LMI operates as a non-site-specific, business-to-business sales and facilitation franchise. Under the 2026 FDD, the franchisee buys LMI programs and assessments wholesale, finds individual and corporate clients, delivers continuing training and service, collects customer payments, and reports monthly sales and new-client data to Leadership Management, Inc.
An LMI unit is a sales-and-facilitation practice, not a fixed-location training center. The franchisee develops local accounts, selects authorized LMI programs or assessments, purchases course materials from Leadership Management, Inc., delivers or coordinates the client development process, and records the transaction. LMI supplies the product system and training but not employees, bookkeeping, pricing, or a required POS or CRM.
Data basis: Leadership Management, Inc. Franchise Disclosure Document issued March 15, 2026; the non-site-specific contiguous U.S. format; Items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, and 20; Franchise Agreement Sections IV-VI, X, XII, and XVI; Item 20 counts through December 31, 2025. Public pages were checked July 31, 2026. No matching 2026 FDD was verified on a franchise-controlled public domain, so FDD references are unlinked.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 8, 12, 15, and 20, pp. 8-9, 14-15, 22, 24-26, and 31-35; Franchise Agreement Sections V and XVI, pp. 59-61 and 69-70.
What does an LMI franchisee sell, and who buys it?
The franchisee sells and services LMI leadership, management, productivity, sales, communication, organizational-development, and assessment products to individuals and corporate clients.
The 2026 FDD defines the franchised business as the right to sell 12 programs and related products, including assessment tools and management-module workshops. Leadership Management, Inc. supplies them wholesale; the franchisee sets retail prices and adds facilitation, training, testing, or client service. Contractual “gross sales” includes programs, facilitation fees, services rendered, and testing.
The official LMI services catalog lists Personal Productivity, Personal Leadership, Leadership Development, Strategic Leadership, Team Dynamics, Communication Strategies, and Selling Strategies. The official assessments page identifies The Achiever, Profile Evaluation System, and Organizational Needs Inventory. The 2026 FDD controls the authorized U.S. franchise line.
Leadership Management, Inc. can add, delete, or change programs and services. The franchisee may choose among the authorized LMI Products, but may not substitute outside materials or related services without written approval.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 8-9; Item 8, pp. 14-15; Item 16, pp. 26-28; Franchise Agreement Sections I, IV, and V, pp. 55-61.
How does work move from prospecting to monthly reporting?
The operating cycle joins local account development, authorized product selection, LMI-only sourcing, facilitated client service, collection, and prescribed monthly reporting.
Develop the account
- Actor
- Operating Principal and any franchisee sales representatives.
- Action
- Prospect individuals and corporate clients through local relationships, approved advertising, presentations, and the LMI subsite.
- Required asset
- LMI marks, approved promotional materials, and Company website presence.
- Output
- A qualified inquiry or organizational account opportunity.
Define the program
- Actor
- Franchisee or trained client-facing personnel.
- Action
- Identify the client’s need, select an authorized program, workshop, or assessment, and set the retail price.
- Required asset
- Current LMI Products, price list, and program standards.
- Output
- A proposal, enrollment, assessment order, or agreed development engagement.
Source authorized inputs
- Actor
- Franchisee purchasing from Leadership Management, Inc.
- Action
- Order the required course materials, testing products, or related materials and maintain sufficient supply.
- Required asset
- LMI is the only approved supplier for Company products.
- Output
- Authorized participant materials or access ready for delivery.
Facilitate and service
- Actor
- Operating Principal, approved designee, or supervised unit personnel.
- Action
- Deliver ongoing training and service as clients progress through the selected LMI process.
- Required asset
- Program materials, LMI Business Success System, facilitator training, and applicable online tools.
- Output
- Participant progress, completed sessions, assessment results, and client feedback.
Collect and record
- Actor
- Franchisee.
- Action
- Invoice and collect for programs, facilitation, services, and testing; maintain complete business and sales records.
- Required asset
- Franchisee-selected bookkeeping and billing process; no mandated POS or accounting platform is disclosed.
- Output
- Recorded gross sales and supporting transaction records.
Report and continue service
- Actor
- Franchisee reporting to Leadership Management, Inc.
- Action
- Submit the prior month’s royalty report by the eighth business day, register new clients, provide monthly feedback, and support continuing client work.
- Required asset
- Company-prescribed report, client-registration form, records, and authorized bank draft.
- Output
- Monthly compliance record and the next client-service cycle.
The public Personalized Development Process shows needs review, plans of action, facilitated workshops, feedback, review, completion, and follow-up. The FDD does not prescribe one universal sequence or session count for every program.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 6, 8, 11, and 16; Franchise Agreement Sections IV-VI; Business Success System table of contents, Exhibit B-4, p. 77.
Must the owner operate the LMI franchise full time?
An Operating Principal must devote substantial full time and best efforts to supervision and performance, although the franchisee may appoint an LMI-approved designee.
The franchisee must retain an Operating Principal who meets manual standards and training requirements. The owner may hold the role or appoint an individual approved by Leadership Management, Inc. A manager-run structure is possible only when that designee fulfills the substantial full-time duty; the 2026 FDD does not support absentee operation.
The documents contemplate sales representatives but disclose no required headcount or staffing ratio. The franchisee recruits, trains, and supervises them. Leadership Management, Inc. does not provide employee hiring or training, bookkeeping, accounting, inventory control, or pricing.
