About FDD Simplified

Helping franchise brokers close more deals by making FDDs understandable.

Our Mission

Every year, thousands of franchise deals stall not because the franchise is a bad fit, but because the buyer got overwhelmed by the disclosure document. A 300-800 page legal document arrives in their inbox, they open it, and they go silent.

Franchise brokers lose commissions. Franchisors lose qualified buyers. Buyers lose good opportunities. Everyone loses - except the overwhelm.

FDD Simplified exists to fix this. We turn the Franchise Disclosure Document into something a buyer can actually understand in 20 minutes: a clear summary of what matters, with plain-English explanations and honest risk flags.

Our Process

1. AI Extraction

When you upload an FDD, our AI locates and extracts the five items that matter most to buyers and brokers: Items 5, 6, 7, 19, and 20. These cover initial fees, ongoing fees, total investment, financial performance, and franchisee turnover.

The AI identifies key data points, flags items above industry norms, and generates an initial plain-English summary for each section.

2. Human Review

Every AI-generated summary is reviewed by a human expert before delivery. This is non-negotiable for us. Legal documents require judgment, not just extraction. The reviewer:

  • Verifies all extracted figures against the source document
  • Adds context the AI may have missed
  • Adjusts severity ratings based on experience
  • Ensures the plain-English explanations are accurate and clear

What Items We Analyze - and Why

Item 5
Initial Fees - What your buyer pays the franchisor before opening day. The most visible cost in early negotiations.
Item 6
Ongoing Fees - Royalties, advertising contributions, technology fees. These directly determine unit economics and long-term profitability.
Item 7
Total Initial Investment - The full picture of what it costs to open, including build-out, equipment, and working capital. Often surprises buyers.
Item 19
Financial Performance - What franchisees actually earn. The most asked-about item - and the one 40% of FDDs omit entirely.
Item 20
Franchisee Turnover - How many units open and close each year. High turnover is the clearest signal of systemic problems.

Why Brokers Trust Us

Accuracy First

Human review catches AI errors. Source quotes in every flag let you verify claims directly. We stand behind every number.

Fast Turnaround

24-hour standard delivery. When deals are moving, waiting days for FDD analysis isn't an option.

No Startup Vibes

This audience makes six-figure decisions. Our output looks like it came from a professional services firm, not a tech startup.

Data Security & Confidentiality

FDDs contain sensitive business data. We take security seriously:

  • Encrypted storage: All uploaded PDFs are stored encrypted using enterprise-grade cloud storage (Cloudflare R2).
  • Never shared: Your documents are never shared, sold, or used to build competing databases. Each FDD is processed in isolation.
  • 30-day deletion: PDFs and summaries are automatically deleted 30 days after delivery. No long-term retention.
  • No public database: We don't publish a database of franchise data extracted from your uploads.
  • Confidential relationship: Treat this like hiring an analyst under NDA. What you send us stays with us.

Ready to Try It?

Your first FDD summary is free. No credit card, no commitment. See if we deliver on what we promise.

Upload Your First FDD - Free