Financial Services for
Ontario's Franchisees & Franchisors.
A senior CPA-backed team delivering bookkeeping, business plans, Fractional CFO and financial modeling built for the way franchise operations actually work — franchise royalty and marketing/advertising fund accounting, franchisor-required weekly sales reporting, franchisor-approved platform integration, unit-level and consolidated multi-unit P&L, initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1, Arthur Wishart Act (Ontario franchise disclosure) support, FDD financial statement preparation for franchisors, Big Five bank franchise lending coordination (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank), BDC franchise financing, area development agreement modeling, franchise resale packages, and multi-brand franchise group consolidation. Serving QSR (Tim Hortons, McDonald's, Subway, Popeyes, Pizza Pizza), casual dining (Boston Pizza), fitness (Anytime, F45, Orangetheory, Club Pilates), beauty (Great Clips), auto (Midas, Carstar, Fix Auto), home services (Molly Maid, Weed Man, TruGreen), cleaning, health and wellness, tutoring, retail, fuel and convenience and multi-brand franchise groups across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Brampton and the broader Ontario franchise base.
Built for Royalty, FDD, Multi-Unit P&L & Franchisor Reporting.
Franchise finance isn't small-business accounting with a royalty payment tacked on. It's a distinct discipline anchored in royalty and ad fund accounting, franchisor-required reporting, unit-level and consolidated multi-unit P&L, Class 14.1 franchise fee amortization, Arthur Wishart Act support, Big Five bank franchise lending coordination and franchise resale prep. Generic accountants routinely fumble every one of these.
CPA-supervised, franchise-fluent
Every franchise engagement is led by a senior CPA who's already worked with franchisees and franchisors across QSR, casual dining, fitness, beauty, auto, home services, cleaning, health, tutoring, retail, and fuel/convenience concepts at your stage. No junior handoffs. No offshore delegation. Royalty and FDD discipline treated as inseparable from day one.
Royalty, ad fund & franchisor reporting
Royalties (typically a percentage of gross sales, weekly or monthly, often accompanied by a technology fee) with proper accrual and payment discipline. Marketing/advertising fund contributions with separate liability tracking. Franchisor-required weekly sales reporting derived from POS. POS-to-franchisor-report reconciliation. Getting any of these wrong triggers franchisor concern immediately — royalties are the franchisor's revenue and every FDD reserves audit rights.
Multi-unit P&L & consolidated group reporting
Unit-level P&L discipline (each location its own P&L with proper cost allocation), consolidated group reporting, inter-unit cost allocation for shared services (back-office, marketing, purchasing power), roll-up dashboards showing which units are performing at franchisor benchmark and which need intervention, and the multi-entity structure most multi-unit franchisees run at scale. Weekly consolidated cash flow.
Class 14.1, Arthur Wishart & franchisor benchmarking
Initial franchise fees amortized under CCA Class 14.1 (5 percent declining balance) with proper capitalization and ongoing claims. Arthur Wishart Act (Ontario franchise disclosure) support alongside your franchise lawyer — FDD financial statement review for prospective franchisees, FDD preparation for franchisors, rescission proceedings support. Franchisor benchmark comparison — how does your unit compare to concept averages on food cost, labor, occupancy, EBITDAR.
Big Five franchise lending, ADA & resale
Big Five bank franchise lending groups (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) all run dedicated franchise practices with pre-approved lender relationships to major franchisors. BDC franchise financing. Area development agreement (ADA) modeling and milestone tracking. Franchise resale packages — sell-side EBITDA normalization, add-backs, franchisor consent process support, buy-side diligence.
Fixed fees, all four services under one roof
Fixed monthly retainer for CFO and bookkeeping. Fixed project fee for business plans and models. Bookkeeping, CFO, business plan and financial modeling from the same team, using the same numbers, telling the same story to your bank franchise group, BDC, franchisor field rep, and franchise buyer or seller.
What Franchise Operators Actually Face.
