Canopy Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Canopy Lawn Care is a lawn treatment franchise offering fertilization, weed control, and lawn health programs. Franchisees run route-based operations, managing technicians, scheduling, and recurring residential accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CANOPY franchise requires a total initial investment of $98K – $188K, including a $50K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $103K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $98K – $188K
- 33rd pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $103K
- 0th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 46
- 44th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services 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 $98K – $188K including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $103K/year (median $100K).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 66/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG4 units terminated last reporting year (8.7% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Canopy Franchise Corporation
- Parent company
- Outdoor Living Brands Holdco, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Empower Brands Franchising, LLC
- Predecessor
- Conserva Irrigation Franchising
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Hunt Davis
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 2426 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060
- Auditor
- Smith-Howard
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $96.8M
- vs $102.2M prior year
Affiliated brands
- CanopyNC Ventures
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Hunt Davis
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 13
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 36% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Spend | $5K | $50K | |
| Service Vehicle Down Payment and Lease Payments | $8K | $10K | |
| Aftermarket Vehicle Items | $15K | $40K | |
| Rent | $0 | $1K | |
| Construction, Leasehold Improvements, Furniture and Fixtures | — | — | |
| Supplies, Uniforms, and Inventory | $1K | $3K | |
| Computer Systems | $2K | $6K | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums | $900 | $2K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $1K | $5K | |
| Professional Fees and Business Licenses | $500 | $1K | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $500 | $1K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $15K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $98K | $188K |
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
- $98K – $188K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 8% of Gross Revenue or the required Minimum Ro…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Minimum royalty per territory per month: $0 (months 1-6), $500 (7-12), $875 (13-24), $1,250 (25-36), $1,625 (37-48), $2,500 (49-60), $3,375 (61+) |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $3K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 92% below the home services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
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
$12K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
8%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
12.9 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one CANOPY unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
8%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 CANOPY units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$103K
on $517K purchase
Total debt
$414K
SBA $0.3M + senior + seller note
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $103K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $100K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue and pnl
- Sample size
- 8 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $26K→$241K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 321 Home Services brands
Revenue is only 0.7x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $103K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.7x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 11.0% — above the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 6/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +10.8% over 3 years (8 opened, 0 closed).
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 Home Services averages
How Canopy Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 46
- Opened
- 8
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 4
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.8%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 89%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +10.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 8
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 4
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 0.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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.
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
Canopy presents moderate-to-cautious risk due to missing financial documentation, implausible profitability claims, undisclosed royalty minimums, and slow unit growth that limits validation of franchisee success.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $199,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Smith-Howard
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: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 66 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDMassive profitability gap: $103k avg revenue but $317k avg net income suggests data inconsistency, survivorship bias, or undisclosed costs
- 02MEDMinimum Royalty structure not disclosed — could create cash flow pressure on lower-performing locations
- 03MEDSlow unit growth (10.8% YoY) with only 46 units indicates limited brand momentum or saturation concerns
- 04MEDHigh initial investment range ($98k-$188k) relative to disclosed average revenue raises ROI and break-even timeline concerns
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 11.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · 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 |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 45,000 |
| 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 | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Virginia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | VA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- Raleigh, NC or Richmond, VA (virtual for some modules)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (home office recommended; warehouse requires franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
11 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
CANOPY · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a CANOPY franchise?
The total investment to open a CANOPY franchise ranges from $98K – $188K, 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 CANOPY franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the CANOPY FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $103K. The median is $100K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the CANOPY 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 CANOPY FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is CANOPY's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for CANOPY (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 CANOPY franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, CANOPY has 46 total units in the United States, including 41 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is CANOPY a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates CANOPY as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 66 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 CANOPY, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.