goGLOWFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A goGLOW franchise requires a total initial investment of $283K – $497K, including a $60K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $641K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $283K – $497K
- 28th pct Personal Care…
- Avg gross sales
- $641K
- 21st pct Personal Care…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 10
- 15th pct Personal Care…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Personal Care & Beauty · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Personal Care & Beauty 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
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
55% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $283K – $497K including a $60K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $641K/year, with an estimated 55% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 36/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- goGLOW Franchise, LLC
- Parent company
- goGLOW Holding, LLC
- Incorporated in
- MN
- HQ
- 7493 France Avenue S., Edina, Minnesota 55435
- Auditor
- Aprio, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $9K
- vs $657K prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- goGLOW Sk
- goGLOW
- goGLOW Enterprises
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
goGLOW operates beauty/wellness service centers (likely spray tanning, teeth whitening, skin treatments, or similar aesthetic services) where franchisees manage daily client appointments, staff supervision, inventory management, and local marketing. Revenue is highly dependent on foot traffic, service pricing power, and repeat client retention in protected local territories.
- CEO
- Melanie Richards
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 25 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| On-Site Initial Training Feenot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Costs and Expenses Associated with Initial Training | $500 | $3K | |
| Lease - Deposit and Rent over First 3 Months | $5K | $18K | |
| Design, Architecture, and Engineering Feesnot refundable | $8K | $15K | |
| Site Survey - Due Diligencenot refundable | $0 | $7K | |
| Permits and Permit Managementnot refundable | $2K | $7K | |
| Construction Project Managementnot refundable | $0 | $18K | |
| Utility Deposit | $500 | $1K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Net Leasehold Improvements | $50K | $180K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $42K | $45K | |
| Interior and Exterior Signagenot refundable | $3K | $9K | |
| Business Management Systemnot refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Technology Fee - 6 Monthsnot refundable | $6K | $6K | |
| Digital Marketing and Advertising Management - 6 Monthsnot refundable | $6K | $6K | |
| Grand Opening - Project Management Feenot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Business Licenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Computer System Hardware | $0 | $4K | |
| Financing/Leasing Amounts due in Connection with Initial Equipment Packagenot refundable | $6K | $8K | |
| Total initial investment | $283K | $497K |
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.
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
$147K
23.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
36%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
33 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $283K – $497K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of: (i) 8% of the Net Revenue; or (ii) the ap…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 1.8 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $641K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $214K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 54.8%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate Flagship Location Performance
- Sample size
- 3 units
- vs category median 35 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $406K→$876K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 186 Personal Care & Beauty brands
vs Personal Care & Beauty averages
How goGLOW Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 10
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 70%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 7
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 7 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.
7
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $1.9M
- Median loan
- $471K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into goGLOW's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage, micro-franchise system with minimal scale, opaque royalty structure, and undisclosed unit performance data creates elevated risk despite positive unit-level economics.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $225,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Aprio, LLP⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 36 / 100 rating
- 01MEDOnly 10 units system-wide suggests very early-stage franchise with unproven scalability and limited peer support network
- 02MEDNo disclosed unit growth trajectory despite 10-year operating history raises concerns about expansion viability and franchisee recruitment success
- 03MEDDual royalty structure (8% or minimum fee) is opaque—actual minimum royalty amount not disclosed, creating hidden cost risk
- 04MINORHigh initial investment range ($282.9k–$497k) against only 10 operating units creates survivorship bias; no data on failed locations
- 05MEDMissing Item 19 financial performance representations limits ability to validate the $663k average revenue claim across the tiny unit base
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 50,000 people |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 3 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 43 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Zenoti
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Zenoti
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
goGLOW · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a goGLOW franchise?
The total investment to open a goGLOW franchise ranges from $283K – $497K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do goGLOW franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the goGLOW FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $641K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is goGLOW's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for goGLOW (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 goGLOW franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, goGLOW has 10 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is goGLOW a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates goGLOW as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 36 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.
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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.