Surface Experts franchise research

Investment by format

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

Investment sourceFDD p.17 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$75,000 to $137,500 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

8% · Greater of 8% of Gross Sales or $1,600/month minimum (minimum begins after first year; $1,800/month after 18 months for territories over 500,000 people), paid monthly

Marketing contribution

Not captured

Technology fee

$393 to $500 per month (ExpertNet portal); additional email addresses $6/month each

Other fees

Support Center Services fee: 4% of Gross Sales up to $80,000/month, then 2% of Gross Sales above $80,000; Minimum royalty $1,600/month (after year 1); Non-compliance fee $500 then $250/week

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Additional funds (for first 3 to 6 months): $60,000 to $75,000; covers payroll, additional inventory and other operating expenses in excess of income, excluding owner salary

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.17 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Annual gross revenue by performance tier (quartiles) for franchised locations open 12+ months, split into single-territory and multi-territory operators; also average/median gross revenue per job and per repair, average monthly rent and cost of goods sold per job

Reporting period

Calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2025)

Sample

75 franchised locations (in 85 territories) open at least 12 months out of 93 franchised locations in 103 territories; 66 single-territory and 9 multi-territory; rent/COGS based on 67 locations

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.41 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

87

Year-end outlets

103

Net change

+16

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

18

Terminations

3

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

0

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

3

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.45 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

39 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$150,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

29 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

1 / 3

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 Surface Experts franchise cost?

standard (single Surface Experts vehicle, home-based to small leased office): $155,893 to $273,200 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $75,000 to $137,500 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.17 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Surface Experts owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Annual gross revenue by performance tier (quartiles) for franchised locations open 12+ months, split into single-territory and multi-territory operators; also average/median gross revenue per job and per repair, average monthly rent and cost of goods sold per job. Sample: 75 franchised locations (in 85 territories) open at least 12 months out of 93 franchised locations in 103 territories; 66 single-territory and 9 multi-territory; rent/COGS based on 67 locations. Period: Calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.41 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Surface Experts?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 1 / 3. 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: $150,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 29 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