How to Start an Adam & Eve Franchise in 7 Steps: Checklist

The public Steps to Ownership sequence uses an inquiry, initial discussion and Let’s Get Acquainted (LGA) form before FDD review. The LGA form asks about business ownership, education, liquid capital, banking, credit and bankruptcy history; these are screening inputs, not disclosed hard minimums. The website then places Discovery Day and background-check approval before final signing. The 2025 FDD states no prior retail/franchise-experience minimum, and the official FAQ says prior ownership experience is not required.

If the franchisee is an entity, every owner signs the Franchise Agreement as a “Principal.” A married Principal whose spouse does not sign the Franchise Agreement must have the spouse execute the Spouse Guaranty. The franchisee must personally manage the outlet or use an approved General Manager; a non-owner General Manager requires prior AEFC approval, must work full time and must successfully complete required training.

FDD receipt is not the same event as approval or signing. Under the federal Franchise Rule, the prospect must receive the FDD at least 14 calendar days before signing a binding franchise agreement or paying money to the franchisor or its affiliate in connection with the sale. AEFC’s website separately describes its own Q&A, Discovery Day and background-check sequence. Those sales-process steps do not shorten the federal disclosure period.

The roadmap below combines AEFC’s published candidate sequence with the contractual dependencies in the 2025 FDD and attached agreements. The website governs how AEFC describes its sales funnel; the FDD and signed agreements control contractual opening obligations.

The start-up path has an official planning estimate and an outer contractual default threshold; the conversion path substitutes a much shorter opening deadline because the existing location is already treated as approved for conversion. These values share the Franchise Agreement signing event as their timing trigger, but they are not interchangeable.

AEFC provides standards, reviews and approvals, but the agreements place most execution risk on the franchisee and third parties. The distinction matters because franchisor assistance does not guarantee financing, a site, landlord consent, permits, contractor performance or a particular opening date.

The Franchise Agreement makes written AEFC authorization a separate final gate. Before the Opening Date, the franchisee must complete the premises to approved standards, finish required training, hire and train staff, purchase and stock opening inventory, submit the completed punch list and obtain required operating licenses. Required insurance must also be in force, and the grand-opening marketing plan must follow AEFC approval requirements.

The 2025 FDD names required sources including NALPAC for most start-up initial merchandise, Sherwin-Williams for specified paint/flooring, Bella Furniture for specified design and fixtures, and The Packaging Source for check-out products. Local approvals, especially for sexually mature themed retail, remain jurisdiction-specific.

Verify the format first because start-up, conversion and multi-unit development do not share one opening clock. Confirm AEFC’s current approval criteria, required Principal/spouse signatures, the site-search area versus final Territory, required lease language and—if multi-unit—every Mandatory Open Date and extension procedure in the executed schedule.

Finally, request the most current FDD and any updates before signing. The FTC explains that prospects may request current disclosure information, and the Franchise Rule’s calendar-day timing protects the pre-signing review period. AEFC’s published funnel, qualification questions and marketing pages are useful process context, but the signed Franchise Agreement, Conversion Franchise Addendum or Multi-Unit Development Agreement controls the franchisee’s enforceable opening obligations.