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The Alternative Board franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Significant turnover
What The Alternative Board's most recent Franchise Disclosure Document says about the money, the litigation, and the franchisee churn — before you wire a five- or six-figure franchise fee.
Everything below is free, read straight off The Alternative Board's registered filing, with where the numbers land against category peers. Weighing The Alternative Board against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in The Alternative Board's most recent FDD (registered 2021). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 16900-202104-01 — check it yourself. See every other Minnesota-registered franchise.
Considering The Alternative Board? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. The Alternative Board will be on it if it fits.
The Alternative Board franchise profit — what the FDD discloses
Plainly: The Alternative Board does not disclose franchise profit or revenue. Its most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-backed earnings figure for The Alternative Board — any number quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure. The absence is itself worth weighing; the fees, litigation and outlet churn The Alternative Board's FDD does contain are on this page. For brands that put earnings on paper, see Other franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings.
The Alternative Board lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
The Alternative Board's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2021) discloses no litigation in Item 3. That is a real signal rather than a gap: the FTC Franchise Rule requires a franchisor to disclose material litigation involving itself, its predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 in a current filing means there was nothing it was required to report. It is worth reading alongside the churn numbers — a system can have a clean Item 3 and still be losing franchisees, which is what Item 20 shows.
The Alternative Board closures & failure rate
Before you sign, The Alternative Board will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what The Alternative Board's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a franchise of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. The Alternative Board's latest tables show significant franchisee turnover. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 13.7%. Net franchised outlets moved +3 to 127 in the latest reported year.
Who owns The Alternative Board?
The Alternative Board's franchise is offered by TAB Boards International, Inc. — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2021), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at MN CARDS; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing The Alternative Board is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
The Alternative Board franchise — frequently asked
Who owns The Alternative Board — who is the franchisor?
The Alternative Board's most recently filed FDD (2021) names TAB Boards International, Inc. as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a The Alternative Board franchise cost?
The Alternative Board's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $57,873 – $81,048, with an initial franchise fee of $44,000 and a 20% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against category peers it sits in the top quartile (median $227,750).
How much profit does a The Alternative Board franchise make?
The Alternative Board makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-disclosed revenue or profit figure for The Alternative Board at all — and profit would never be disclosed even where earnings are, because it depends on your rent, labor and how you operate. Any profit figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
Does The Alternative Board disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
No — The Alternative Board's most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Its absence is worth weighing.
Are there lawsuits against The Alternative Board?
No — The Alternative Board's most recently filed FDD (2021) discloses no litigation in Item 3. Franchisors must disclose material litigation involving themselves, their predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 is a genuine signal rather than an omission.
Is The Alternative Board a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from The Alternative Board's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against category peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on The Alternative Board or this category: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.