Ontario is one of the most active franchise markets in Canada. The province is home to a large concentration of both franchisees — individuals and family groups operating one or many units under franchisor licence — and franchisors including several major Canadian franchise system headquarters. Franchise concepts span QSR (Tim Hortons, McDonald's, Subway, Popeyes, Pizza Pizza, A&W), casual dining (Boston Pizza, Kelseys, Montanas, Swiss Chalet, Milestones), coffee (Second Cup, Country Style, Starbucks-licensed), fitness (Anytime Fitness, F45, Orangetheory, Barry's, Club Pilates, Row House, StretchLab), beauty (Great Clips, Sport Clips), auto (Midas, Meineke, NAPA AutoPro, Speedy Auto Service, Great Canadian Oil Change, Carstar, Fix Auto, Boyd Group Assured and Gerber), home services (Molly Maid, Merry Maids, ChemDry, ServiceMaster, TruGreen, Weed Man, Mr. Rooter, Mr. Handyman), cleaning (Coverall, JAN-PRO), health and wellness (Massage Envy, Massage Addict), tutoring and education (Kumon, Sylvan, Oxford Learning, Mathnasium), retail, fuel and convenience (Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso, Circle K, 7-Eleven), storage, and specialty concepts.
Franchise operators face finance realities that don't exist in most independent businesses. Royalty accounting is the most fundamental discipline. Royalties are typically a percentage of gross sales, paid weekly or monthly, often accompanied by a technology fee and a marketing/advertising fund contribution (a separate percentage of sales, typically restricted to marketing use by the franchisor). Royalties are the franchisor's revenue — every FDD reserves audit rights over franchisee books to verify royalty accuracy — and getting royalty or ad fund accounting wrong triggers franchisor concern immediately. Marketing fund contributions sit on the franchisee balance sheet as a payable until remitted, and on the franchisor balance sheet as a restricted fund. Getting either side of that wrong creates exposure.
Franchisor-required reporting is a constant operating rhythm. Nearly every franchisor requires weekly sales reporting derived from POS or booking platform data — Tim Hortons through their POS, McDonald's through their POS and reporting portals, Subway through their franchisor platform, fitness franchisors through Mindbody or proprietary systems, auto franchisors through shop management systems. Weekly reporting cadence. POS-to-franchisor-report reconciliation. Monthly financial submissions where required. Some franchisors require or prefer specific accounting platforms (Restaurant Manager, Compeat, R365 for restaurants) or specific bookkeeping approaches. Field reps ask financial questions and expect current answers.
Multi-unit P&L discipline is where franchise finance becomes meaningfully more complex than single-unit accounting. Multi-unit franchisees need unit-level P&L for each location with proper cost allocation, consolidated group reporting, inter-unit cost allocation for shared services (back-office, marketing, purchasing power), roll-up dashboards showing which units are performing at franchisor benchmark and which need intervention, and typically a multi-entity legal structure (each unit its own operating co, often with a management co providing shared services). Weekly consolidated cash flow across the group with proper attention to units at different points in their unit-economics curve — a new opening is cash-negative for several months, a mature unit throws off cash.
Layered on all of that: initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1 (5 percent declining balance) rather than expensed in the year of payment, with proper capitalization, ongoing CCA claims, and coordination with the franchise resale timing (unamortized balance considerations on sale). Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2000 — Ontario's franchise disclosure law — imposes obligations on franchisors and provides significant rights to franchisees including rescission remedies. FDD financial statement preparation for franchisors (audit required for many franchisors above certain thresholds), FDD financial statement due diligence for prospective franchisees.
Big Five bank franchise lending is a mature ecosystem in Canada. All Big Five banks (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) operate dedicated franchise lending groups with pre-approved lender relationships to major franchisors — meaning approved franchisors have concept-level credit templates that speed franchisee financing. BDC also runs a franchise financing practice. Area development agreements (ADAs) commit a franchisee to opening a specified number of units in a defined territory over a set schedule, with development fees, minimum opening cadence and territory rights that require ongoing financial planning. Franchise resale (franchisee-to-franchisee transfer, subject to franchisor approval) has its own valuation dynamics — multi-unit franchisee portfolios trade at meaningfully different multiples than single-unit resales. What franchise operators need is senior finance leadership at Fractional pricing, deep expertise across royalty and ad fund accounting, franchisor reporting, multi-unit P&L, Class 14.1 franchise fee amortization, and franchisor benchmark comparison, plus fluency with Big Five franchise lending, BDC franchise financing, area development agreements, franchise resale and Arthur Wishart Act compliance. Ledgerive was built for exactly that.
