Foot Solutions Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $131K – $189K
- Disclosed sales
- $507K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 32.1%
- on 95 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Foot Solutions is a retail franchise selling comfort and wellness footwear plus custom orthotics fitted through foot assessments. Franchisees run the stores, managing fittings, inventory, and customer service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A FOOT SOLUTIONS franchise requires a total initial investment of $131K – $189K, including a $40K – $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $507K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 32.1% charge-off rate across 95 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored7 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $131K – $189K
- 13th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $507K
- Net sales4th pct Retail
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 6th pct Retail
- Units
- 46
- 19th pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- 32.1%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail median · 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 $131K – $189K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $507K/year (median $464K).
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 29/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 32.1% across 95 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHNegative: net -9 franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 10 closed); 2 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -22.4% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Foot Solutions, Inc.
- Parent company
- Foot Solutions Holdings Corp.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2023 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Foot Solutions Holdings Corp. (Delaware corporation)
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2023 FDD
- CEO title
- CEO & Chairman of the Board
- John Prothro
- CEO experience
- 23 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- GA
- HQ
- 223 Roswell St., Suite 202, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
- Auditor
- AGL CPA Group, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.2M
- vs $3.5M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- John Prothro
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 2000
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 18
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 52% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $4K | $8K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $87K | $141K |
| Total initial investment | $131K | $189K |
Source: FOOT SOLUTIONS 2023 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
- $131K – $189K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $4K – $8K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 5.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% |
| Marketing / ad fund | 5.0% of net sales |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Inventory (initial) | $60K – $80K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 37% below the retail norm.
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for FOOT SOLUTIONS until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$166K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one FOOT SOLUTIONS unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
- Avg gross sales
- $507K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $464K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Net Sales
- Sample size
- 30 outlets
- vs category median 46
- Range (low → high)
- $232K→$1.3MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 43 of the 2023 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 278 Retail brands
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 $507K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 3.2x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% — above the Retail median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -22.4% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Retail medians
How Foot Solutions Compares
Category median of published Retail brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 46
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 21.7%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 83%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -22.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -22.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- Not renewed
- 1
- Reacquired
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 2
- 0.04 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 6.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 13.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 18 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.
18
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.
- Total loans
- 95
- Loan volume
- $13.5M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 32.1%
- on 95 loans · 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)
- 67.5%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 38
- Defaults
- 25
- Typical loan rate
- 6.4%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 27.1%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 236
- 2.1 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 22%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in shoe stores, franchised businesses charge off at 27.1% vs 24.2% for independents — franchising is associated with 12% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Foot Solutions charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Foot Solutions franchisees
Showing 3 of 38 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Foot Solutions from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 23.4%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 71%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.37%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $107K
- Lender concentration
- 21.5%
- Job velocity
- 2.1 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 29.4%
- NAICS 448210
- Jobs supported
- 236
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 22% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Popular Bank | 17 | $2.7M | 75.0% |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 11 | $1.8M | 36.4% |
| 3 | PNC Bank, National Association | 5 | $695K | 20.0% |
| 4 | Bank of America, National Association | 4 | $305K | 25.0% |
| 5 | The Huntington National Bank | 4 | $262K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Frost Bank | 3 | $285K | 66.7% |
| 7 | Business Lenders, LLC | 2 | $235K | 0.0% |
| 8 | TD Bank, National Association | 2 | $250K | 100.0% |
| 9 | Comerica Bank | 2 | $338K | 0.0% |
| 10 | First Horizon Bank | 2 | $300K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLFlorida | 16 | 10 | 71.4% |
| TXTexas | 8 | 4 | 50.0% |
| AZArizona | 5 | 2 | 40.0% |
| CACalifornia | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| COColorado | 5 | 2 | 40.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NVNevada | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| OHOhio | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| PAPennsylvania | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MNMinnesota | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
A 32.1% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 32.1% — 100% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · AGL CPA Group, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited financial statements (FY2022/2021/2020) referenced as Exhibit A but not present as machine-readable text; only interim unaudited statements as of 3/31/2023 are extractable (Equity -1,233,080; Total Assets 6,899,422; Total Liabilities 8,132,501; Q1 2023 Total Income 4,157,446).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 29 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnit count collapsed 19.1% YoY (46 units remaining) — indicates severe system contraction and franchisee exits
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — impossible to validate actual profitability claims against $506k average revenue
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($130.8k-$189.3k) paired with declining unit count creates survivorship risk
- 04MINORModest 5% royalty does not offset customer acquisition costs typical in specialty retail foot care services
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | GA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 29 hrs
- Training location
- In-store with trainer and online
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Heartland Point of Sale System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Heartland Point of Sale System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
7 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a FOOT SOLUTIONS franchise?
The total investment to open a FOOT SOLUTIONS franchise ranges from $131K – $189K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do FOOT SOLUTIONS franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the FOOT SOLUTIONS FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $507K. The median is $464K. Important context: Reported as net sales, not gross sales. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns FOOT SOLUTIONS?
FOOT SOLUTIONS is franchised by Foot Solutions, Inc.. Its parent company is Foot Solutions Holdings Corp.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Foot Solutions Holdings Corp. (Delaware corporation). Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
What is Item 19 in the FOOT SOLUTIONS 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 FOOT SOLUTIONS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is FOOT SOLUTIONS's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, FOOT SOLUTIONS has a charge-off rate of 32.1% across 95 loans, meaning 32.1% 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 FOOT SOLUTIONS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, FOOT SOLUTIONS has 46 total units in the United States, including 38 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is FOOT SOLUTIONS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates FOOT SOLUTIONS as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 29 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.