Helpful Heroes Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Helpful Heroes is a home services franchise that hires off-duty firefighters and EMTs for handyman and home projects. Franchisees run local operations, managing the crew, scheduling, and customer accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Helpful Heroes franchise requires a total initial investment of $75K – $130K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 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 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $75K – $130K
- 17th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 2 outlets
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 5th pct Home Services
- Units
- 2
- 7th 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 $75K – $130K including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 financial statements are the consolidated audited statements of the franchisor's affiliate guarantor, BFG Holdco, Inc. (and subsidiaries), not the franchisor Helpful Heroes International, LLC, which was formed April 24, 2025. Figures in thousands; FY ended Dec 31, 2025 (yr1) and Dec 31, 2024 (yr2). Net income FY2025 $45K (prior years were large losses driven by goodwill impairment). Other revenue is "Other income" $420K; interest income was an additional $236K.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports job pricing metrics rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Helpful Heroes International LLC
- Parent company
- BELFOR Franchise Group, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- BELFOR Holdings, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Hidrent, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer of BELFOR Franchise Group, LLC
- Sheldon Yellen
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 5405 Data Court, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $30.1M
- vs $29.5M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Independent Franchisee Association
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Sheldon Yellen
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 55% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $5K | $15K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $20K | $65K |
| Total initial investment | $75K | $130K |
Source: Helpful Heroes 2026 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
- $75K – $130K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $999 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Helpful Heroes 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 Helpful Heroes unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
80%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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
Item 21 financial statements are the consolidated audited statements of the franchisor's affiliate guarantor, BFG Holdco, Inc. (and subsidiaries), not the franchisor Helpful Heroes International, LLC, which was formed April 24, 2025. Figures in thousands; FY ended Dec 31, 2025 (yr1) and Dec 31, 2024 (yr2). Net income FY2025 $45K (prior years were large losses driven by goodwill impairment). Other revenue is "Other income" $420K; interest income was an additional $236K.
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 7.0% — below the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports job pricing metrics rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Helpful Heroes Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 50%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- 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 · 1 state 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.
1
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
Helpful Heroes presents HIGH RISK due to an extremely underdeveloped franchise system (2 units only), missing financial disclosures, false going concern status, and a high upfront fee with undefined ongoing costs relative to unproven earnings potential.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
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
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 43 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 2 units in system with unknown growth trajectory indicates severely underdeveloped franchise with minimal track record
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (missing Item 19) prevents ROI validation and suggests weak financial performance
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential solvency or operational stability issues at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh franchise fee ($49,999) relative to system size and lack of financial disclosure creates significant risk for franchisee
- 05MED5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years typical), suggesting limited franchisor commitment or protections
- 06MINORRoyalty range of 5-8% is vague and undefined, creating uncertainty around actual operating costs
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% 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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | MI |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 22 hrs
- Training location
- Ann Arbor, MI (or another location franchisor designates)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- HELPFUL HEROES Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: HELPFUL HEROES Software
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Helpful Heroes franchise?
The total investment to open a Helpful Heroes franchise ranges from $75K – $130K, 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 Helpful Heroes franchise owners earn?
Helpful Heroes 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 Helpful Heroes 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 Helpful Heroes FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Helpful Heroes's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Helpful Heroes (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 Helpful Heroes franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Helpful Heroes has 2 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Helpful Heroes a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Helpful Heroes as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 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?
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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.