Franchise opportunities compared
Fred Astaire Dance Studios vs Goldfish Swim School
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Goldfish Swim School discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Fred Astaire Dance Studios: 3, Goldfish Swim School: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Fred Astaire Dance Studios | GSGoldfish Swim School |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $298,000 – $665,000 TOTAL 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 32 | $1,663,263 – $3,746,733 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $35,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 20 | $20,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 16 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 7% · percent of Gross Revenue for the preceding week Royalty Fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 | $1,250 . OTHER FEES Type of Fee Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty Fee The greater of — 1250 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $150/mo Advertising Fees — per month 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 | $10,000 rther information about all advertising programs is included in ITEM 11. Renewal Fee — 10000 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 285 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 86 | 398 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 70 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +39 Calculated: 246 at end of 2023 → 285 at end of 2025 | +80 Calculated: 318 at end of 2023 → 398 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | Not expressly stated 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 11 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 1995 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $85,567 – $4,117,263 range Gross Revenue · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $624,953 median Gross Revenue · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 81 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — "all Mature Studios"; a “Mature Studio” is any Studio in the United States that… $250,000 other For 2025, the Performance Standards are: YEAR OF OPERATION PERFORMANCE STANDARD 2 $250,000 3 $312,476.66 4 $343,724.33 5 $374,971.99 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Allschools≥12months $128,106 other Table1 SUPPLIES(3) · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 68 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Firstfullyearschools≥12but<24months (tablelabel13–24) 4.3 percent other Table2 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 69 |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.