“No restrictions on managers” in Item 8 does not remove the Operating Principal requirement. The controlling question is who carries the substantial full-time supervision duty and whether Leadership Management, Inc. has approved any designee.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 11, p. 18; Item 15, pp. 24-26; Franchise Agreement Section V, pp. 59-61.
What does Leadership Management, Inc. control, and what stays with the franchisee?
LMI controls the authorized offering, product source, marks, operating standards, advertising approval, reporting form, and audit rights; the franchisee controls local selling, customer pricing, staffing, administration, collection, and day-to-day account service within those rules.
| Operating domain | Leadership Management, Inc. | Franchisee |
|---|---|---|
| Offering | Defines Company Products, standards, delivery style, and may change programs or services. | Chooses among authorized products and maintains sufficient approved supply. |
| Price and collection | Provides wholesale pricing but no retail-pricing assistance. | Sets customer prices, invoices, collects, and handles applicable taxes. |
| Demand and advertising | Provides marks, subsite setup, marketing supplies, and approves franchisee advertising. | Finds accounts, creates local advertising, and supervises sales representatives. |
| Client delivery | Provides manuals, training, products, updates, conferences, and problem-solving assistance. | Facilitates programs, services clients, and submits client feedback. |
| People and administration | Does not provide employee hiring, employee training, bookkeeping, accounting, or inventory procedures. | Selects and supervises personnel and builds its own administrative process. |
| Records and compliance | Prescribes reports; may inspect records, monitor promotions, visit the business, and contact customers. | Keeps complete records, reports sales, registers new clients, and supports audits. |
The 212-page LMI Business Success System covers Programs and Prices, Home Office Policies, the LMI Marketing System, Client Service System, Resale System, and Building Your Business. Leadership Management, Inc. may update standards; the franchisee must follow the current System and permit inspection of operations, records, promotions, and customer service.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11, 15, and 16; Franchise Agreement Sections IV-VI, X, XII, and XVI; Exhibit B-4, p. 77.
Which suppliers, technology, and marketing mechanisms are mandatory?
LMI is the sole approved source for Company products, a Company subsite is required, and advertising requires approval; no dedicated computer, POS, CRM, accounting platform, or advertising fund is mandated in the 2026 FDD.
The public brand site operates an online learning channel, and the official LMI assessment portal supports testing and reports. The 2026 FDD does not require a named learning-management, CRM, scheduling, or accounting platform.
The practical distinction is between a required brand website/subsite and an undisclosed back-office stack. Buyers should not infer a complete franchisor-supplied operating platform from the existence of online courses or assessment portals.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 8, pp. 14-15; Item 11, pp. 18-20; Item 15, p. 25; Franchise Agreement Sections V, VI, and XII.
Does an LMI franchisee receive protected customers or territory?
No territory is granted. The unit may operate from any location in the contiguous United States, and LMI may appoint competing franchises, although franchisees are not restricted by customer type.
The franchise is non-exclusive and not site specific. There is no protected sales area or exclusive customer population. The franchisee may sell to any customers but must expect overlap with other LMI franchisees. The official partnership page describes independent licensed representatives without granting U.S. territorial protection.
Each month, the franchisee submits registered-client details with its royalty report. Leadership Management, Inc. commits to confidentiality and not competing directly with those clients. Registered clients revert to LMI at termination or transfer to an approved buyer; this is not territorial exclusivity.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 12, p. 22; Item 16, p. 26; Franchise Agreement Sections V and XVI, pp. 59-60 and 69-70.
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
The U.S. system ended 2025 with 109 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets, after ending 2023 at 112 and 2024 at 108.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 20, Tables 1, 3, and 4, pp. 31-34. Counts are year-end U.S. outlets and use the same outlet definition across 2023-2025.
Item 20 reports three openings and two non-renewals in 2025, with no terminations, reacquisitions, or other closures. Because the U.S. network is fully franchised, there is no company-owned unit to benchmark staffing or workflow.
Which operating questions remain undisclosed?
The FDD defines the contractual model but leaves material execution details to the current manuals, product catalog, and franchisee interviews.
- Which 12 programs and related products are currently authorized for U.S. franchise resale, and which require facilitator, sales, or assessment certification?
- What session cadence, client-contact standard, feedback form, and completion record apply to each program in the current Client Service System?
- Which current subsite, learning, assessment, reporting, and payment tools are required in practice, and what data can Leadership Management, Inc. access?
- How are sales representatives typically engaged, trained, supervised, and compensated when the FDD provides no required headcount or staffing model?
- How does LMI apply its registered-client noncompetition commitment when multiple franchisees prospect in the same non-exclusive market?
- What changes have been made since issuance to Programs and Prices, the LMI Marketing System, the Client Service System, and the Resale System?
Operating-model synthesis: LMI’s central customer mechanism is the franchisee’s local sale and facilitated service of authorized development programs, assessments, and related materials to individuals and corporate clients. The franchisee’s most important responsibility is building accounts and carrying clients through ongoing delivery while maintaining complete records. The strongest dependency is Leadership Management, Inc.’s sole-source product control and authority to change the authorized offering.
The defining market distinction is a non-site-specific but non-exclusive franchise: customers are not restricted, yet no protected territory is granted. The largest unresolved question is the current program-by-program standard in the LMI Business Success System, including platforms, certification, data access, and service cadence.