Franchise of the Week: The Learning Experience and a Resale with $998K** in Sales

Hey Empire Builders, Welcome to this week’s Franchise Empire Newsletter, where we share specific franchise opportunities that we think are interesting and examples of everyday folks building their empires.

Today, in 5 minutes or less:

✔ A Resale doing $998K** in Sales

✔ Is The Learning Experience a Good Investment?  (Costs, Sales, & Fees)
 
✔ From Searching to Starting: A Family-Owned Franchise Journey

✔ The Numbers You Should Look at Before Buying a Franchise

✔ Is this Pet Store Worth the Investment in 2026? (Costs, Sales, & Fees)

**Sales are non-verified information provided by the franchise Owner. The data provided has NOT been verified by the source; they should treat the values as approximated values. Buyer is encouraged to independently verify the financial information and asking price supplied by the Seller.

Attention Franchise Buyers:

For those of you who are struggling to find the right franchise, or maybe you’ve worked with a broker or consultant and haven’t had success…

We now offer complimentary access to our proprietary Zero to Profitable Franchise™ system to help you get access to the most proven franchises and reduce your risk, so that you can buy a money-making franchise with confidence and PROTECT YOUR ASSETS. 

This is exclusively available for franchise buyers that want to work with our team in a brokerage capacity to find, vet, and launch a money-making franchise.

You can schedule a free consultation with our team to see if you qualify and if we are the right fit to work with each other.

You can do that here https://www.franchiseempire.com/ztpf

Franchise resales possess many benefits for aspiring business owners – established cash flow, experienced employees, systems in place, and brand awareness, to name a few. 

• Home Services (remodeling)
• Asking Price: $574,000
• Prior year Gross Sales: $998,959**
  

**Revenue, or any financial numbers, is non-verified information provided by the franchise Owner. The data provided has NOT been verified by the franchisor. You should treat the values as approximated values. Buyer is encouraged to independently verify the financial information and asking price supplied by the Seller.

• This Franchisor has over 100 franchisees with proven systems and support, and limited opportunity for new territories
  
  
• Significant opportunity to scale and grow a relatively new business with existing cash flow
  
  
• Proven model with excellent, experienced leadership
  
  
• Prior leadership and/or management experience is a real plus
  

Curious to learn more about this particular franchise resale, or other resales available in your area?

We have a list of over 100+ resales with various brands spanning the United States and Canada. Click the link below to find out what specific opportunities are available in your area.

It started back in 1980, when Michael and Linda Weissman opened a small preschool in Boca Raton, Florida. They called it The Learning Experience. It was a single location, family-run, and deeply hands-on. Their son Richard grew up inside the business, mopping floors, locking doors, and learning the childcare world from the ground up.

In 1987, Michael and Richard, the father-son duo, acquired a separate childcare company called Tutor Time and scaled it aggressively, growing the brand to 200+ centers across the U.S. and abroad before selling the company and stepping away in the late 1990s. On paper, it was a massive win. Richard moved into private equity and began building a career on Wall Street. But the work never felt as meaningful as what they had built before.

After September 11, 2001, everything changed. The moment forced a pause and a hard look at what really mattered. Richard decided to leave finance, reunite the family, and return to the industry they knew best. In 2002, they made a deliberate choice to revive the name of their original school, The Learning Experience, not as nostalgia, but as a reset. This time, the vision was bigger: schools that went beyond babysitting, built around a proprietary curriculum, enrichment programs, and character-based learning.

Franchising launched in 2003, parents bought in quickly, and today the brand has 600+ locations nationwide, with 40-45% of franchisees owning multiple centers. For a capital-intensive business, that reinvestment rate says more than any marketing claim ever could. So, let's see what it takes to own one of your own.👇

*You should treat the values as approximated values. These values were found online through research.

• Total Investment: Ranges from $780,000 to $5.6 million, depending on whether you acquire an existing center, build from scratch, or purchase land and construct the facility.
  
  
• Franchise Fee: $60,000 per center
  
  
• Royalty Fee: 7% of gross revenue (includes all revenue related to the Center)
  
  
• Marketing Fee: 1% of gross revenue, with the franchisor retaining the right to increase the minimum contribution up to 2.5%.
  
  
• Lease Administration Fee: $180 per square foot per year or 8% of annual base rent, whichever is greater

• Long-Term, Community-Focused Owner: Someone who values building a trusted local institution for families, not a quick flip or short-term play.
  
  
• Hands-On Operator or Strong People Leader: Comfortable managing staff, parents, and compliance-heavy operations in a highly regulated environment.
  
  
• Patient, Growth-Minded Investor: Understands that childcare is a ramp-up business where centers typically take multiple years to reach full maturity.
  
  
• Multi-Unit Thinker: Attracted to a model where nearly 45% of franchisees own multiple locations, signaling confidence in scaling once the first center is stabilized.
  

The information below is divided into subsets by center type: Centers that were open for more than 48 months (“Mature Centers”) and Centers that were open for 24-47 months (“Intermediate Centers”), as follows:

*Information above taken from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document – Item 19 

Benefits for the Franchisee:

• Recurring, Predictable Revenue: Tuition is paid monthly, creating consistent cash flow with less seasonality than many other franchise models.

• High-Demand, Needs-Based Industry: Childcare and early education remain essential for working families, even during economic slowdowns.

• Proven Trust/ Loyalty with Current Franchisees: Nearly 45% of franchisees own multiple locations, signaling confidence in the brand's model, systems, and processes.
  
  
• Differentiated Educational Model: The proprietary curriculum and enrichment programs help the brand stand out beyond basic daycare.

To see if this franchise is available in your territory OR Check the availability of ALL franchises in your area

Episode #157: The Numbers You Should Look at Before Buying a Franchise

Episode #158: Is this Pet Store Worth the Investment in 2026? (Costs, Sales, & Fees)

Pet Supplies Plus is one of the most well-known pet retail franchises in the U.S., but is it actually a smart investment? In this breakdown, we dive into the history, startup costs, franchise model, royalty structure, average sales, and key financials. You’ll learn how the business works, what kind of ownership it demands, and whether it stacks up to other retail franchise options. If you're considering franchise ownership, this is a must-watch to understand what you're really signing up for.

Watch on YouTube

Listen on Podcast Platforms

That’s a wrap for this week’s Franchise Empire newsletter. 

Feel free to reply with any questions, or feedback. I appreciate and value your time and attention.

I’ll see you at the same time next week!

-Tariq and The Franchise Empire Team