Franchise opportunities compared
The Little Gym vs Water Babies
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.
- Water Babies 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 (The Little Gym: 5, Water Babies: 1). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  The Little Gym | WBWater Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $420,324 – $722,773 TOTAL — first Gym 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25 | $102,650 – $164,217 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $59,500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14 | $55,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 8% or $2,500/mo min Royalty Fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 | $10 Royalty rate up to $400,000 gross revenue 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee | $2.00 Brand fund contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 256 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 70 | 2 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +70 Calculated: 186 at end of 2023 → 256 at end of 2025 | +0 Calculated: 2 at end of 2023 → 2 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) | September 1992 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 1992; originally incorporated June 16, 1992 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Franchised (5 locations) — revenue and EBITDA $767,482 mean Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 67 Franchised (166 outlets) — EBITDA $372,316 mean EBITDA · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 64 Franchised (37 locations) — revenue and EBITDA $491,078 median Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66 +2 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $1,989,969 other Gross revenue 2024 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47 |
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.