Buff City SoapFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 8.7% charge-off rate across 23 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $395K – $1.3M
- 35th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 17th pct Retail
- Units
- 271
- 35th pct Retail
- SBA default
- 8.7%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $395K – $1.3M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 56/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 8.7% across 23 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 55.0% CAGR over 3 years with 271 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Buff City Soap Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Buff City Soap InvestCo, LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 5294 Beltline Road, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75254
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5K
- vs $10K prior year
Affiliated brands
- owned Makeries
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Buff City Soap franchisees operate artisanal soap retail locations selling handmade soaps, bath products, and self-care items. Daily operations include product sales on the retail floor, customer engagement, inventory management, and potential wholesale or online fulfillment. Most locations function as small-format retail shops in strip malls or shopping centers with 2–4 employees.
- CEO
- Dorvin Lively
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 33
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 24 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 | $816K | $2.6M |
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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $63K – $96K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Net Sales · 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 gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $25 |
| Renewal fee | $50 |
| Inventory (initial) | $31K – $139K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How Buff City Soap Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 271
- Opened
- 12
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 0.7%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +4.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +55.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- 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).
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
- 8.7%
- 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)
- 71.4%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 100.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 12
- Defaults
- 2
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Buff City Soap's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $120,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers 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: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 rating
- 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | demographic and population size |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 4 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 12 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 18 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 46 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- 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
FDD download
Buff City Soap · FDD (2024) PDF
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 does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Buff City Soap's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Buff City Soap has a charge-off rate of 8.7% across 23 loans, meaning 8.7% 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 Buff City Soap franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Buff City Soap has 271 total units in the United States, including 169 franchised units and 9 company-owned units. 12 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 risk score of 56 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.