Signs Your Franchise Operation Needs Ledgerive.
The two service lines franchise operators reach for first are Bookkeeping (get royalty, ad fund, franchisor reporting, multi-unit P&L and Class 14.1 amortization right) and Business Plans (close Big Five franchise lending, BDC franchise financing, area development approvals or resale packages). Here's how to tell when each is the right answer.
You Need Franchise Bookkeeping When…
Royalty and ad fund accounting is inconsistent, franchisor weekly reporting is a scramble, multi-unit P&L doesn't reconcile cleanly, or initial franchise fee amortization was set up wrong. Franchise accounting is a distinct discipline — and generic bookkeepers routinely miss royalty discipline, franchisor reporting, multi-unit consolidation and Class 14.1 treatment.
- Royalty and marketing fund accounting is inconsistent — you're worried about a franchisor audit finding underpayments or misclassification
- Franchisor weekly sales reporting is a manual scramble every Monday morning and reconciliation to POS is unreliable
- You're a multi-unit franchisee and unit-level P&L doesn't reconcile cleanly to consolidated group financials — you can't tell which units are actually performing at franchisor benchmark
- Your initial franchise fee was expensed instead of capitalized under Class 14.1, or your franchise fee treatment has never been properly reviewed
You Need a Franchise Business Plan When…
You have a real deadline — a franchisor discovery day, a Big Five bank or BDC franchise financing decision, an area development commitment, a franchise resale closing, an FDD preparation deadline, or a new-unit opening timeline — and the plan has to be strong enough to actually close.
- You're preparing a Big Five bank franchise lending package (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) or BDC franchise loan for a new unit or expansion
- You're signing an area development agreement (ADA) and need a proper development plan model with new-unit ramp assumptions and cash flow across the development window
- You're buying or selling a franchise unit or multi-unit portfolio and need sell-side EBITDA normalization or buy-side diligence and franchisor consent process support
- You're a franchisor preparing your FDD (or updating it annually) and need financial statement preparation and unit-economics validation
Franchise-Native Bookkeeping & Business Plans.
The two services franchise operators lean on first, delivered end-to-end by a senior CPA-led team with deep QSR, casual dining, fitness, beauty, auto, home services, cleaning, retail and franchisor-side specialization. Fractional CFO and Financial Modeling are available alongside as your stage requires.
Bookkeeping for Franchises
Monthly bookkeeping, weekly sales and royalty snapshots, catch-up bookkeeping, HST filings and payroll for franchisees and franchisors — tuned to royalty and marketing/advertising fund accounting, franchisor-required weekly sales reporting, franchisor-approved platform integration, unit-level and consolidated multi-unit P&L, initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1, franchisor benchmark comparison, Arthur Wishart Act compliance, and franchisor-side FDD financial statement preparation. Reviewed by a CPA.
- Royalty & ad fund accounting discipline
- Franchisor-required weekly & monthly reporting
- Unit-level & consolidated multi-unit P&L
- Class 14.1 franchise fee amortization
- Franchisor benchmark comparison & FDD support
Business Plans for Franchises
Big-Five-ready, BDC-ready, franchisor-ready and buyer-ready business plans for franchisees and franchisors — Big Five bank franchise lending packages (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank), BDC franchise loan packages, CSBFP where applicable, new-unit and area development plans, franchise resale packages (sell-side and buy-side), FDD financial statement preparation for franchisors, and multi-brand franchise group consolidation. Written for exactly what each reviewer wants to see.
- Big Five bank franchise lending packages
- BDC franchise loan & CSBFP packages
- Area development agreement (ADA) modeling
- Franchise resale (sell-side and buy-side) packages
- Franchisor FDD financial statement preparation
Also available for franchisees & franchisors:
Franchise Categories & Ontario Cities We Cover.
Deep specialization across the franchise categories that actually define Ontario's franchise operator base — and coverage across every core Ontario region.
Franchise categories we serve
Our deepest expertise — from QSR and casual dining to fitness, beauty, auto, home services and multi-brand franchise groups.
