City Lifestyle
Business Services
Own your community's media company. City Lifestyle pairs luxury print magazines mailed monthly to 2 million affluent homes with a digital audience of 4 million and growing. Publishers own the local relationships and ad sales; our corporate team handles editorial, design, print, distribution, and digital campaigns. Under $50K to start, recurring revenue, 250 communities in 39 states. No media experience required.
Availability
City Lifestyle is currently accepting inquiries from the following states:
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
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Requirements
Financial requirements for this franchise: Minimum Cash Required $20,000 Net Worth $0 Franchise Fee $10,000 Royalty Fee 7% of gross advertising sales, monthly Total Investment $10,000 - $46,350 -
Options
Options available to franchisees: Home Based Yes Mobile Franchise No Military Discount Available Financing Not Available Training Available -
Franchisor Details
Facts about this franchise: Headquarters Kansas city, MO Total Units 241 Year Founded 2009 Franchising Since 2020
What does a City Lifestyle Franchise Cost?
To open a City Lifestyle franchise, prospective owners need a minimum of $20,000 in cash available (liquid capital) upfront. This amount is part of the estimated total initial investment required to start the franchise, which ranges from approximately $10,000 to $46,350. Qualified veterans may also be eligible for a 20% discount off the initial franchise fee. *
Own Your Community's Media Company
City Lifestyle publishers (franchise owners) run the most visible media brand in their community: a luxury monthly magazine mailed to the area's most affluent households, paired with a digital platform that extends that reach online. Publishers own the local relationships and the advertising sales. Our corporate team produces everything else.
Meet a Few City Lifestyle Franchisees
- Tara Bove, Boerne, TX - Tara Turned Community Into a Business — The publisher behind Boerne Lifestyle, and the neighbor who turned a love for her hometown into a respected local media business. If you've ever wondered whether a City Lifestyle franchise could work where you live, her story is the perfect place to start.
- Will Rivera, Dripping Springs, TX - Why Will Left Corporate America to Become the Storyteller of His Community — A veteran and former corporate executive, Will brought the same discipline and commitment he learned in the military to building something entirely his own.After years of planes, packed schedules, and climbing the corporate ladder — including time at the VP level — Will wanted something different. Control of his calendar. Freedom to be present. A business that could fund the life he actually wanted to live.
- Tiffany and Jake Slowinski, Garden City, NJ - Tiffany and Jake Left Their Careers to Build One Business Together — And Got Their Family Back - Tiffany had the job everyone said was perfect for a mom. Jake had built and sold a successful company. On paper, they were both winning.But Tiffany was using half days to make it to her kids' school events. Jake was working 80-90 hour weeks and watching his kids grow up in pictures. .They decided there was a better option. They left their careers, launched a City Lifestyle together, and restructured everything around their family.Now they pick their kids up from school every day. They don't miss the school plays, the parent-teacher conferences, or the events that only come around once. The business fits around their life — not the other way around.Their community has taken notice too. Neighbors message Tiffany for local recommendations. Jake knows half the business owners on the street by name. The actual mayor keeps them in the loop. That's what genuine community investment looks like over time.
Our Story
City Lifestyle launched its first magazine in 2009, in the middle of a recession, on a simple idea: local businesses need a credible way to reach the best households in town, and those households want to read about the community they actually live in. Today the network includes more than 250 magazines across 39 states, reaching 2 million homes in print every month plus a digital audience of 4 million and growing. City Lifestyle has been recognized by the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
Why Local Media, Why Now
National advertising gets noisier and less targeted every year. A premium print magazine, mailed directly into affluent neighborhoods with household incomes of $135K and up, reaches exactly the customers local businesses want most, in a format they keep on the coffee table. Print did not die. It consolidated around premium, hyper-local niches, and that is the space City Lifestyle owns.
What You Do, What We Handle
As a publisher, you do one thing: build relationships with local business owners and sell the advertising. Our in-house teams handle editorial, design, printing, mailing, digital campaigns, and billing. Advertisers pay City Lifestyle directly, and you receive your profits monthly. No production headaches, no collections, no staff required to launch.
The Numbers
Total investment runs $37,600 to $46,350, including the $30,000 franchise fee. The business runs from a home office or small workspace, overhead stays low, and advertising contracts create recurring monthly revenue.
Training and Support
New publishers complete a comprehensive initial training program covering sales, operations, and our publishing platform, then move into ongoing coaching, continued development programs, and an annual national conference that brings the entire publisher network together.
Who Does Well Here
Connectors and closers. Most City Lifestyle publishers came from sales, marketing, real estate, or corporate leadership, not from media. If you like owning your income, you are known in your community or want to be, and you would rather build relationships than manage inventory, this business was built for you.
