Autism Treatment FranchisE

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We understand the decision to open your own business is a big one.

We are here to answer any questions you may have.

What experience do I need to become an SOS franchise owner?

We are looking for individuals with a passion for helping children with autism. If you have the desire, have business and administrative skills, and are financially qualified, we want to talk with you.

A franchise owner does not need ABA experience, any kind of degree, or license.  In fact, our founder had no experience when she opened the first center. The majority of existing franchisees are Autism parents, with no formal degree or training in ABA.

SOS Franchising will train you and your key employees to run a SOS center. We will share all of our knowledge and experience to help you avoid expensive mistakes. 

A franchise owner must have leadership skills. A CEO’s job is to empower and encourage their staff to do their best. They will monitor each staff member’s KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and make individual goals for improvement.

A franchise owner must have strong people skills. Newly diagnosed children come with anxious parents. Forming personal bonds and trust with your client’s parents will ensure your business’s success.

A franchise owner must be actively involved. CEOs are not required to work in the center full-time, but statistics show the more present an owner is, the more successful the business becomes. SOS Franchising will not sell a franchise to a “silent” owner.

What is the term of the agreement?

The initial term of your agreement is five years, with a renewal fee of $1500.

Is financing available?

SOS Franchising does not provide direct financing, but we know people who can help!

Most franchisees obtained a start-up loan through the Small Business Association. SOS is already approved and listed on the SBA registry. SBA loans are partially backed by the government and typically have relatively low interest rates.

Once you sign the Franchise Agreement, we will provide you with a business plan template and financial projection template to submit to your financing institution.

What is provided as part of the SOS franchise program?

Our Franchise Development Team will help you understand the contract, refer you to our trusted real estate and start-up loan partners, and give you training on how to form a business. We provide the business plan template, financial projections template, site buildout guidance and so much more.

Our Training Team will provide two weeks of hands-on training for you and your key employees at our corporate center in Houston, TX. Once your center opens, we provide on-site grand opening assistance. Plus, we provide ongoing training and access to our confidential operations manual.

Our Marketing Team will give you a main company email account, set up your center’s webpage, and set up your Google MyBusiness listing. They also provide you with advertising strategies and help you establish a social media presence. SOS Franchising provides national marketing campaigns and service updates. We also establish national partnerships with universities to ensure a steady selection of qualified staff are at your disposal.

Our Quality Assurance Team will do audits to ensure that your employees are following protocols and upholding our high quality standards.

 

Can I choose where my SOS center will be located?

Yes! Each franchisee is awarded a protected territory. No two SOS centers can be closer than 6 miles from each other. Dense, urban areas have the smallest territories, while rural areas can have much larger territories.

Ask our Franchise Development Team which territories are available! We can also provide you with important client demographic information to help you choose which area is most likely to be successful.

How much will it cost to open my own SOS center?

The total investment necessary to open a SOS center ranges from $350,000 to $650,000 for a single location.  The price varies based on where your center will be located. For example, rent in New York is much more expensive than Houston.

This estimate is for initial start up expenses, plus 4 months of working capital. It also includes the Initial Franchise fee that you pay to SOS Franchising for training and the ongoing royalty fees that you pay to SOS Franchising for ongoing support.

 

How do I find employees?

Before you open, you will need to hire one Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and an Office Manager. Once you and those two employees complete the Initial Training program at our corporate headquarters, you will need to hire one Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) for each client.

The SOS Support and Training Team will teach you all of our staff acquisition strategies. We assist you in posting the job, interviewing candidates, and sending Offer Letters.

What happens if one of my key staff quits?

The SOS Training and Support Team will teach you all of our staff rentention strategies. We will also train you on crisis preparation.

One MAJOR benefit of belonging to a franchise is that you can temporarily contract staff members from sister locations. If your BCBA goes on vacation or on maternity leave, you can “borrow” the BCBA from a nearby SOS Franchisee (and vise versa. We are a family that supports each other.

How will I find clients?

This is the easy part! The demand for services is so high, that clients will find YOU!

The SOS Training and Support Team will teach you all of our client acquisition strategies. After you sign the Franchise Agreement, we will create a Google MyBusiness Listing, Facebookpage, and Webpage for you. Once you complete the Initial Training program at our corporate headquarters, we will help you plan a Grand Opening Event at your location!

How many clients will I have?

Since we start advertising early, you will likely have a waiting list of a few client before you open. Most of our franchisees acquired an average of 2 full-time clients per month (depending on how much they advertised).

A 5,000sqft facility with a proper layout will hold a total of 24 full-time clients. If you are at max capacity, we recommend you open a second location, rather than expanding.

How much money will I get from clients?

The SOS Training and Support Team will teach you all of our client retention strategies. The majority of our clients are between the ages of 3 years old – 7 years old. Most children attend full-time (40 hours per week). Our clients stay enrolled in our program for an average or 3-5 years.

The overwhelming majority of clients use their health insurance to pay for services. The SOS Training and Support Team will assist you in acquiring in-network contracts. Each insurance carrier that you become in-network with will individually negotiate reimbursement rates with you. Each region of the country is paid differently based on plan type and availability of services… but we have seen numbers as low as $8,000 per month to as high as $20,000 per month.

What kind of competition will I have?

No state has more than one-third of the minimum number of ABA providers needed to meet the needs of the number of children with autism. We encourage you to call the ABA centers near you and ask about thier waiting list. You’ll see that are are simply not enough ABA centers out there.

Success On The Spectrum is currently the ONLY center-based ABA franchise in the country. There are many “Mom-And-Pop” clinics out there but mostly without support, they make expensive mistakes and struggle hard during economic crises (like COVID). There are also large corporations gobbling up smaller clinics but usually the administration is out of touch with the daily struggles of a center which results in dwindling quality of care.

How well are the existing franchises doing?

Two of our franchisees opened at the end of 2019. We are so proud that our model proved to be successful even through the unexpected COVID-19 Pandemic.

We have zero units closed as of 2021. We also have zero operating units for sale. Our franchisees are enjoying the growth of their units and have plans to stay for the long run.

 

We invite you to call and speak with current franchisees and ask any questions you may have. You can find a list of our locations and their phone numbers on our Consumer Website.

How did SOS Franchising support existing franchisees during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

SOS Franchising created stronger sanitizing protocols for each center to follow. We sent frequent COVID updates to our franchisees to guide them through staff compliance and client fears.

SOS Franchising also helped each franchisee to obtain the hard-to-find supplies needed to remain open, such as gloves, masks, and hand sanitizers. As an essential healthcare service, every location was able to remain open and operating.

View our COVID Response Video to learn more!

 

How do I get started?

If you want to learn more about how to open a Success On The Spectrum franchise, contact us at (832) 975-1999 or email Franchise@SuccessOnTheSpectrum.com. We will set up a meeting to answer all of your questions.