Apex Fun Run

Every school year, Parent Teacher Organizations across America face the same exhausting cycle: selling wrapping paper, candy bars, and coupon books that generate modest returns while consuming enormous volunteer time and energy. The real problem is structural — traditional product-sales fundraisers return as little as 30 to 40 cents on the dollar to the school, require parents to manage inventory, and deliver zero educational value to the students involved. Scott Donnell identified this problem firsthand watching his wife Amy, an elementary school teacher, routinely spend her own paycheck on classroom supplies because school budgets consistently fell short. That observation became the founding thesis for Apex Fun Run, launched in 2011 and incorporated as Apex Leadership Company, a Phoenix, Arizona-based franchise organization that merges school fundraising with structured youth leadership and fitness programming. From the beginning, the model was designed to be fundamentally different: rather than selling products, schools host a run-based pledge event where students collect donations tied to laps completed, guided by Apex-trained staff who embed leadership curriculum directly into the experience. The franchise began selling territories in 2012 and has grown to serve 122 communities across 33 states as of December 2023, with more recent figures citing 130 franchised units domestically. Apex Fun Run operates exclusively in the U.S. market, with no current international footprint, and the network collectively hosted over 1,700 events in 2023 alone — up from 1,400 events the prior year. Under current CEO Jamie Krasnov, recognized as one of Houston Business Journal's 2024 40 Under 40 honorees, the company has achieved 200 percent revenue growth since 2021. For franchise investors evaluating this opportunity, Apex Fun Run represents a niche but rapidly expanding service franchise with a mission-driven positioning that resonates strongly with school communities, creating durable, repeat-engagement relationships that structurally differentiate it from one-time service providers. This analysis is produced independently by PeerSense and reflects research-based assessment, not promotional materials supplied by the franchisor.

The business support services industry that encompasses Apex Fun Run's category — which includes personal services, children's services, school fundraising, and child enrichment — is experiencing compounding structural growth that creates a favorable long-term backdrop for franchise investors. The broader business support services market was estimated at $671.76 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $724.68 billion in 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.9 percent. Looking further out, the market is forecast to hit $989.81 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 8.1 percent, with at least one independent analysis projecting a CAGR of 9.2 percent through 2031. These are macro-level numbers, but they are directionally important because they confirm that the outsourced services space — of which school fundraising management is a specialized subset — is growing faster than the overall U.S. economy. On the consumer demand side, the tailwinds are equally compelling. Schools and PTOs consistently report being exhausted by the logistical and emotional burden of traditional fundraising campaigns, and many lack the in-house expertise or bandwidth to execute programs that generate meaningful returns. There is measurable and documented demand for fundraising solutions that are healthy, character-building, and motivationally engaging for students rather than purely transactional. Apex Fun Run's positioning addresses all three of those demand signals simultaneously. The school fundraising vertical is also structurally fragmented — no single national brand dominates the space with the depth of programming, franchised scale, and curriculum integration that Apex has developed — which means the competitive moat the company has built through 13 years of operational refinement is genuinely difficult for independent local operators or newer entrants to replicate quickly. That fragmentation, combined with secular growth in the business support services market, creates a favorable window for franchise investors considering entry into this category.

The Apex Fun Run franchise investment begins with an initial franchise fee of $49,500, though some versions of the Franchise Disclosure Document reference figures ranging from $39,500 to $63,000 depending on the timing of the FDD and the specific unit configuration. The company's database profile reflects a franchise fee of $49,900. For investors purchasing multiple units simultaneously, the fee structure steps down: $44,500 for the first additional unit and $39,500 for each subsequent additional unit, making multi-territory acquisitions meaningfully more capital-efficient. The franchise fee is structured to cover franchise rights, administrative expenses, brokerage fees, training costs, and legal fees — the full cost of establishing the licensing relationship and preparing the franchisee for operations. Total initial investment figures vary across sources and FDD versions, with ranges cited as $81,500 to $104,200, $79,000 to $109,700, and up to $86,000 to $135,000 in more recent disclosures, while the company's database profile reflects an investment range of $29,000 to $210,340 — a spread that likely reflects differences in territory size, equipment purchases, and operating capital reserves. Working capital requirements are estimated at $3,000 to $5,000, which is notably lean for a franchise of this scale and reflects the asset-light nature of the operating model. Prospective franchisees are generally required to demonstrate liquid capital of $50,000 and a minimum net worth of $250,000. The ongoing royalty rate is 8.0 percent of gross sales, which sits at the higher end of the typical franchise royalty range but is consistent with service-based franchise models that provide sustained operational support rather than passive brand licensing. No advertising fund contribution is explicitly called out in current disclosure documents. Apex Fun Run offers a veteran discount ranging from $1,000 to $8,500 off the initial franchise fee, and the asset-light, low-overhead nature of the business model makes it a reasonable candidate for SBA financing review, though investors should confirm current SBA eligibility status during their due diligence process. Compared to brick-and-mortar franchise categories where build-out costs alone can exceed $300,000, the Apex Fun Run franchise cost structure positions it firmly in the accessible-to-mid-tier range for service franchise investment.

