Opening process
How do you open a Footprints Floors franchise?
1–3 months
FDD estimate from signing to opening
The 2026 FDD describes one Footprints Floors Business operating in an approved Operating Territory, with a home-based Administrative Office when local law permits or an approved non-retail facility. The franchisee must complete training, licensing, insurance, vehicle, system, marketing, and office requirements, then obtain written opening consent. The Franchise Agreement also requires opening within 90 days after signing.
90
Days to openContractual deadline after signing.
14
Calendar daysFederal FDD review period before signing or payment.
~2
Training weeksCurrent initial program in Denver.
123
Training hours56 classroom and 67 on-the-job.
30
Site-response daysAfter a complete office-location submission.
Legal franchisor: Branches Company, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company.
FDD basis: Footprints Floors Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 17, 2026.
Formats covered: one business in a single Territory or a Territory plus Additional Territories; flooring-only or flooring plus Footprints Bath and Tile Services.
Timeline mode: official total timeline—an estimated one to three months, subject to a 90-day contractual opening deadline.
Primary evidence: FDD Items 1, 5–12, 15–17 and 20; Franchise Agreement Articles 2–4, 7–9 and 16; Schedules 1–3 and related guaranty/confidentiality forms.
Date checked: July 13, 2026. No franchise-controlled public copy of the 2026 FDD was verified, so FDD citations below are unlinked.
Public context: the official Footprints Floors website, the FTC guide to buying a franchise, and 16 CFR § 436.2. Contractual requirements in this article come from the 2026 FDD and attached agreements.
Qualification
What must an applicant qualify for before Footprints Floors approves the franchise?
The 2026 FDD does not publish a fixed minimum net worth, liquidity level, credit score, education requirement, or flooring-industry experience threshold. It does state that Branches Company relies on representations made in the application and application process, and approval remains a franchisor decision. Meeting any discussed financial capability level therefore does not guarantee award or territory availability.
The operating qualification is more specific. The franchisee or an approved Managing Owner must devote full-time effort to daily management, complete initial training, and hold required licenses and permits. A hired Operating Manager may handle daily supervision only after meeting the franchisor’s standards, completing training, signing confidentiality and non-competition documents, and accepting written responsibility for management.
If the franchisee uses a corporation, LLC, or partnership, the entity must be properly formed and qualified to do business where it will operate. Each Owner and each Owner’s spouse must sign the Owner and Spouse Agreement and Guaranty; the FDD describes joint and several personal responsibility for franchise obligations. Applicants should confirm the ownership schedule, Managing Owner designation, guarantors, and state-specific addenda before signing.
Buyer verificationAsk the franchise sales team to put every current qualification criterion in writing. The FDD’s absence of a published financial or experience minimum is not an approval promise, and application representations become part of the basis for the franchisor’s decision.
Verified roadmap
What is the sequence from inquiry to opening?
1
Submit the inquiry and application
Action: Provide ownership, management, market, and financial information requested by Branches Company.
Actor: Applicant.
Timing: No complete application-review period is disclosed.
Blocker: Incomplete or inaccurate representations can prevent approval; a veteran discount must be requested with the initial application.
2
Receive and review the FDD
Action: Review all 23 Items, the Franchise Agreement, schedules, guaranty, confidentiality form, state addenda, and receipts.
Actor: Applicant and advisers.
Timing: At least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or payment to the franchisor or affiliate.
Next: Resolve state-specific changes and any contract questions before signing.
3
Fix the Operating Territory and service scope
Action: Agree on the map in Schedule 1 and the Territory count and service package in Schedule 2.
Actor: Applicant and franchisor.
Timing: The Operating Territory is designated at signing.
Blocker: Availability and franchisor approval; Additional Territories enlarge one business rather than creating a multi-unit development right.
4
Sign the agreement package
Action: Execute the Franchise Agreement, Schedules 1–3, Owner and Spouse Agreement and Guaranty, and applicable confidentiality documents; pay the initial fee.
Actor: Franchisee, Owners, spouses, and franchisor.
Timing: After the disclosure period and approval.
Blocker: The initial fee is fully earned and non-refundable when paid.
5
Approve the Administrative Office and compliance setup
Action: Confirm home-office legality or submit a non-retail site before leasing; form the entity, obtain permits, arrange insurance, and secure the office if required.
Actor: Franchisee, franchisor, landlord, insurer, and government authorities.
Timing: Commercial office secured within 60 days; franchisor site response within 30 days after complete information.
