Does the amount HealthSource Chiropractic charges for website and technology services offset internal costs?

According to HealthSource Chiropractic's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are required to use third parties contracted by HealthSource Chiropractic for website design, maintenance, hosting, and search engine optimization, as well as certain technology-related administrative expenses. Franchisees will pay a fee to HealthSource Chiropractic for these services, and HealthSource Chiropractic will then pay the third-party providers directly.

The amount that HealthSource Chiropractic charges franchisees for these services may be either less or more than the amount HealthSource Chiropractic pays to the third-party providers. This difference can be used to offset HealthSource Chiropractic's internal costs related to the stated purposes of the fee. This means that HealthSource Chiropractic may use the revenue from these fees to cover its own administrative expenses associated with managing these technology services.

This arrangement is fairly common in franchising, where franchisors often manage certain services centrally to ensure consistency and quality across all locations. The franchisor may mark up the cost of these services to generate revenue or to cover their own administrative costs. Prospective franchisees should inquire about the specific costs of these services and how they compare to market rates to ensure they are receiving fair value.