Ontario franchise cities we cover
Remote-first for everyone. On-site quarterly reviews available across every city below.
Remote-First, Franchisor-Report-Ready.
The engagement rhythm every franchisee and franchisor can expect — designed around your daily POS cadence, weekly franchisor reporting, monthly royalty payments and area development calendar.
Free 30-min discovery call
NDA before the call, always. We walk through your concept, your unit count, your franchisor, your POS or platform, your priorities and deadlines. Honest answer on fit inside the call itself — not a follow-up email.
Written proposal in 48 hours
Scope, deliverables, timeline and fixed fee — all in writing. If the scope needs to change, we redraft once for free. What we quote is what you pay.
Start in 3–5 business days
Engagement letter signed. Access granted to your POS or franchisor platform, franchisor portal where applicable, QuickBooks or Xero, bank feeds and prior financials. First deliverable — usually a royalty and ad fund reconciliation review or unit-level P&L snapshot — lands the same week.
Weekly cadence + franchisor-ready
Standing weekly call, always-on Slack, weekly sales and royalty snapshot, monthly close by the 15th, quarterly benchmark vs franchisor review, franchisor reporting prep, ADA milestone tracking, resale prep or FDD updates when the moment comes. No help-desk queue, no offshore relay.
What Franchisees & Franchisors Say After 90 Days.
My family operates six Tim Hortons units across Brampton and Mississauga. Our previous accountant was fine for basic bookkeeping but didn't understand multi-unit franchise economics properly — unit-level P&L wasn't reliable, we couldn't compare our units to franchisor benchmarks, and royalty reconciliation was a Monday morning fire drill every week. Ledgerive rebuilt unit-level P&L across all six locations, automated royalty and ad fund reconciliation, and put proper franchisor benchmark comparison in place. My weakest unit had a clear path back to concept average within two quarters.
I operate a mixed portfolio of three Subway locations and two Popeyes locations across the Ottawa region. Multi-brand franchise finance is meaningfully more complex than single-brand — different franchisor reporting cadences, different royalty and ad fund percentages, different POS platforms — and my previous bookkeeper couldn't keep it all straight. Ledgerive rebuilt the whole finance function across both brands, set up proper multi-brand consolidated group P&L, and prepared our next Big Five bank package for a sixth location. Approval came through faster than I expected.
Our boutique fitness franchise portfolio includes two Club Pilates studios and one Barry's location across Toronto and Oakville. Our previous accountant treated us like any small business — no MRR discipline, no proper prepaid package deferral, and no comparison to franchisor benchmarks. Ledgerive rebuilt Mindbody integration properly across all three studios, set up franchise royalty and marketing fund accounting cleanly, and prepared a proper new-unit economics model for our next Club Pilates location. Franchisor discovery day was a completely different conversation with real numbers to show.
I run a multi-brand cleaning and home services franchise portfolio across Mississauga with Molly Maid, ChemDry and one Mr. Rooter territory. Franchisor reporting across three different systems was chronically behind, our multi-territory P&L was unreliable, and area development commitments on the Molly Maid side were coming up. Ledgerive rebuilt the finance function across all three brands, set up territory-level P&L, and modeled our area development plan properly. We committed to the next Molly Maid territory with real numbers behind it.
Questions Franchisees & Franchisors Ask.
Straight answers to the questions that come up on nearly every franchise discovery call.
Do you handle franchise royalty and marketing/advertising fund accounting?
Do you handle franchisor-required weekly sales reporting and platform integration?
Do you handle multi-unit franchisee P&L (unit-level plus consolidated)?
Do you handle initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1?
Do you handle Arthur Wishart Act (Ontario franchise disclosure) support?
Do you work with Big Five bank franchise lending groups and BDC franchise loans?
Do you handle area development agreements and multi-unit expansion modeling?
Do you handle franchise resale (buy-side and sell-side)?
Do you work with franchisors (companies granting franchises)?
Which Ontario cities do you serve franchisees and franchisors in?
How do you handle pricing?
Ready to get finance right for your franchise operation?
30 minutes. NDA first. No pitch. Just a real conversation about your concept, your units, your next 12 months, and whether we're the right team to deliver the finance work behind them.
Financial Services for
Ontario's Franchisees & Franchisors.