Blocker: Site rejection does not extend the contractual deadlines.
6
Complete initial training
Action: The Managing Owner and one designated manager attend and complete the approximately two-week, 123-hour program to the franchisor’s satisfaction.
Actor: Required trainees and franchisor trainers.
Timing: Scheduled before opening; certificate of insurance is due before training if earlier than 90 days after signing.
Blocker: Unapproved attendees, missing agreements, or unsatisfactory completion.
7
Install the operating system and launch assets
Action: Obtain the starter package, approved computer and Business Management System, Contact Center Services, branded and insured service vehicle, approved suppliers, marketing approval, and employee confidentiality agreements.
Actor: Franchisee, franchisor, and approved suppliers.
Timing: ACH authorization is due no later than 30 days before opening; grand-opening marketing begins at least 30 days before opening.
Blocker: Unapproved vehicle, marketing, supplier, technology, or insurance.
8
Obtain written consent and open
Action: Demonstrate compliance with the agreement, Manuals, training, office, permits, insurance, vehicle, systems, and pre-opening obligations.
Actor: Franchisee completes; Branches Company authorizes.
Timing: Open by the Scheduled Opening Date and within 90 days after signing.
Blocker: Construction or setup completion alone is not opening authorization; written franchisor consent is required.
Sources: 2026 FDD Items 5, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 15; Franchise Agreement Articles 2.A, 2.C, 3.A–3.C, 3.F–3.J, 4.A, 5.B, 8 and 9.B; Schedules 1–3.
Timing evidence
Which disclosed periods control the critical path?
Range-and-deadline chart
Bars compare disclosed day counts; each starts from the separate trigger stated in its label.
Federal FDD review
before signing/payment
14 days
Franchisor response
after complete site file
30 days
Official opening estimate
after agreement signing
30–90 days
Commercial office secured
after Effective Date
60 days
Opening deadline
after agreement signing
90 days
Interpretation: the one-to-three-month estimate reaches the same outer boundary as the 90-day contractual deadline, but the estimate is not a promise. The site-response period can consume part of the opening window and does not stop the clock. Sources: 2026 FDD cover and Item 11, pages 19–20; Franchise Agreement Article 3.C, pages 14–15; FTC Franchise Rule.
Training requirementGet the training deadline confirmed in writing. Item 11 says the required trainees must complete initial training no later than 45 days before the scheduled opening, while Franchise Agreement Article 4.A uses different wording—completion “within 45 days” of the earlier Scheduled or Actual Opening Date. The program must still be completed before opening, but the scheduling language should be reconciled before the opening calendar is fixed.
Format and site
How do Territory, office, and service choices change the opening work?
| Choice |
What the agreement allows |
Opening consequence |
Document to verify |
| Single Territory |
One Operating Territory, generally about 70,000–200,000 Qualified Households. |
Base Territory setup, one business, and one approved service vehicle in the FDD estimate. |
Schedule 1 map and Schedule 2 fee acknowledgment. |
| Additional Territories |
Additional Territories may enlarge the same Operating Territory, subject to availability and approval. |
Still one Footprints Floors Business; marketing and minimum royalty obligations scale by Territory count. |
Schedule 1 boundaries and exact Territory count in Schedule 2. |
| Home-based office |
Permitted only when applicable law allows; it remains inside the Operating Territory. |
No customer-facing retail site, but zoning, licensing, vehicle, technology, insurance, and opening approval still apply. |
Written local confirmation and franchisor approval record. |
| Commercial back office |
An approved non-retail Administrative Office or operations center may support inventory, vehicles, and staging. |
Submit before lease or purchase; secure within 60 days; franchisor responds within 30 days after a complete submission. |
Site file, written approval, lease term, and landlord conditions. |
| Bath and Tile Services |
Schedule 2 identifies whether the business is flooring-only or also authorized for supplemental bathroom remodeling. |
The FDD requires at least two managed websites when Bath and Tile Services are offered; local licensing may differ. |
Schedule 2, Manuals, current license scope, and website setup. |
A territory designation is not the same as an exclusive territory, site approval, lease approval, or opening authorization. Item 12 says the territory is non-exclusive, subject to reserved rights, although the franchisor generally will not place another Footprints Floors Business using the marks and system inside it while the franchisee remains compliant.
Responsibilities
Who controls each opening dependency?
Applicant / franchisee
Accurate application, entity formation, Owners, spouses, and Managing Owner designation.
