Do it BestFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Do it Best franchise requires a total initial investment of $853K – $1.6M, including a $9K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 12.3% charge-off rate across 65 loans[1]. Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $853K – $1.6M
- 40th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 4,053
- 41st pct Retail
- SBA default
- 12.3%
- 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
Franchising since 1945. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Large franchise systems benefit from brand recognition, supply chain leverage, and proven operations.
Bottom line
- Total investment $853K – $1.6M including a $9K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 89/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 12.3% across 65 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Do it Best Corp.
- Incorporated in
- IN
- HQ
- 1626 Broadway Suite 100, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-4377
- Auditor
- CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.8B
- vs $4.6B prior year
Affiliated brands
- TV Hardware Distribution
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Do it Best franchisees operate independent hardware retail stores serving residential and commercial customers. Daily operations include inventory management, point-of-sale transactions, customer service, and participation in the cooperative's purchasing programs and marketing initiatives. Franchisees leverage the cooperative's bulk buying power and supplier relationships while maintaining local market presence.
- CEO
- Daniel B. Starr
- Headquarters
- IN
- Founded
- 1945
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 50
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 6 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial membership fee (including purchase of class of shares) | $9K | $9K | |
| Equipment, fixtures, signage and leasehold improvements | $168K | $294K | |
| Initial merchandise inventory | $576K | $1.0M | |
| Security deposits, business licenses and other prepaid expenses | $8K | $12K | |
| Computer and POS Systems | $20K | $90K | |
| Additional funds - working capital for first 3 months of operation | $72K | $168K | |
| Total initial investment | $853K | $1.6M |
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
- $853K – $1.6M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $72K – $168K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $9K – $9K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- -n/d
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $90 |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How Do it Best Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4,053
- Opened
- 295
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 161
- Turnover rate
- 4.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +3.4%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +3.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 148
- Closed (3yr)
- 44
- Terminated (3yr)
- 38
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 128
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 58.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 67.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 43 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.
- Total loans
- 65
- Loan volume
- $31.5M
- Median loan
- $485K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 12.3%
- 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 30
- Defaults
- 8
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
A mature, slow-growing hardware cooperative with escalating franchisee financial distress, opaque economics, and unprotected territories presents significant capital-at-risk for a $1M+ investment without clear profitability metrics.
Litigation (Item 3)
4 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CliftonLarsonAllen 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: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 89 / 100 rating
- 01MEDHigh investment range ($852.5K-$1.58M) with no disclosed average revenue or net income prevents ROI validation
- 02MINORDeclining unit growth (3.4% YoY) suggests market saturation or franchisee struggles in mature 4,053-unit system
- 03HIGHActive collection litigation indicates cash flow problems among franchisees and potential systemic profitability issues
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk and cannibalization within franchise network
- 05MEDCritical data omissions: royalty rate unknown, franchise term unknown, no Item 19 financial performance data
- 06HIGHGoing Concern flag = false provides no clarity on whether FTC disclosure addressed franchisor financial stability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Protected territory | No |
|---|---|
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Termination notice | 0 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 4 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
4 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 21 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Epicor Software Corporation
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Epicor Software Corporation
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
437 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Do it Best · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Do it Best franchise?
The total investment to open a Do it Best franchise ranges from $853K – $1.6M, with an initial franchise fee of $9K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Do it Best franchise owners earn?
Do it Best 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 Do it Best's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Do it Best has a charge-off rate of 12.3% across 65 loans, meaning 12.3% 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 Do it Best franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Do it Best has 4,053 total units in the United States, including 3,233 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 295 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Do it Best a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Do it Best as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 89 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.