Starting Strength franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.20 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$39,950 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

8% · 8% of Gross Sales, collected automatically at time of sale through required business management/POS software

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$408/month after opening (may increase up to 10%/year); $89-$308/month pre-opening; plus one-time $1,350 System Setup and Configuration Fee

Other fees

Not captured

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$16,500 - $48,000 (Additional Funds - 3 months, payable to employees and vendors as incurred)

Fees sourceFDD p.12 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.20 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Per-outlet 2025 Total Gross Revenue and cumulative Total Gross Revenue since opening (no system-wide average, median, or quartile figures disclosed)

Reporting period

2025 calendar year gross revenue, and cumulative revenue from each Gym's opening date through March 21, 2026

Sample

28 franchised Gyms, all open and operating as of March 21, 2026

Reported average

Not captured

Reported median

Not captured

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.62 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

26

Year-end outlets

28

Net change

+2

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

2

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

0

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

1

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.65 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

11 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$369,500

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

6 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 0

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Starting Strength franchise cost?

Single Gym (Franchise Agreement): $267,257 to $707,518; Area Development Agreement (2-5 Gyms): $291,227 to $767,443 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $39,950 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.20 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Starting Strength owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Per-outlet 2025 Total Gross Revenue and cumulative Total Gross Revenue since opening (no system-wide average, median, or quartile figures disclosed). Sample: 28 franchised Gyms, all open and operating as of March 21, 2026. Period: 2025 calendar year gross revenue, and cumulative revenue from each Gym's opening date through March 21, 2026.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.62 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Starting Strength?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 0 / 0. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $369,500; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 6 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