Iron Tribe FitnessFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Iron Tribe Fitness franchise requires a total initial investment of $361K – $544K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $544K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $361K – $544K
- 68th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $544K
- 31st pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 8th pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 29
- 62nd pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Health & Fitness 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
Franchised units fell from 31 to 20 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
38% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $361K – $544K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $544K/year (median $509K), with an estimated 38% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 40/100.
- System contracting at -20.0% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Iron Tribe Franchise, LLC
- Incorporated in
- AL
- HQ
- 300 27th Street South, Birmingham, Alabama 35233
- Auditor
- Horton, Lee, Burnett, Peacock, Cleveland & Grainger, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4M
- vs $1.3M prior year
Affiliated brands
- ITF
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Iron Tribe Fitness franchisees operate boutique fitness studios offering group strength training, conditioning, and functional fitness classes. Daily operations include managing class schedules, coaching certification oversight, member retention programs, facility maintenance, and front-desk/billing administration to drive recurring membership revenue.
- CEO
- Forrest Walden
- Headquarters
- AL
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $40K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $271K | $419K |
| Total initial investment | $361K | $544K |
Source: Iron Tribe Fitness 2024 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
$169K
31.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
33%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $361K – $544K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $75K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.6 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $600 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $9K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $544K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $509K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $174K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 38.4%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Individual
- Sample size
- 24 units
- vs category median 11 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $305K→$960K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 180 Health & Fitness brands
vs Health & Fitness averages
How Iron Tribe Fitness Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 29
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 3.4%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 69%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -13.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -20.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- 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 20 · 25 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.
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
- $1.1M
- Median loan
- $323K
- 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
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Iron Tribe Fitness's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 3 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
A contracting fitness franchise with undisclosed financial performance claims, franchisor stability concerns, and declining unit economics that warrant careful validation before $360K+ investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $130,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Horton, Lee, Burnett, Peacock, Cleveland & Grainger, P.C.
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 40 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 13.0% YoY (29 units), indicating system contraction and potential franchisee struggles
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial performance representations disclosed; average revenue/net income figures cannot be verified as representative
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, suggesting potential financial instability or uncertainty at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($360,750–$544,250) paired with declining unit count raises ROI sustainability questions
- 05MINOR6% royalty on gross sales limits franchisee profitability, especially if average net income of $173,588 is overstated
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 | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 25,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 90 days |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 4 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Alabama |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 13 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Site selection
- joint
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- ClubReady
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ClubReady
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
47 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Iron Tribe Fitness · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Iron Tribe Fitness franchise?
The total investment to open a Iron Tribe Fitness franchise ranges from $361K – $544K, 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 Iron Tribe Fitness franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Iron Tribe Fitness FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $544K. The median is $509K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Iron Tribe Fitness's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Iron Tribe Fitness (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 Iron Tribe Fitness franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Iron Tribe Fitness has 29 total units in the United States, including 31 franchised units and 9 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Iron Tribe Fitness a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Iron Tribe Fitness as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 40 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.