The Alternative Board franchise model is built around peer advisory boards — small groups of local business owners who pay ongoing membership dues to meet monthly under one facilitator — layered with 1:1 coaching, which makes a TAB resale structurally different from a typical single-client coaching practice. A board only holds together because its members trust the person running it, so the sale isn't just transferring a client list; it's asking an entire existing group to accept a new facilitator, and a board that doesn't ratify the change can walk away as a unit rather than one client at a time.
The Alternative Board (TAB) resales follow the franchisor's own approval process on top of the usual purchase mechanics — here's how the two run together.
Getting approved
The offer sets price and terms, conditioned on franchisor consent and a realistic assessment of which board members and 1:1 coaching clients are likely to stay on under a new facilitator.
1–2 weeks†TAB Canada reviews the incoming facilitator's background before consenting to the transfer of the territory, franchise agreement, and existing board relationships.
3–6 weeks, typically†A franchise disclosure document may still be required for this resale — Ontario courts read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, so franchisor involvement can trigger it even where it's called a private deal.
assessed early, in parallel†Getting to closing
Rather than a lease, the parties confirm the buyer is stepping into the seller's defined facilitator territory under the franchise agreement.
1–2 weeks†The incoming facilitator typically completes TAB's own certification training, and each existing board is introduced to the new facilitator with an opportunity to decide, as a group, whether to continue.
4–8 weeks, often before or alongside closing†Funds and the franchise agreement change hands, with the buyer's certification confirmed and board continuity assessed.
1 day, once conditions are met†Dedicated Canadian site (thealternativeboard.ca) actively recruits new Facilitator/Coach franchisees via a link to tabfranchise.com; the global peer-advisory-board network has been in business for decades
Part of TAB Canada's national peer-advisory-board franchise network
This is the first real decision in a The Alternative Board (TAB) resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The defined facilitator territory, existing peer advisory boards and their membership dues revenue, any 1:1 coaching engagements, and the benefit of the franchise agreement, subject to consent. | The shares of the corporation holding the franchise agreement, board relationships, and coaching engagements — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific territory and practice changing hands — often the pacing condition on the whole deal. | Required for the change of control itself, with the franchisor reviewing who is actually taking over. |
| Territory rights | The buyer steps into the seller's defined facilitator territory under the franchise agreement. | Territory rights generally continue with the corporation, since the entity itself hasn't changed. |
| Board membership continuity | Each peer advisory board is a group of paying members, not a single client — a board that doesn't accept the incoming facilitator can decline to continue as a whole unit, which concentrates retention risk differently than in a one-on-one coaching resale. | Board membership agreements generally continue with the corporation on paper, though each board's members retain the practical choice to disband or continue under new facilitation. |
| Certification requirement | The incoming facilitator must typically complete TAB's certification program, often before or alongside taking over active board facilitation. | The existing certified facilitator can continue if staying on, or a newly certified facilitator steps in as part of the ownership change. |
| Typical use | The default for a single facilitator's territory and board membership base changing hands. | Less common — sometimes used where a practice has grown to include associate facilitators under one company. |
The defined facilitator territory, existing peer advisory boards and their membership dues revenue, any 1:1 coaching engagements, and the benefit of the franchise agreement, subject to consent.
The shares of the corporation holding the franchise agreement, board relationships, and coaching engagements — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Required for the specific territory and practice changing hands — often the pacing condition on the whole deal.
Required for the change of control itself, with the franchisor reviewing who is actually taking over.
The buyer steps into the seller's defined facilitator territory under the franchise agreement.
Territory rights generally continue with the corporation, since the entity itself hasn't changed.
Each peer advisory board is a group of paying members, not a single client — a board that doesn't accept the incoming facilitator can decline to continue as a whole unit, which concentrates retention risk differently than in a one-on-one coaching resale.
Board membership agreements generally continue with the corporation on paper, though each board's members retain the practical choice to disband or continue under new facilitation.
The incoming facilitator must typically complete TAB's certification program, often before or alongside taking over active board facilitation.
The existing certified facilitator can continue if staying on, or a newly certified facilitator steps in as part of the ownership change.
The default for a single facilitator's territory and board membership base changing hands.
Less common — sometimes used where a practice has grown to include associate facilitators under one company.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single TAB facilitator's territory changing hands between one buyer and one seller, with certification completed and existing boards introduced to the new facilitator as a group.
Start my file →A practice with associate facilitators running multiple boards under one company, or a resale where one or more boards are genuinely uncertain about continuing under new facilitation.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
A board is a standing group of paying members who meet together, not a single client relationship, so it can accept or reject a new facilitator as a unit. That means the risk in a TAB resale is concentrated differently than a one-on-one coaching practice — losing one board can mean losing several members' dues at once, not a single account.
This is the central commercial risk in a TAB resale, and it's addressed directly in the deal terms — a negotiated introduction period where both facilitators meet with each board together, and purchase-price terms tied to which boards actually continue, are both common ways to handle it rather than leaving it to chance.
Typically, yes — TAB generally expects an incoming facilitator to complete its own certification training before or alongside taking over active board facilitation, which affects how quickly you can actually step into the role after closing.
Not necessarily in the way a storefront franchise does — boards typically meet at a rented meeting space, a member's premises, or a shared venue booked per session, so unlike a retail or restaurant franchise, there's usually no long-term lease anchoring the deal.
Not necessarily. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in matching a buyer to a seller can trigger a full disclosure requirement regardless of how the deal is framed.
Related
Where we close franchise resale deals
Treadstone Law is an independent law firm. We act for buyers and sellers of franchise businesses. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or retained by The Alternative Board (TAB) or its franchisor.
Tell us about your The Alternative Board (TAB) resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.