Heroes Lawn CareFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Heroes Lawn Care franchise requires a total initial investment of $159K – $215K, including a $60K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $511K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 39 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $159K – $215K
- 59th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $511K
- 17th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 63
- 45th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services 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
Only 0.0% of 39 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $159K – $215K including a $60K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $511K/year.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 39 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- 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
- HPB Lawn Care LLC
- Parent company
- JEZ Investments LLC
- Predecessor
- Heroes Management Services
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- PA
- HQ
- 2525 N. 117th Avenue, Third Floor, Omaha, NE 68164
- Auditor
- Forvis Mazars, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.2M
- vs $1.5M prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- HPB Automotive Sales
- HorsePower Nation
- HPB Accounting
- HPB Lawn Care Holdings
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Heroes Lawn Care franchisees operate residential and commercial lawn maintenance and landscaping services, managing crews, scheduling jobs, and handling customer acquisition and retention. Day-to-day operations involve equipment maintenance, crew supervision, seasonal service delivery (mowing, fertilization, pest control), and marketing within their protected territory.
- CEO
- Anthony Hulbert
- Headquarters
- NE
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $80K | $116K |
| Total initial investment | $159K | $215K |
Source: Heroes Lawn Care 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$51K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $159K – $215K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- Years 1-2: $1,800/mo flat fee. Year 3+: greater of 6.5% G…
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $12K |
| Renewal fee | $12K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $8K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
A 6.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $511K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 12 units
- vs category median 25 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $56K→$2.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
vs Home Services averages
How Heroes Lawn Care Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 63
- Opened
- 27
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 29
- Terminated
- 29
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 46.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -3.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Transfer rate
- 4.6%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 68.5%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 44.6%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 3.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- New York
- Washington
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 39
- Loan volume
- $12.3M
- Median loan
- $393K
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Heroes Lawn Care's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 9 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 4-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 39 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Contracting franchise system with pending fraud litigation, undisclosed profitability metrics, and going concern status presents elevated risk despite protected territories.
Litigation (Item 3)
4 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Forvis Mazars, 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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MEDDeclining unit count (-3.1% YoY) with only 63 locations suggests system contraction and potential maturity/decline
- 02HIGHTwo pending federal litigation cases alleging fraudulent misrepresentation and fraud in the inducement create material legal and reputational risk
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD despite $510k average revenue — unable to validate actual profitability claims or ROI
- 04HIGHGoing concern status indicates franchisor financial instability or operational uncertainty
- 05MINORRoyalty structure jumps significantly in Year 3+ (6.5% of gross or $500/mo minimum) with no cap, potentially squeezing margins
- 06MINORHigh franchise fee ($59,500) combined with startup costs ($159k-$215k total) creates substantial sunk cost with declining franchise population
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 | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
4 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 145 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 9 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- e-CCM System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: e-CCM System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Heroes Lawn Care · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Heroes Lawn Care franchise?
The total investment to open a Heroes Lawn Care franchise ranges from $159K – $215K, 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 Heroes Lawn Care franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Heroes Lawn Care FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $511K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Heroes Lawn Care's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Heroes Lawn Care has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 39 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Heroes Lawn Care franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Heroes Lawn Care has 63 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 27 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Heroes Lawn Care a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Heroes Lawn Care as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 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.