Brightway InsuranceFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Brightway Insurance franchise requires a total initial investment of $35K – $137K, including a $25K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $906K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 18.2% charge-off rate across 11 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $35K – $137K
- 12th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- $906K
- 21st pct Financial Ser…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 341
- 54th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA default
- 18.2%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Financial Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 10.5x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Bottom line
- Total investment $35K – $137K including a $25K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $906K/year (median $655K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 18.2% across 11 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Brightway Insurance, LLC
- Parent company
- Brightway Holdings, LLC
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 5011 Gate Parkway, Building 200, Suite 200, Jacksonville, Florida 32256
- Auditor
- RSM US LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $56K
- vs $67K prior year
Affiliated brands
- First City Insurers
- Equity One Insurance Agency
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Brightway franchisees operate independent insurance agencies selling commercial and personal lines insurance (property, casualty, health, life). Day-to-day activities include client consultation, policy placement with carrier partners, renewals management, and claims support. Franchisees build and service a book of business while paying commissions to Brightway and managing their own operational costs (staff, office, marketing).
- CEO
- Nick Clements
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2003
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 28
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Feenot refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Lease Deposit and First Month's Rent | $0 | $7K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $10K | |
| Furniture, Furnishings, and Fixtures | $0 | $7K | |
| Equipment | $2K | $7K | |
| Signage | $125 | $15K | |
| Professional Fees | $600 | $3K | |
| Insurance Policies | $300 | $4K | |
| Licensing Fees | $0 | $1K | |
| Opening Advertising Expense | $0 | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - Six Months | $10K | $55K | |
| Total initial investment | $23K | $137K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$127K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
107%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
11 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $35K – $137K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $55K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Franchisor retains 20% of New Business commissions and 50…
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 23.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $35K |
| Total fee load | 23.0% of rev |
At 23.0% total fee load, roughly $208K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $906K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $655K
- Item 19 type
- Gross Commission Revenue
- Sample size
- 270 units
- vs category median 97 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $20K→$4.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 0 / 5 · above
Compared against 58 Financial Services brands
Revenue is 10.5x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Financial Services averages
How Brightway Insurance Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 341
- Opened
- 67
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 64
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.9%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +18.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 33 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 11
- Loan volume
- $1.5M
- Median loan
- $105K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 18.2%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 81.8%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 2
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Brightway Insurance's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 4 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 3-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Brightway presents CAUTION-level risk: stagnant growth, opaque profitability, asymmetric commission structure favoring franchisor, unprotected territory, and prior litigation suggest limited upside and moderate operational/financial risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 1 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · RSM US LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 rating
- 01MINORStagnant unit growth (0.9% YoY) indicates mature/declining system with minimal expansion
- 02MEDAsymmetrical commission split (50% renewal commission retention) heavily favors franchisor and reduces franchisee profitability on recurring revenue
- 03MEDNo average net income disclosed in FDD Item 19 — unable to verify ROI claims or validate $136,900 investment thesis
- 04HIGHPrior litigation (2019 Eurohold settlement) signals franchisor-franchisee disputes over agreement terms and scope creep
- 05MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk within assigned area and cannibalization of book of business
- 06MINORHigh initial investment ($35,000 franchise fee + $23,325-$136,900 startup) with unclear payback period
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 1 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 45 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 65 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Brightway Fusion
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Brightway Fusion
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
427 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Brightway Insurance · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Brightway Insurance franchise?
The total investment to open a Brightway Insurance franchise ranges from $35K – $137K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Brightway Insurance franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Brightway Insurance FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $906K. The median is $655K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Brightway Insurance's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Brightway Insurance has a charge-off rate of 18.2% across 11 loans, meaning 18.2% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Brightway Insurance franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Brightway Insurance has 341 total units in the United States, including 285 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 67 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Brightway Insurance a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Brightway Insurance as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.