Buildingstars Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Buildingstars is a commercial cleaning franchise providing office and facility janitorial services to businesses. Franchisees run the operations, managing cleaning crews, client accounts, and scheduling.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Buildingstars franchise requires a total initial investment of $2K – $8K, including a $995 – $37K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $2K – $8K
- 0th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subsetPartial period
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 55th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 1,193
- 86th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance avg · 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 $2K – $8K including a $995 franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAudited consolidated financial statements are of the parent/guarantor, Buildingstars International, Inc. and Subsidiaries (FYE December 31, 2024), not the franchisor Buildingstars Management, Inc. alone. Revenue is consolidated. Audit report dated March 11, 2025.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 83/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 29.7% CAGR over 3 years with 1193 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Buildingstars Management, Inc.
- Parent company
- Buildingstars International, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Facility Brands, Inc.
- CEO title
- President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary
- Christopher J. Blase
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 33 Worthington Access Drive, St. Louis, MO 63043
- Auditor
- UHY LLP (member of UHY International), St. Louis, Missouri
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $83.6M
- vs $76.2M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Christopher J. Blase
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 1999
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 98% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $995 | $995 |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $0 | $5K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $1K | $2K |
| Total initial investment | $2K | $8K |
Source: Buildingstars 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $2K – $8K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $5K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $995 – $37K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $200 |
| Inventory (initial) | $100 – $700 |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Buildingstars did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Buildingstars unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
572%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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
Audited consolidated financial statements are of the parent/guarantor, Buildingstars International, Inc. and Subsidiaries (FYE December 31, 2024), not the franchisor Buildingstars Management, Inc. alone. Revenue is consolidated. Audit report dated March 11, 2025.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Covers a partial period, not a full year
- Item 19 type
- Monthly Contract Revenue by program level and tenure band
- Sample size
- 1,404
- vs category median 32 · large
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 192 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
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 6.0% — below the Cleaning & Maintenance average of 9.7%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Monthly Contract Revenue by program level and tenure band rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 29.7% CAGR over 3 years across 1,193 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 Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How Buildingstars Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1,193
- Opened
- 345
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 226
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 19.2%
- Company-owned
- 14
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +29.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +29.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 345
- Closed (3yr)
- 226
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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.
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
Buildingstars presents elevated risk due to undisclosed net income, tiny unit count, franchisor financial distress (Going Concern), and lack of transparent royalty clarity.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · UHY LLP (member of UHY International), St. Louis, Missouri
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 83 / 100 verdict
- 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
- 03HIGHGoing Concern issue = franchisor financial instability — red flag for support, training, and long-term viability
- 04MEDNo litigation disclosed but Going Concern status suggests financial distress that may precede legal action
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% 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 | 1 year |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 1 year |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | St. Louis County, Missouri (mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | MO |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 7 hrs
- Training location
- Regional Office (St. Louis MO, Phoenix AZ, Tampa FL, Atlanta GA, Chicago IL, Overland Park KS, East Brunswick NJ, Charlotte NC, Raleigh-Durham NC, Pittsburgh PA, Nashville TN, Dallas TX, Houston TX, San Antonio TX)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- NetSuite
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: NetSuite
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
334 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Buildingstars · FDD (2025) 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 $2K – $8K, with an initial franchise fee of $995. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Buildingstars franchise owners earn?
Buildingstars 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 Item 19 in the Buildingstars 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 Buildingstars FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 1,193 total units in the United States, including 1,179 franchised units and 14 company-owned units. 345 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Buildingstars a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Buildingstars as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 83 out of 100 (higher is better), 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Buildingstars, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Cleaning & Maintenance franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Cleaning & Maintenance category
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.