Office search, lease or home-office legality, permits, insurance, vehicle, systems, staffing, and approved marketing.
Training attendance, supplier purchases, readiness evidence, and compliance by the opening deadline.
Branches Company
Application approval, Operating Territory designation, and acceptance of the agreement package.
Administrative Office review, Manuals, supplier lists, initial training, marketing review, and system standards.
Written consent to open. Assistance does not guarantee financing, permits, a site, employees, or a completion date.
Third parties
Government authorities determine contractor, home-improvement, zoning, tax, and other local requirements.
Insurers issue required policies and certificates; landlords control lease terms; lenders control financing.
Approved suppliers provide vehicle wrap, technology, branded materials, and other System Supplies.
For local requirements, use the SBA licenses and permits overview as a starting point, then verify the actual state, county, and municipal authorities for the Operating Territory. The FDD also includes NWFA Sales Advisor Certification in the starter package; confirm the current course and credential with the National Wood Flooring Association.
Deadlines and consequences
What can delay, default, or terminate the opening?
Administrative Office disagreementIf the parties cannot agree on an office site, Item 11 says the Franchise Agreement may be terminated and the fee will not be returned. A rejected site does not extend the site or opening deadline.
Failure to open on timeThe agreement requires development and opening by the Scheduled Opening Date, and Item 11 states within 90 days after signing. Item 17 summarizes a 30-day cure period for failure to timely develop and open, subject to the agreement and applicable state law.
Insurance not deliveredThe certificate is due by the earlier of 90 days after the Effective Date or before initial training. Missing required coverage can be a default and can block training or opening.
Training not completedThe Managing Owner and required manager must complete the program to the franchisor’s satisfaction. Failure by Owners or managers to complete required training is identified among termination grounds.
Unapproved systems or marketingOnly approved suppliers, systems, service vehicles, marketing media, and materials may be used. A new marketing submission has a disclosed 15-day approval or disapproval period.
Local or lender delayLicenses, permits, zoning, insurance, financing, and landlord actions are third-party dependencies. The franchisor does not finance the investment or guarantee a note, lease, permit, or completion date.
Readiness checklist
What should be verified before signing, training, and opening?
Before signing or paying
Confirm the legal buyer, all Owners and spouses, Managing Owner, and ownership percentages in Schedule 3.
Match the Schedule 1 Operating Territory map to the negotiated market and identify every Additional Territory.
Confirm whether Schedule 2 authorizes flooring-only or flooring plus Footprints Bath and Tile Services.
Complete the federal 14-calendar-day review period and examine state addenda with qualified advisers.
Ask current and former franchisees listed in Item 20 about actual approval, training, vehicle, permit, and opening bottlenecks.
Before training
Obtain franchisor approval for the Managing Owner, Operating Manager, and every attendee.
Deliver the required Owner and Spouse Agreement and Guaranty or manager Confidentiality Agreement.
Provide compliant insurance certificates before training when that deadline occurs first.
Get written confirmation of training dates, completion standard, location, travel obligations, and the conflicting 45-day wording.
Before opening
Keep written Administrative Office approval and verify any home-office, zoning, contractor, and home-improvement requirements.
Complete the approved service vehicle, wrap, commercial registration, insurance, computer hardware, Business Management System, and Contact Center setup.
Submit the initial marketing plan, use approved materials, execute ACH authorization, and document employee confidentiality agreements.
Obtain Branches Company’s written consent to open; do not treat training completion, a finished office, or a wrapped vehicle as automatic authorization.
Official references
Which public sources help verify the non-confidential parts of the process?
These public links supplement, but do not replace, the April 17, 2026 Footprints Floors FDD, Franchise Agreement, schedules, state addenda, and Manuals. State law can change disclosure, enforcement, and contract terms for a particular buyer.
Synthesis
What is the practical opening decision?
Verified path: apply and qualify; review the 2026 FDD; agree on the Operating Territory and service scope; sign the Franchise Agreement and related owner documents; approve the Administrative Office; complete permits, insurance, training, systems, vehicle, suppliers, staffing, and marketing; then obtain written consent to open.
Timeline: the official estimate is one to three months after signing, while the contractual outer deadline is 90 days. The most important applicant-controlled dependency is assembling office, licensing, insurance, vehicle, systems, and training readiness in parallel. The most important external dependency is timely franchisor approval plus local authority, insurer, landlord, lender, and supplier performance. Before signing, resolve the differing 45-day training language and confirm the exact Scheduled Opening Date, site rules, and cure rights in writing.