A senior CPA-backed team delivering bookkeeping, business plans, Fractional CFO and financial modeling built for the way franchise operations actually work — franchise royalty and marketing/advertising fund accounting, franchisor-required weekly sales reporting, franchisor-approved platform integration, unit-level and consolidated multi-unit P&L, initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1, Arthur Wishart Act (Ontario franchise disclosure) support, FDD financial statement preparation for franchisors, Big Five bank franchise lending coordination (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank), BDC franchise financing, area development agreement modeling, franchise resale packages, and multi-brand franchise group consolidation. Serving QSR (Tim Hortons, McDonald's, Subway, Popeyes, Pizza Pizza), casual dining (Boston Pizza), fitness (Anytime, F45, Orangetheory, Club Pilates), beauty (Great Clips), auto (Midas, Carstar, Fix Auto), home services (Molly Maid, Weed Man, TruGreen), cleaning, health and wellness, tutoring, retail, fuel and convenience and multi-brand franchise groups across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Brampton and the broader Ontario franchise base.
Built for Royalty, FDD, Multi-Unit P&L & Franchisor Reporting.
Franchise finance isn't small-business accounting with a royalty payment tacked on. It's a distinct discipline anchored in royalty and ad fund accounting, franchisor-required reporting, unit-level and consolidated multi-unit P&L, Class 14.1 franchise fee amortization, Arthur Wishart Act support, Big Five bank franchise lending coordination and franchise resale prep. Generic accountants routinely fumble every one of these.
CPA-supervised, franchise-fluent
Every franchise engagement is led by a senior CPA who's already worked with franchisees and franchisors across QSR, casual dining, fitness, beauty, auto, home services, cleaning, health, tutoring, retail, and fuel/convenience concepts at your stage. No junior handoffs. No offshore delegation. Royalty and FDD discipline treated as inseparable from day one.
Royalty, ad fund & franchisor reporting
Royalties (typically a percentage of gross sales, weekly or monthly, often accompanied by a technology fee) with proper accrual and payment discipline. Marketing/advertising fund contributions with separate liability tracking. Franchisor-required weekly sales reporting derived from POS. POS-to-franchisor-report reconciliation. Getting any of these wrong triggers franchisor concern immediately — royalties are the franchisor's revenue and every FDD reserves audit rights.
Multi-unit P&L & consolidated group reporting
Unit-level P&L discipline (each location its own P&L with proper cost allocation), consolidated group reporting, inter-unit cost allocation for shared services (back-office, marketing, purchasing power), roll-up dashboards showing which units are performing at franchisor benchmark and which need intervention, and the multi-entity structure most multi-unit franchisees run at scale. Weekly consolidated cash flow.
Class 14.1, Arthur Wishart & franchisor benchmarking
Initial franchise fees amortized under CCA Class 14.1 (5 percent declining balance) with proper capitalization and ongoing claims. Arthur Wishart Act (Ontario franchise disclosure) support alongside your franchise lawyer — FDD financial statement review for prospective franchisees, FDD preparation for franchisors, rescission proceedings support. Franchisor benchmark comparison — how does your unit compare to concept averages on food cost, labor, occupancy, EBITDAR.
Big Five franchise lending, ADA & resale
Big Five bank franchise lending groups (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) all run dedicated franchise practices with pre-approved lender relationships to major franchisors. BDC franchise financing. Area development agreement (ADA) modeling and milestone tracking. Franchise resale packages — sell-side EBITDA normalization, add-backs, franchisor consent process support, buy-side diligence.
Fixed fees, all four services under one roof
Fixed monthly retainer for CFO and bookkeeping. Fixed project fee for business plans and models. Bookkeeping, CFO, business plan and financial modeling from the same team, using the same numbers, telling the same story to your bank franchise group, BDC, franchisor field rep, and franchise buyer or seller.
What Franchise Operators Actually Face.