The daily operating reality of an Apex Fun Run franchisee centers on relationship management and event execution rather than retail operations or physical plant management — a distinction that shapes everything from staffing to cash flow to lifestyle. Franchisees spend the majority of their time selling and renewing event contracts with elementary and middle schools, coordinating with school administrators and PTO leaders, managing event staff, and overseeing the logistics of fun run events at school sites. Because revenue is generated through discrete events at client schools rather than daily customer transactions, the business has a fundamentally different rhythm than most franchise concepts — it is seasonal, appointment-based, and highly dependent on relationship quality and rebook rates. Apex reports a rebook rate exceeding 90 percent among its school clients, which is the single most important operational metric in the model because it converts what might otherwise be a transactional relationship into a recurring annual revenue stream. Training is structured and thorough: new franchisees complete an initial webinar series followed by a hands-on training session of approximately five to seven days at Apex Leadership Company's Phoenix, Arizona headquarters, with training covering both owners and their staff team members. Ongoing support from the corporate team includes tools for selling to new and existing schools, direct connections with school system leaders, staff management frameworks, inventory management systems, financial oversight protocols, and monitoring of key performance indicators. Apex also provides each franchisee with a custom-built website that manages online pledges and functions as a primary sales tool for the territory. The company's 2024 partnership with HubSpot was designed specifically to enhance operational efficiency and improve communication quality between schools and franchisee teams — a signal that the corporate infrastructure is being actively modernized. Territory structures are intentionally large, with exclusive geographic protection based on customized zip code configurations, and the average franchisee operates 2.5 territories, indicating that multi-unit ownership is the norm rather than the exception within the system. Apex's event programming has also expanded substantially from the original fun run concept to include Apex Virtual, Glow Run, Remix, Apex Games, Color Games, Anython, Apex Serve, Obstacle Course, and PBIS Coaching, as well as Middle School Programs and a monthly leadership and recess offering called Apex Leadership Company.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document, which means prospective franchisees do not receive audited average revenue or profit figures through the standard FDD disclosure process and must rely on franchisor-provided representations during discovery and third-party research during independent due diligence. That said, Apex Leadership Company has made several revenue-related representations through marketing materials and media coverage that provide meaningful directional context. Individual Apex Fun Run events generate an average of $23,000 per school, and with the average franchisee managing 2.5 territories and executing multiple events per territory per year, the compounding revenue potential is substantial. The reported average unit volume for an Apex Leadership Company franchise is $310,000, which, at an 8.0 percent royalty rate, implies annualized royalty payments of approximately $24,800 per unit to the corporate entity — a figure that helps contextualize both the fee structure and the financial relationship between franchisee and franchisor. On the school-side economics, Apex's fundraising programs generate an average of 70 percent more revenue than traditional product-sales fundraisers, which is the core value proposition that drives rebook rates and referrals. Schools retain 40 to 60 percent of gross funds raised through the Apex Live program and 50 to 65 percent through the Apex Flex format, with the remaining balance paid to the franchisee. Approximately 20 percent of total funds raised are allocated to operational costs, Apex corporate costs, and event logistics. In 2023, the Apex system was projected to raise $70 million for schools collectively, a target that was reportedly exceeded in 2024 — a system-wide revenue figure that, when divided across 122 to 130 active territories, implies meaningful per-unit production. Revenue and profit are not interchangeable, and franchisees must account for staffing costs, travel and event logistics, technology and marketing expenses, and the 8.0 percent royalty when modeling net operating income. Investors performing serious due diligence should request franchisee references from across the system, specifically asking about seasonal cash flow patterns, staffing costs as a percentage of revenue, and the capital requirements for scaling from one to multiple territories.

