Buff City Soap Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $395K – $1.3M
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 23 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Buff City Soap is a retail franchise selling handmade, plant-based soaps and bath and body products made fresh in-store. Franchisees run soap makeries producing and selling products on the retail floor, plus online.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Buff City Soap franchise requires a total initial investment of $395K – $1.3M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $395K – $1.3M
- 39th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 20th pct Retail
- Units
- 260
- 36th pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $395K – $1.3M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 59/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -11 franchised outlets in the latest year (4 opened, 15 closed) (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 55.0% CAGR over 3 years with 260 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Buff City Soap Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Buff City Soap Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Buff City Soap InvestCo, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
- Dorvin Lively
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 5294 Beltline Road, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75254
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $12.9M
- vs $9.8M prior year
Affiliated brands
- owned Makeries
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Dorvin Lively
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 35
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 149% above the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $43K | $310K | |
| Rental Expenses | $40K | $200K | |
| Interior and Exterior Signs | $18K | $30K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $63K | $150K | |
| Equipment | $7K | $50K | |
| Smallwares | $2K | $4K | |
| Architects and Engineering | $6K | $20K | |
| Other Professional Fees (Accountant/Lawyers/Business Advisors) | $1K | $20K | |
| Opening Inventory | $20K | $120K | |
| Opening Supplies | $9K | $15K | |
| Computers, Software, Telecommunication, Networking, Security | $6K | $20K | |
| Training and Pre-Opening Expenses | $21K | $34K | |
| Pre-Opening Labor | $19K | $26K | |
| Insurance | $8K | $9K | |
| Deposits and Permits | $2K | $25K | |
| Market Introduction Budget | $15K | $40K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $5K | |
| Security System | $1K | $5K | |
| Lease Deposit | $2K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $395K | $1.3M |
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $395K – $1.3M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $63K – $96K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of net sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of net sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Inventory (initial) | $20K – $120K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Buff City Soap makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Buff City Soap unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Retail median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System expanding at 55.0% CAGR over 3 years across 260 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Retail medians
How Buff City Soap Compares
Category median of published Retail brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 260
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 15
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 5.8%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +55.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +55.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 2
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 6.8%
- Units that stopped operating
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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
252 current owners across 33 states; 5 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- TN 32
- TX 28
- FL 24
- KY 17
- GA 15
- NC 12
- IA 10
- AL 9
- NY 9
- OH 9
- AR 8
- IN 8
- +21 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 23
- Loan volume
- $8.5M
- Median loan
- $350K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 23 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 23 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 23 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 23 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 12
- Defaults
- 2
- Typical loan rate
- 6.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 28.6%
- NAICS 325611
- Jobs supported
- 406
- 4.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 26%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 87% went to startups / new businesses, 13% to established operators
Top lenders financing Buff City Soap franchisees
Showing 3 of 12 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Buff City Soap from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 6.1%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 80%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.47%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $261K
- Lender concentration
- 26.1%
- Job velocity
- 4.8 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 28.6%
- NAICS 325611
- Jobs supported
- 406
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 26% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Banking Company | 6 | $2.1M | N/A |
| 2 | Bank OZK | 3 | $1.2M | N/A |
| 3 | Southwest Heritage Bank | 2 | $650K | 100.0% |
| 4 | Pinnacle Bank | 2 | $627K | N/A |
| 5 | Stearns Bank National Association | 2 | $431K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Old National Bank | 2 | $508K | 0.0% |
| 7 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 1 | $199K | 0.0% |
| 8 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 1 | $300K | N/A |
| 9 | Sonata Bank | 1 | $100K | N/A |
| 10 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 1 | $350K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYNew York | 6 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 4 | 0 | -- |
| TNTennessee | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| AZArizona | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| FLFlorida | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MSMississippi | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| COColorado | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| DEDelaware | 1 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MNMinnesota | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Buff City Soap presents moderate-to-cautionary risk due to opaque unit economics, minimal growth trajectory, and absence of performance disclosure (Item 19), making ROI validation impossible without direct franchisee verification.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Total revenues comprise franchise and other revenue ($10,036K) and brand fund revenue ($2,887K) for fiscal 2023; amounts reported in thousands.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 59 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed — impossible to assess ROI or payback period
- 02MINORSlow unit growth of only 4.0% YoY suggests market saturation or franchisee struggles
- 03MINORWide investment range ($395K–$1.28M) indicates inconsistent unit economics or unclear cost structure
- 04MEDHigh franchise fee ($50K) relative to disclosed financial transparency — high barrier without proven returns
- 05MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income creates information asymmetry favoring franchisor
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 4 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 12 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Dallas, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 18 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 48 hrs
- Training location
- Dallas, TX (corporate office and/or BCS Makery location)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (with franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Revel POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Revel POS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
257 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Buff City Soap franchise?
The total investment to open a Buff City Soap franchise ranges from $395K – $1.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Buff City Soap franchise owners earn?
Buff City Soap makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Buff City Soap?
Buff City Soap is franchised by Buff City Soap Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Buff City Soap Holdings, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Buff City Soap InvestCo, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Buff City Soap FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Buff City Soap FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Buff City Soap's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Buff City Soap (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Buff City Soap franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Buff City Soap has 260 total units in the United States, including 251 franchised units and 9 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Buff City Soap a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Buff City Soap as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 59 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
For franchisors
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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.