BuildingstarsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Buildingstars franchise requires a total initial investment of $114K – $288K, including a $100K franchise fee. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.2M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $114K – $288K
- 42nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.2M
- 50th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 15
- 25th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Cleaning & Maintenance 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 11.0x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchised units fell from 8 to 2 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $114K – $288K including a $100K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $2.2M/year (median $2.2M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 49/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Buildingstars International, Inc.
- Parent company
- Facility Brand, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 33 Worthington Access Drive, St. Louis, MO 63043
- Auditor
- UHY LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $63.2M
- vs $70.2M prior year
Overview
About
Buildingstars franchisees operate commercial cleaning and building maintenance services, managing client relationships, scheduling crews, and delivering janitorial/facility services. Day-to-day operations involve coordinating staff, maintaining service quality, managing client contracts, and handling operations for typically 2-8 accounts per franchisee.
- CEO
- Christopher J. Blase
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 2
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $100K | $100K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $0 | $128K |
| Total initial investment | $114K | $288K |
Source: Buildingstars 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$264K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
110%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
11 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $114K – $288K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $150K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 1-5% of Royalty Items
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $38K |
| Renewal fee | $38K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.2M
- Item 19 type
- Average Total Revenues
- Sample size
- 14 units
- vs category median 31 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $401K→$32.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Revenue is 11.0x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How Buildingstars Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 15
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 13
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 13%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -33.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Buildingstars presents elevated risk due to undisclosed net income, tiny unit count, franchisor financial distress (Going Concern), and lack of transparent royalty clarity.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · UHY LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 49 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosed — cannot verify actual franchisee profitability despite $2.2M average revenue claim
- 02MINOROnly 15 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — insufficient data on unit economics and system momentum
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($113.7K-$287.5K) relative to small franchise footprint raises sustainability questions
- 04HIGHGoing Concern issue = franchisor financial instability — red flag for support, training, and long-term viability
- 05MINORRoyalty structure (1-5% variable) lacks transparency — unclear what triggers higher percentages and actual franchisee burden
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosed but Going Concern status suggests financial distress that may precede legal action
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 | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | MSA / Population based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 60 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- POS system
- NetSuite
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: NetSuite
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Buildingstars · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Buildingstars franchise?
The total investment to open a Buildingstars franchise ranges from $114K – $288K, with an initial franchise fee of $100K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Buildingstars franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Buildingstars FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.2M. The median is $2.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Buildingstars's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Buildingstars (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 Buildingstars franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Buildingstars has 15 total units in the United States, including 8 franchised units and 13 company-owned units.
Is Buildingstars a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Buildingstars as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 49 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.
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.