Apex Fun Run's unit count growth trajectory over its 13-year history reflects a brand that has expanded steadily rather than explosively, building operational depth before pursuing aggressive scale. Starting from its first franchised territory in 2012, the system reached 84 locations across 21 states by 2019, grew to over 90 units shortly thereafter, reached 122 communities in 33 states by December 2023, and has since grown to a reported 130 franchised units. The brand capped 2024 with 15 percent system-wide growth, signed 10 new franchise deals during that year, and opened new locations in Brooklyn, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; Thornton, Colorado; Peachtree City, Georgia; Troy, Michigan; Jacksonville, Florida; and San Francisco, California. Strategic expansion is actively planned into Illinois, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and California, with new franchisees in those territories expected to begin serving schools starting in Fall 2024. The competitive advantages underpinning Apex's market position are structural rather than simply promotional: the 90-plus percent school rebook rate creates genuine revenue predictability that few service franchises can match; the leadership and fitness curriculum embedded in every event creates differentiation that purely transactional fundraising companies cannot easily replicate; and the franchise system's proprietary event programming suite — now spanning more than ten distinct event formats — gives franchisees flexibility to serve schools with diverse needs and preferences. The company's national recognition in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 rankings across multiple years provides third-party validation of the franchise model's strength, and Indeed's designation of Apex as one of the best franchises to purchase in 2024, specifically citing low-cost startup requirements and extensive franchisee support, adds additional credibility to the investment thesis. The HubSpot technology integration represents meaningful investment in the operational infrastructure underlying franchisee performance, addressing a common pain point in service franchise systems where communication and pipeline management can become bottlenecks to growth.

The ideal Apex Fun Run franchisee candidate is not a passive investor seeking absentee returns — this is fundamentally an owner-operator model, at least at the single-territory level, that rewards individuals who are energized by community engagement, comfortable with sales and relationship-building, and capable of managing event logistics and part-time staff. Prior experience in education, community organizations, youth sports, or event management is frequently cited as valuable background, though the company's training infrastructure is designed to develop the necessary competencies regardless of starting point. Because the average franchisee operates 2.5 territories, multi-unit ownership is a realistic and commonly pursued growth path within the system, and investors with the capital and organizational capability to acquire two or three territories simultaneously benefit from the stepped-down franchise fee structure. Geographic opportunities remain significant, with Apex currently serving 33 states but signaling active recruitment efforts in Illinois, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and California specifically, as well as ongoing availability in many other markets given that 130 units represent a fraction of the addressable U.S. school district market. Markets with high concentrations of elementary and middle schools, active PTO cultures, and communities where school budget constraints are acute represent the highest-potential territories. The timeline from franchise agreement signing to first event execution varies but is generally faster than brick-and-mortar concepts given the absence of a physical build-out requirement, making Apex an option for investors seeking a relatively near-term path to revenue generation. Franchisees should enter the process prepared to invest meaningful time in the first one to two years building school relationships and establishing rebook patterns, with the understanding that the recurring revenue model becomes increasingly valuable as the client base matures.

For franchise investors conducting structured due diligence on the school fundraising and child enrichment space, Apex Fun Run presents a genuinely differentiated opportunity grounded in a recurring-revenue service model with documented system-wide growth, a mission that resonates powerfully with school communities, and an expanding product suite that insulates franchisees from single-format dependency. The investment profile — with a franchise fee of $49,500, total initial investment ranging from approximately $79,000 to $135,000 depending on configuration, and an 8.0 percent royalty on an average unit volume of $310,000 — is accessible relative to most retail or food-service franchise categories, while the asset-light operating model and 90-plus percent rebook rate create a business structure with meaningful earnings predictability once a territory is established. The macro backdrop of a business support services market approaching $1 trillion by 2030, combined with persistent school funding gaps and PTO demand for hassle-free, high-return fundraising solutions, creates secular tailwinds that are unlikely to reverse. The PeerSense Franchise Performance Index score of 46 reflects a Fair rating that prospective investors should examine carefully alongside the full scope of available data — including SBA lending history, location-level Google ratings, FDD financial data where available, and side-by-side comparisons with competing franchise concepts in the children's services and school enrichment categories. PeerSense provides exactly that suite of independent due diligence resources, assembled specifically to give franchise investors the analytical foundation that marketing materials alone cannot deliver. Explore the complete Apex Fun Run franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.