Hudson Valley Swim Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Hudson Valley Swim is a children's education franchise offering group and private swim lessons for kids and adults. Franchisees run local operations, managing instructors, scheduling, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Hudson Valley Swim franchise requires a total initial investment of $94K – $122K, including a $60K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $209K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $94K – $122K
- 31st pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $209K
- Outlet subset3rd pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 13
- 32nd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $94K – $122K including a $60K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $209K/year (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system), with an estimated 21% cash-on-cash return (based on Net Profit/Loss).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 55/100 (higher is better).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- HV Swim Franchise LLC
- Parent company
- None
- Predecessor
- Set & Swim Aquatics, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jeffrey G. Gartner
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 827 State Route 82, Ste. 10-199, Hopewell Junction, New York 12533
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $187K
- vs $259K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jeffrey G. Gartner
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 84% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $900 | $2K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $33K | $61K |
| Total initial investment | $94K | $122K |
Source: Hudson Valley Swim 2025 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
- $94K – $122K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $900 – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8% of Gross Sales (year 1 and if prior year sales $0-$500…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 4.9 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $12K |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $2K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 74% below the education norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
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
$31K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
29%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $40K as Net Profit/Loss. Our model estimates $31K SLEBITDA from the same revenue using category-average cost assumptions. These numbers differ because Net Profit/Loss deducts different expense categories than our model.
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Hudson Valley Swim unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
29%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Hudson Valley Swim units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$334K
on $1.7M purchase
Total debt
$1.3M
SBA $0.8M + senior + seller note
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Avg gross sales
- $209K
- Per unit/yr · from the Item 19 franchised-cohort breakdown (no single system-wide average disclosed)
- Avg net profit/loss
- $40K
- Reported as Net Profit/Loss in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 20.6%
- Based on Net Profit/Loss / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- P&L (Gross Sales and Net Profit)
- Sample size
- 7
- vs category median 17 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $115K→$816K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 8 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 204 Education 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 $209K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.9x. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 8/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 500.0% CAGR over 3 years across 13 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Education averages
How Hudson Valley Swim Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 13
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 46%
- 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 · 4 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.
4
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $785K
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (6 loans) — rate not shown below 10
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
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Hudson Valley Swim presents moderate-to-cautious risk: rapid growth and unverified financials in a small system, coupled with high fees relative to reported net income, warrant deep validation before committing $120K+.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORRapid expansion (50% YoY growth) in a capital-intensive, service-based business raises sustainability and quality control concerns
- 02MINORHigh royalty structure (6-8% plus minimum royalty) combined with $59,500 franchise fee creates significant ongoing cost burden on $258K avg revenue
- 03MEDSmall unit count (13 locations) suggests nascent system with limited track record and franchisee support infrastructure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Hopewell Junction, New York (or principal city closest to principal place of business) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | State where franchisee's Hudson Valley Swim Business is located |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 30 hrs
- Training location
- Remote (classroom); Newburgh, NY or Hopewell Junction, NY (OJT/in-person)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects pool; franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- iClass Pro Customer Registration and Class Management System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: iClass Pro Customer Registration and Class Management System
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Hudson Valley Swim franchise?
The total investment to open a Hudson Valley Swim franchise ranges from $94K – $122K, 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 Hudson Valley Swim franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Hudson Valley Swim FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $209K. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Hudson Valley Swim 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 Hudson Valley Swim FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Hudson Valley Swim's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Hudson Valley Swim (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 Hudson Valley Swim franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Hudson Valley Swim has 13 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Hudson Valley Swim a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Hudson Valley Swim as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 55 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?
If you represent Hudson Valley Swim, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.