Ontario is one of the most active franchise markets in Canada. The province is home to a large concentration of both franchisees — individuals and family groups operating one or many units under franchisor licence — and franchisors including several major Canadian franchise system headquarters. Franchise concepts span QSR (Tim Hortons, McDonald's, Subway, Popeyes, Pizza Pizza, A&W), casual dining (Boston Pizza, Kelseys, Montanas, Swiss Chalet, Milestones), coffee (Second Cup, Country Style, Starbucks-licensed), fitness (Anytime Fitness, F45, Orangetheory, Barry's, Club Pilates, Row House, StretchLab), beauty (Great Clips, Sport Clips), auto (Midas, Meineke, NAPA AutoPro, Speedy Auto Service, Great Canadian Oil Change, Carstar, Fix Auto, Boyd Group Assured and Gerber), home services (Molly Maid, Merry Maids, ChemDry, ServiceMaster, TruGreen, Weed Man, Mr. Rooter, Mr. Handyman), cleaning (Coverall, JAN-PRO), health and wellness (Massage Envy, Massage Addict), tutoring and education (Kumon, Sylvan, Oxford Learning, Mathnasium), retail, fuel and convenience (Petro-Canada, Shell, Esso, Circle K, 7-Eleven), storage, and specialty concepts.
Franchise operators face finance realities that don't exist in most independent businesses. Royalty accounting is the most fundamental discipline. Royalties are typically a percentage of gross sales, paid weekly or monthly, often accompanied by a technology fee and a marketing/advertising fund contribution (a separate percentage of sales, typically restricted to marketing use by the franchisor). Royalties are the franchisor's revenue — every FDD reserves audit rights over franchisee books to verify royalty accuracy — and getting royalty or ad fund accounting wrong triggers franchisor concern immediately. Marketing fund contributions sit on the franchisee balance sheet as a payable until remitted, and on the franchisor balance sheet as a restricted fund. Getting either side of that wrong creates exposure.
Franchisor-required reporting is a constant operating rhythm. Nearly every franchisor requires weekly sales reporting derived from POS or booking platform data — Tim Hortons through their POS, McDonald's through their POS and reporting portals, Subway through their franchisor platform, fitness franchisors through Mindbody or proprietary systems, auto franchisors through shop management systems. Weekly reporting cadence. POS-to-franchisor-report reconciliation. Monthly financial submissions where required. Some franchisors require or prefer specific accounting platforms (Restaurant Manager, Compeat, R365 for restaurants) or specific bookkeeping approaches. Field reps ask financial questions and expect current answers.
Multi-unit P&L discipline is where franchise finance becomes meaningfully more complex than single-unit accounting. Multi-unit franchisees need unit-level P&L for each location with proper cost allocation, consolidated group reporting, inter-unit cost allocation for shared services (back-office, marketing, purchasing power), roll-up dashboards showing which units are performing at franchisor benchmark and which need intervention, and typically a multi-entity legal structure (each unit its own operating co, often with a management co providing shared services). Weekly consolidated cash flow across the group with proper attention to units at different points in their unit-economics curve — a new opening is cash-negative for several months, a mature unit throws off cash.
Layered on all of that: initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1 (5 percent declining balance) rather than expensed in the year of payment, with proper capitalization, ongoing CCA claims, and coordination with the franchise resale timing (unamortized balance considerations on sale). Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2000 — Ontario's franchise disclosure law — imposes obligations on franchisors and provides significant rights to franchisees including rescission remedies. FDD financial statement preparation for franchisors (audit required for many franchisors above certain thresholds), FDD financial statement due diligence for prospective franchisees.
Big Five bank franchise lending is a mature ecosystem in Canada. All Big Five banks (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) operate dedicated franchise lending groups with pre-approved lender relationships to major franchisors — meaning approved franchisors have concept-level credit templates that speed franchisee financing. BDC also runs a franchise financing practice. Area development agreements (ADAs) commit a franchisee to opening a specified number of units in a defined territory over a set schedule, with development fees, minimum opening cadence and territory rights that require ongoing financial planning. Franchise resale (franchisee-to-franchisee transfer, subject to franchisor approval) has its own valuation dynamics — multi-unit franchisee portfolios trade at meaningfully different multiples than single-unit resales. What franchise operators need is senior finance leadership at Fractional pricing, deep expertise across royalty and ad fund accounting, franchisor reporting, multi-unit P&L, Class 14.1 franchise fee amortization, and franchisor benchmark comparison, plus fluency with Big Five franchise lending, BDC franchise financing, area development agreements, franchise resale and Arthur Wishart Act compliance. Ledgerive was built for exactly that.
