Gradum Gswing Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Gradum Gswing is a youth sports franchise providing baseball hitting instruction using proprietary swing-analysis technology. Franchisees run training centers, managing instructors, lessons, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Gradum Gswing franchise requires a total initial investment of $330K – $680K, including a $50K – $250K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $330K – $680K
- 14th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyNet sales1 outlet
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 13
- 16th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants 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 $330K – $680K including a $50K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21: New franchisor (franchising less than 3 years). Exhibit E contains only an UNAUDITED opening balance sheet as of November 15, 2024 (no income statement, no audit). Total Assets $44,302.02; Total Liabilities $0 (none listed); Total Equity/net worth $44,302.02. Equity includes Net Income $123,666.92, Distributions -$74,520.29, Retained Earnings -$2,622.71, Contributions -$2,500.00. No CPA opinion. No franchisor revenue figures disclosed.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 39/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- GradumGswing Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- William Pfaffmann
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 7872 SW Jack James Drive, Unit 4, Stuart, Florida 34997
Affiliated brands
- Gradum in a Box
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- William Pfaffmann
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 57% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $265K | $595K |
| Total initial investment | $330K | $680K |
Source: Gradum Gswing 2024 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
- $330K – $680K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $250K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $7K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Gradum Gswing 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 Gradum Gswing unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
11%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21: New franchisor (franchising less than 3 years). Exhibit E contains only an UNAUDITED opening balance sheet as of November 15, 2024 (no income statement, no audit). Total Assets $44,302.02; Total Liabilities $0 (none listed); Total Equity/net worth $44,302.02. Equity includes Net Income $123,666.92, Distributions -$74,520.29, Retained Earnings -$2,622.71, Contributions -$2,500.00. No CPA opinion. No franchisor revenue figures disclosed.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- net sales
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 18 · small
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 805 Full-Service Restaurants 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 10.0% — above the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Gradum Gswing Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 13
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 39%
- 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)
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 3 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.
3
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
Gradum Gswing presents HIGH RISK due to franchisor going concern issues, active litigation, tiny unit count with opaque growth, and questionable unit economics relative to investment size.
Litigation (Item 3)
GradumGswing Franchising LLC et al v. Alexander Erro et al - breach of franchise agreement including violations of restrictive covenants related to confidentiality and IP use after termination; pending in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is False — indicates financial distress or viability concerns at franchisor level
- 02HIGHActive litigation against former franchisee for IP/confidentiality violations suggests operational or enforcement issues
- 03MINOROnly 13 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — unable to verify expansion momentum or franchisee success sustainability
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($330K-$680K) combined with modest average revenue creates extended breakeven risk
- 05MINOR20-year term locks franchisees into relationship with a franchisor showing financial weakness
- 06MINORLack of transparent unit growth data suggests possible system contraction or underperformance being obscured
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 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Miami-Dade County, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | FL |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
GradumGswing Franchising LLC et al v. Alexander Erro et al - breach of franchise agreement including violations of restrictive covenants related to confidentiality and IP use after termination; pending in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 152 hrs
- Training location
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor (via Gradum in a Box affiliate)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Mindbody, V1 Sports, and High Level
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Mindbody, V1 Sports, and High Level
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Gradum Gswing franchise?
The total investment to open a Gradum Gswing franchise ranges from $330K – $680K, 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 Gradum Gswing franchise owners earn?
Gradum Gswing 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 Gradum Gswing 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 Gradum Gswing FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Gradum Gswing's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Gradum Gswing (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 Gradum Gswing franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Gradum Gswing has 13 total units in the United States, including 5 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Gradum Gswing a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Gradum Gswing as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 39 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
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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.