct or indirect financing. Candidates typically work with independent lenders and their own financial advisors. The initial franchise fee is reduced to $36,000 for an honorably discharged United States military veteran, or for a franchise entity whose majority owner qualifies.
03
Territory and Account Assignment
Do I get a territory?
Retreva franchises are not geographic. You are not buying a zip code or a protected radius. Your market is your book of business and the industries you know how to sell into, anywhere in the permitted area, which currently covers the United States, its territories and possessions, and Canada.
That is deliberate. If you have spent a career building relationships, those relationships are not sitting in one city, and a map-based territory would wall you off from most of them. It also explains who succeeds here. The strongest owners arrive with deep sales experience and a list of people who already take their calls. The permitted area is non-exclusive, so the opportunities you develop are the ones you register and work.
How are territories assigned?
Retreva does not assign geographic territories. Owners operate across a broad permitted area that currently includes the United States, its territories and possessions, and Canada. Individual subscriber accounts are assigned through Retreva’s Subscriber Guidelines, which use origin of sale as the primary principle and also consider whether an owner has a meaningful preexisting relationship with the business. Owners document the opportunities they are developing through Retreva’s lead registration systems, and Retreva makes the final assignment decision.
Is my territory exclusive?
No. The permitted area is non-exclusive, and that is deliberate. A geographic territory would confine you to one area, and the relationships you have spent a career building almost certainly are not confined to one area. Here your whole network is in play. The tradeoff is real: other owners and Retreva are selling into the same open market, which is why documenting the opportunities you develop matters.
Businesses can sign up on your website directly. Does that compete with me?
Sometimes, yes. Businesses can subscribe directly on this website. Retreva also identifies and assigns National Accounts, which often need custom pricing or dedicated service, and those subscriptions do not count toward your minimum subscription requirements. Other owners are selling into the same non-exclusive market as well.
The way you protect an opportunity is to register it through Retreva’s systems before it converts. The Subscriber Guidelines use origin of sale as the primary assignment principle and also weigh whether you have a meaningful preexisting relationship with the business. Retreva reviews the available information and makes the final assignment decision.
04
Running the Business
What happens after I close a client?
Retreva takes over the operational side. Retreva and its affiliates handle onboarding, billing, collection, and customer service for every subscriber. You stay the relationship. Your revenue share begins when qualifying subscription payments are actually collected, and continues every month that assigned subscription stays active and paid.
Who handles client onboarding and support?
Retreva does. Subscribers pay Retreva or its affiliate directly, and Retreva handles billing, onboarding, customer service, and payment collection. You never send an invoice or chase a payment. Retreva also writes the outreach content for every subscriber.
What training and support do I receive?
Initial training currently includes 16 classroom hours covering consultative selling, the Retreva service, technology, financial practices, content, contacts, operations, marketing, compliance, market development, and motivation. Training may be held in Ohio, in Florida, or virtually. After training, you have access to Retreva’s operations manual, technology standards, web presence, ongoing coaching, approved marketing resources, and the Subscriber Guidelines that govern account assignment.
Can I run this alongside my current job?
Many owners start that way, and the first year is designed to let you. Your first requirement is 50 active subscriptions by the end of month 12. How you pace toward it is up to you. The next is 100 by the end of month 24.
Be clear-eyed about what that takes. Fifty in a year works out to roughly one new subscriber a week, every week, while you are also serving the ones you have already signed. Item 6 of the Franchise Disclosure Document sets out these requirements and the fee that applies if you miss one.
You know your network and your calendar better than we do. If one a week sounds achievable around your current role, you have the first year to use it. Just plan for the handoff rather than being surprised by it, because at some point this business will ask for your full attention.
Are there minimum subscription requirements?
Yes, and you should understand them before you apply. The current requirement is 0 active subscriptions during your first 12 months, 50 after 12 months, 100 after 24 months, and 5 additional active subscriptions for each three-month period after that through the end of your initial term. National Account subscriptions do not count toward the minimum, and differently priced non-standard subscriptions count fractionally. Item 6 explains the Minimum Subscription Non-Compliance Fee that applies if a requirement is not met.
How long does it take to open?
Approximately 60 to 90 days from signing the Franchise Agreement, depending on licensing, technology setup, and completing Initial Training.
05
How You Get Paid
Who collects the subscription payments?