Signs Your Franchise Operation Needs Ledgerive.
The two service lines franchise operators reach for first are Bookkeeping (get royalty, ad fund, franchisor reporting, multi-unit P&L and Class 14.1 amortization right) and Business Plans (close Big Five franchise lending, BDC franchise financing, area development approvals or resale packages). Here's how to tell when each is the right answer.
You Need Franchise Bookkeeping When…
Royalty and ad fund accounting is inconsistent, franchisor weekly reporting is a scramble, multi-unit P&L doesn't reconcile cleanly, or initial franchise fee amortization was set up wrong. Franchise accounting is a distinct discipline — and generic bookkeepers routinely miss royalty discipline, franchisor reporting, multi-unit consolidation and Class 14.1 treatment.
- Royalty and marketing fund accounting is inconsistent — you're worried about a franchisor audit finding underpayments or misclassification
- Franchisor weekly sales reporting is a manual scramble every Monday morning and reconciliation to POS is unreliable
- You're a multi-unit franchisee and unit-level P&L doesn't reconcile cleanly to consolidated group financials — you can't tell which units are actually performing at franchisor benchmark
- Your initial franchise fee was expensed instead of capitalized under Class 14.1, or your franchise fee treatment has never been properly reviewed
You Need a Franchise Business Plan When…
You have a real deadline — a franchisor discovery day, a Big Five bank or BDC franchise financing decision, an area development commitment, a franchise resale closing, an FDD preparation deadline, or a new-unit opening timeline — and the plan has to be strong enough to actually close.
- You're preparing a Big Five bank franchise lending package (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) or BDC franchise loan for a new unit or expansion
- You're signing an area development agreement (ADA) and need a proper development plan model with new-unit ramp assumptions and cash flow across the development window
- You're buying or selling a franchise unit or multi-unit portfolio and need sell-side EBITDA normalization or buy-side diligence and franchisor consent process support
- You're a franchisor preparing your FDD (or updating it annually) and need financial statement preparation and unit-economics validation
Franchise-Native Bookkeeping & Business Plans.
The two services franchise operators lean on first, delivered end-to-end by a senior CPA-led team with deep QSR, casual dining, fitness, beauty, auto, home services, cleaning, retail and franchisor-side specialization. Fractional CFO and Financial Modeling are available alongside as your stage requires.
Bookkeeping for Franchises
Monthly bookkeeping, weekly sales and royalty snapshots, catch-up bookkeeping, HST filings and payroll for franchisees and franchisors — tuned to royalty and marketing/advertising fund accounting, franchisor-required weekly sales reporting, franchisor-approved platform integration, unit-level and consolidated multi-unit P&L, initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1, franchisor benchmark comparison, Arthur Wishart Act compliance, and franchisor-side FDD financial statement preparation. Reviewed by a CPA.
- Royalty & ad fund accounting discipline
- Franchisor-required weekly & monthly reporting
- Unit-level & consolidated multi-unit P&L
- Class 14.1 franchise fee amortization
- Franchisor benchmark comparison & FDD support
Business Plans for Franchises
Big-Five-ready, BDC-ready, franchisor-ready and buyer-ready business plans for franchisees and franchisors — Big Five bank franchise lending packages (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank), BDC franchise loan packages, CSBFP where applicable, new-unit and area development plans, franchise resale packages (sell-side and buy-side), FDD financial statement preparation for franchisors, and multi-brand franchise group consolidation. Written for exactly what each reviewer wants to see.
- Big Five bank franchise lending packages
- BDC franchise loan & CSBFP packages
- Area development agreement (ADA) modeling
- Franchise resale (sell-side and buy-side) packages
- Franchisor FDD financial statement preparation
Also available for franchisees & franchisors:
Franchise Categories & Ontario Cities We Cover.
Deep specialization across the franchise categories that actually define Ontario's franchise operator base — and coverage across every core Ontario region.
Franchise categories we serve
Our deepest expertise — from QSR and casual dining to fitness, beauty, auto, home services and multi-brand franchise groups.
