Fund Your Franchise With Your Retirement Dollars
Access your traditional IRA or 401(k) from a prior employer to fund your franchise — tax-deferred, penalty-free, and without a loan. Start your business cash-rich instead of debt-heavy.
At a Glance
Early Withdrawal Penalties
Keeps Your Retirement Dollars Working
Typical Time to Fund
What Is a ROBS Rollover?
A ROBS — Rollover for Business Startups — lets you use retirement funds to invest in your own business without paying early withdrawal penalties or triggering immediate taxes. If you have a traditional IRA or a 401(k) from a prior employer and haven't yet paid taxes on those funds, you can direct them into your franchise.
It works for both new franchises and existing businesses (for recapitalization). You decide how much to invest — nothing forces you to roll over your entire retirement account. Many franchise buyers use ROBS to cover a portion of their funding and pair it with an SBA loan, credit line, or personal term loan to round out the rest.
ROBS has been a legal funding structure since 1974. It's IRS-approved and widely used — but it requires proper plan design, a C-Corporation structure, and ongoing administration. That's where Tenet Financial Group comes in.
Benefits of 401(k) Funding
Tax-Deferred & Penalty-Free
No early withdrawal penalties. No immediate taxes. Your retirement dollars go to work in your business without the IRS taking a cut up front.
Not a Loan
There's no required payback schedule and no debt on your balance sheet. You're investing your retirement funds into your own business — not borrowing them.
Start With Equity on Day One
Open your franchise cash-rich instead of debt-heavy. More equity from day one means more room to weather the ramp-up period and reinvest in growth.
Flexible Use of Funds
Capital can be used for real operating expenses — inventory, equipment, build-out, salaries, working capital. Not restricted like some other funding programs.
Powered by
Tenet Financial Group
Fund My Franchise partners with Tenet Financial Group, an industry-leading Third-Party Administrator (TPA) specializing in small business funding, with over 75 years of combined funding experience designing and administering ROBS plans.
In March 2003, Derrick Skogsberg, founder of Tenet Financial Group, used retirement money himself — the first 401(k) Plan he ever created was his own. The same plan structure you'd have today is the same plan structure Derrick has. He's been there, done that.
With the combined expertise of Fund My Franchise and Tenet Financial Group, you have a real team behind you from the start. The philosophy is quality of plans over quantity of plans. You're a person, not a number — and your ROBS plan gets designed, installed, and administered with that in mind for the long haul.
4,200+
Businesses Funded
$2.5B+
In Approved Funding
12,000+
New Jobs Created
What It Costs
(And What You Get)
One-Time Setup
$4,995
Fund My Franchise fee to design and install your 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan.
Monthly Admin
$145/mo
Tenet Financial Group's ongoing administration fee, billed monthly starting the month after your plan's effective date.
Time to Fund
3–4 weeks
Average time from kickoff to capitalized business. Paycheck possible in 4–5 weeks.
Most franchise buyers combine ROBS with at least one other funding source.
Explore the pieces that often pair well with a rollover:
From First Call
to Funded
Free Consultation
A short call with Al Lesko — review your retirement accounts, franchise plans, and whether ROBS is the right fit for your situation.
C-Corp Formation
We work with Tenet Financial Group to form your C-Corporation (required for ROBS) and design your new 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan.
Rollover & Investment
Your existing retirement funds roll into the new 401(k) plan, which then invests in stock of your C-Corp. Your business is capitalized.
Ongoing Administration
Tenet serves as your Third-Party Administrator — handling plan records, compliance, and IRS support for the life of your plan.
ROBS Rollover
Questions Answered
Ready to See If
ROBS Is Right for You?
A free call with Al Lesko — review your retirement accounts, franchise plans, and whether a ROBS rollover fits your situation. No obligation.