Retreva does. Subscribers pay Retreva or its affiliate directly, and Retreva handles billing, onboarding, customer service, and collections. You never send an invoice or chase a payment.
When and how do I get paid?
Your revenue share begins when qualifying subscription payments are actually collected, not when a contract is signed or an account goes live. Retreva pays owners electronically by the 15th of each month for qualifying revenue collected during the previous month. You receive a monthly report showing Total Revenue, the revenue share calculation, any applicable fees and offsets, and the net amount paid.
What is the revenue share, and does it change as I grow?
It is a consistent standard revenue share, not a tier that changes with client count. Item 6 of the Franchise Disclosure Document and the Franchise Agreement set out the current percentage and all related terms, including how standard subscriptions, National Accounts, referral partner commissions, fees, and offsets are handled. An approved referral partner commission can reduce the effective share on referred business.
How long do I keep getting paid on a subscriber?
For as long as that assigned subscription stays active and paid, and you remain eligible during your franchise term. This is the part of the model most owners find most appealing, because a relationship you build once can contribute month after month. It remains subject to the account staying active and assigned to you, and to the transfer, expiration, termination, and compliance terms in the Franchise Agreement.
What happens if a subscriber cancels, gets a refund, or does not pay?
Revenue share follows revenue actually collected, so it adjusts if a subscription ends or a charge is reversed. Retreva handles the billing administration and may adjust future payments for your portion of refunds, rejected payments, chargebacks, or other expenses described in the agreement.
06
The Process
When do I receive the Franchise Disclosure Document?
You receive the FDD at the Disclosure and Validation stage, after the Franchise Fit Call and the Brand Review. Retreva provides it within the time required by federal and applicable state law before you sign a binding agreement or make any payment, and federal law requires at least 14 calendar days to review it. You also speak with existing franchise owners during that review period.
How long does the whole process take?
From signing the Franchise Agreement to opening, the process takes about 60 to 90 days, depending on licensing, technology setup, and completing Initial Training. Before that, the qualification process includes a mandatory 14-day period to review the Franchise Disclosure Document.
07
Ownership
What do I actually own, and can I sell it later?
Your franchise is the asset. You build value through operating it and through the base of assigned active subscriptions attached to it. Retreva owns the subscriber relationships and Subscriber Information, so you cannot sell those separately from the franchise.
You may transfer the franchise with Retreva’s prior written approval. That includes approving and training the buyer, satisfying outstanding obligations, delivering the current FDD, executing Retreva’s then-current franchise agreement, applicable releases, and the transfer fee.
How is this different from being a reseller or an affiliate?
A reseller agreement gives you a commission. A franchise gives you a defined operating system, initial training, ongoing coaching, brand rights, documented account assignment rules, a five-year term with up to two five-year renewals, and a business you can transfer. It also carries obligations a reseller does not have, including minimum subscription requirements and compliance with Retreva’s operating standards.
How long is the franchise term, and can I renew?
The initial term is five years, with the opportunity for up to two additional five-year successor terms when the renewal conditions are met. That is a potential 15-year path for an owner in good standing. Renewal requires timely notice, the successor fee, any required training, applicable releases, and Retreva’s then-current franchise agreement, whose terms may differ from your original one.
08
Fit
Who does well in this business?
Someone who enjoys connecting with business owners, opening doors, and earning trust. Successful owners are comfortable with consultative selling, comfortable with technology, and willing to be accountable to a proven system. They are consistent, coachable, and energized by building something of their own.
Who is this not right for?
Anyone looking for passive income. Anyone who wants to manage a location and a staff. And anyone not prepared to sell at the pace the business requires: 50 active subscriptions by the end of your first 12 months, and 100 by 24 months. If that pace does not sound achievable with the network and the time you have, this is not the right opportunity, and we would rather say so now.
How does Retreva compare to other franchises under $50,000?
Most franchises in that range are service businesses that need equipment, a vehicle, or staff, and nearly all of them charge an ongoing royalty on your revenue. Retreva works differently. You get a share of the subscription revenue your accounts generate, and the only recurring charge is a flat $200 monthly technology fee, not a percentage of your sales. Retreva is home-based with no inventory and no buildout. The honest trade-offs: the market is non-exclusive, and there are minimum subscription requirements to meet.
Still Have a Question?
Send it over. Someone on the franchise team reads every submission personally and will get back to you within one business day.