Ontario franchise cities we cover
Remote-first for everyone. On-site quarterly reviews available across every city below.
Remote-First, Franchisor-Report-Ready.
The engagement rhythm every franchisee and franchisor can expect — designed around your daily POS cadence, weekly franchisor reporting, monthly royalty payments and area development calendar.
Free 30-min discovery call
NDA before the call, always. We walk through your concept, your unit count, your franchisor, your POS or platform, your priorities and deadlines. Honest answer on fit inside the call itself — not a follow-up email.
Written proposal in 48 hours
Scope, deliverables, timeline and fixed fee — all in writing. If the scope needs to change, we redraft once for free. What we quote is what you pay.
Start in 3–5 business days
Engagement letter signed. Access granted to your POS or franchisor platform, franchisor portal where applicable, QuickBooks or Xero, bank feeds and prior financials. First deliverable — usually a royalty and ad fund reconciliation review or unit-level P&L snapshot — lands the same week.
Weekly cadence + franchisor-ready
Standing weekly call, always-on Slack, weekly sales and royalty snapshot, monthly close by the 15th, quarterly benchmark vs franchisor review, franchisor reporting prep, ADA milestone tracking, resale prep or FDD updates when the moment comes. No help-desk queue, no offshore relay.
What Franchisees & Franchisors Say After 90 Days.
My family operates six Tim Hortons units across Brampton and Mississauga. Our previous accountant was fine for basic bookkeeping but didn't understand multi-unit franchise economics properly — unit-level P&L wasn't reliable, we couldn't compare our units to franchisor benchmarks, and royalty reconciliation was a Monday morning fire drill every week. Ledgerive rebuilt unit-level P&L across all six locations, automated royalty and ad fund reconciliation, and put proper franchisor benchmark comparison in place. My weakest unit had a clear path back to concept average within two quarters.
I operate a mixed portfolio of three Subway locations and two Popeyes locations across the Ottawa region. Multi-brand franchise finance is meaningfully more complex than single-brand — different franchisor reporting cadences, different royalty and ad fund percentages, different POS platforms — and my previous bookkeeper couldn't keep it all straight. Ledgerive rebuilt the whole finance function across both brands, set up proper multi-brand consolidated group P&L, and prepared our next Big Five bank package for a sixth location. Approval came through faster than I expected.
Our boutique fitness franchise portfolio includes two Club Pilates studios and one Barry's location across Toronto and Oakville. Our previous accountant treated us like any small business — no MRR discipline, no proper prepaid package deferral, and no comparison to franchisor benchmarks. Ledgerive rebuilt Mindbody integration properly across all three studios, set up franchise royalty and marketing fund accounting cleanly, and prepared a proper new-unit economics model for our next Club Pilates location. Franchisor discovery day was a completely different conversation with real numbers to show.
I run a multi-brand cleaning and home services franchise portfolio across Mississauga with Molly Maid, ChemDry and one Mr. Rooter territory. Franchisor reporting across three different systems was chronically behind, our multi-territory P&L was unreliable, and area development commitments on the Molly Maid side were coming up. Ledgerive rebuilt the finance function across all three brands, set up territory-level P&L, and modeled our area development plan properly. We committed to the next Molly Maid territory with real numbers behind it.
Questions Franchisees & Franchisors Ask.
Straight answers to the questions that come up on nearly every franchise discovery call.
Do you handle franchise royalty and marketing/advertising fund accounting?
Do you handle franchisor-required weekly sales reporting and platform integration?
Do you handle multi-unit franchisee P&L (unit-level plus consolidated)?
Do you handle initial franchise fee amortization under CCA Class 14.1?
Do you handle Arthur Wishart Act (Ontario franchise disclosure) support?
Do you work with Big Five bank franchise lending groups and BDC franchise loans?
Do you handle area development agreements and multi-unit expansion modeling?
Do you handle franchise resale (buy-side and sell-side)?
Do you work with franchisors (companies granting franchises)?
Which Ontario cities do you serve franchisees and franchisors in?
How do you handle pricing?
Ready to get finance right for your franchise operation?
30 minutes. NDA first. No pitch. Just a real conversation about your concept, your units, your next 12 months, and whether we're the right team to deliver the finance work behind them.