Locals Love Us is a community advertising franchise offering neighborhood business rankings, print guides, and digital directories, serving local merchants and residents, and known for voter-driven “best of” lists that boost credibility, visibility, and measurable marketing results.
KEY FRANCHISE STATS
Franchisees
?
10
+
-9%
-9%
Franchise fee
?
$29,500
Investment
?
$67,000 - $92,000
Revenue (AUV)
?
Undisclosed
$0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Upgrade
Locals Love Us (LLU) is a marketing and advertising franchise that publishes community-focused print and online directories featuring the most-loved local businesses in each market.
The directory highlights popular companies across categories such as restaurants, retail, home services, and professional providers. Each listing is based on real consumer votes, making the guides trusted resources for residents.
Locals Love Us was founded in 2005 and began building its reputation through its local voting structure and community-driven branding. The company is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where it continues to manage brand standards and national support systems.
The franchise program officially launched in 2014, allowing entrepreneurs to operate their own Locals Love Us territory. The franchise sells advertising placements in its local print guides and digital directories.
Franchisees run annual voting campaigns, engage with local businesses, and publish the results to create a curated list of the top-voted companies in their area. The business model combines community engagement, advertising sales, and recurring publication cycles.
Initial investment
The initial investment required for a Locals Love Us franchise is
$67,000 - $92,000.
That is the total cost you would need to finance if you were to start this franchise.
These costs are provided by the franchisor in the Franchise Disclosure Document.
Type of Expenditure
Amount
Initial Franchise Fee
$29,500
Website, email, and LoLu Setup Fee
$4,500
Office Equipment & Supplies
$0 to $2,500
Vehicle and Insurance
$1,500 to $4,500
Business Licenses and Permits
$200 to $500
Professional Fees
$800 to $2,000
Business Insurance
$250 to $333
Training Expenses
$0 to $4,000
Grand Opening Advertising
$20,000
Additional Funds / Working Capital – 3 months
$10,000 to $24,000
Total
$66,750 to $91,833
Create a free account to access this table and more. For more information see our plans here.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Type of Expenditure
Amount
Initial Franchise Fee
$29,500
Website, email, and LoLu Setup Fee
$4,500
Office Equipment & Supplies
$0 to $2,500
Vehicle and Insurance
$1,500 to $4,500
Business Licenses and Permits
$200 to $500
Professional Fees
$800 to $2,000
Business Insurance
$250 to $333
Training Expenses
$0 to $4,000
Grand Opening Advertising
$20,000
Additional Funds / Working Capital – 3 months
$10,000 to $24,000
Total
$66,750 to $91,833
Franchise Disclosure Document
Below is Locals Love Us's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. Upgrade to Pro or purchase the FDD to view and download the document.
Number of units
Locals Love Us had 12 total units in 2024, of which 10 were franchised-owned and 2 company-owned.
Locals Love Us provides a detailed and multi-day training program to prepare franchisees and their team members for business operations. The initial training program typically takes about five full days and is mandatory for the franchisee or their designated Principal Operator. Here are the key training components:
Initial Training Program Conducted within three months of signing the Franchise Agreement, the training is held at the franchisor’s office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or another designated location. It includes classroom sessions and practical instruction using the official Manual and other training materials.
Sales-Specific Training Employees who will serve in a sales capacity receive an abbreviated two-day program focused solely on sales-related subjects. This helps streamline their onboarding while targeting their functional area.
Additional Training If the franchisee hires more employees or requests extra training, the franchisor may charge up to $2,000 per week for each additional participant. The franchisor also reserves the right to require up to five days of additional training annually at a designated location.
Territory Protection
Locals Love Us offers territory protection to its franchisees under a "Market" designation, within which no other franchise or company-owned location will be permitted—provided the franchisee meets specific performance criteria.
This protection is conditional on remaining compliant with the franchise agreement, including achieving set annual gross revenue thresholds, starting at $200,000 in Year 1 and rising to $475,000 by Year 5. If a franchisee fails to meet these revenue benchmarks, the franchisor may revoke the territorial protection and allow others to operate within that same Market.
The franchisee is required to focus operations within their assigned Market and must obtain written consent for any marketing efforts outside that territory. While this framework provides a measure of operational security, it is not an exclusive territory in the strictest sense—franchisees may still face indirect competition through other distribution channels or from other Locals Love Us outlets if performance standards are not met.
.png)
