What does the Focus Cfo Franchisee understand and acknowledge regarding the operation of services?

According to the 2025 Focus Cfo Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee acknowledges the importance of Focus Cfo's standards for quality, operations, and service. They also recognize the necessity of operating their services in strict compliance with the Focus Cfo System. This means the franchisee understands that they must adhere to the established methods, techniques, formats, designs, specifications, standards, and procedures that Focus Cfo has developed and may modify over time.

The Focus Cfo franchisee's equity owner is expected to function as an Area President, focusing on generating new clients through Focus Cfo's client development system. Typically, the Area President does not directly perform CFO Services for clients; instead, these services are delivered by separately licensed CFOs. However, a franchisee can provide CFO Services under a separate CFO Licensing Agreement or terminate the Franchise Agreement to apply for a non-exclusive license to operate as a CFO.

Focus Cfo franchisees can hire employees or outside contractors for administrative support without needing prior written consent from Focus Cfo. However, if a support resource has a public-facing role that uses Focus Cfo Marks, the franchisee must obtain written approval from Focus Cfo to protect the brand. The franchisee is fully responsible for all support resources they hire, including compliance with employment laws and ensuring the support staff adheres to confidentiality, non-solicitation, and non-competition agreements. Focus Cfo is not the employer of these support resources, and the franchisee is responsible for all management, personnel, and training requirements for these individuals.

Focus Cfo provides reasonable business insurance coverage (general liability, crime, and employment practices) to the franchisee, specifically covering the Area President. However, this coverage does not extend to other support resources hired by the franchisee. The franchisee is responsible for securing appropriate insurance to cover the services performed by all support resources. If the franchisee is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or has been a licensed CPA, they agree not to represent themselves as a CPA when marketing or offering CFO Services under the Focus CFO Marks to avoid market confusion between CFO Services and other regulated accounting services.