Jani-King Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $11K – $223K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 66 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Jani-King is a commercial cleaning franchise servicing offices, retail, and industrial facilities on contract. Franchisees manage or perform cleaning routes, growing revenue by winning and retaining accounts while controlling labor costs.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Jani-King franchise requires a total initial investment of $11K – $223K, including a $10K – $196K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored4 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $11K – $223K
- 2nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 72nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 4,872
- 88th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance median · 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 $11K – $223K including a $10K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -57 franchised outlets in the latest year (403 opened, 277 closed); 10 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Focus Franchising, Inc. d/b/a Jani-King of Madison / Forward Franchising, Inc. d/b/a Jani-King of Green Bay
- Parent company
- Jani-King Franchising, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- JK INT'L (Jani-King International, Inc.)
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Director, President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary
- Jeffrey Weyker
- Incorporated in
- WI
- HQ
- 6472 Ronald Reagan Avenue, Madison, WI 53704
- Auditor
- Crown Point CPAs, LLC (Focus/Forward); BDO USA, P.C. (JK INT'L)
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.1M
- vs $6.0M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jeffrey Weyker
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 41
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 31% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown7 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $5K | $196K | |
| Real Estate | $0 | $5K | |
| Supplies | $2K | $2K | |
| Equipment | $3K | $10K | |
| Security deposits, license registrations, etc. | $100 | $1K | |
| Business Entity Establishment Fees | $100 | $1K | |
| Additional Funds (120 days) | $800 | $9K | |
| Total initial investment | $11K | $223K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $11K – $223K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $800 – $9K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $196K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 12.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $50 |
| Transfer fee | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $2K |
| Total fee load | 12.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Jani-King makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Jani-King unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 12.5% — above the Cleaning & Maintenance median of 8.3%.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System contracting at -2.4% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Cleaning & Maintenance medians
How Jani-King Compares
Category median of published Cleaning & Maintenance brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4,872
- Opened
- 403
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 277
- Terminated
- 106
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 34
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 8.6%
- Company-owned
- 13
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -2.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 106
- Not renewed
- 34
- Transferred
- 64
- Reacquired
- 43
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 10
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 658
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 30.8%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 92.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 41 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.
41
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
2 current owners across 1 state; 3 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- WI 2
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 66
- Loan volume
- $11.5M
- Median loan
- $50K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 66 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 66 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 66 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 66 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 9
- Typical loan rate
- 8.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 15.4%
- n=1,491 loans
- Jobs supported
- 25
- 15.6 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 33%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in janitorial services, franchised businesses charge off at 15.4% vs 22.8% for independents — franchising is associated with 32% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Jani-King franchisees
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Jani-King from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 50%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.22%
- Lender concentration
- 33.3%
- Job velocity
- 15.6 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 16.8%
- NAICS 561720
- Jobs supported
- 25
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 33% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Truist Bank | 1 | $10K | 0.0% |
| 2 | Small Business Bank | 1 | $50K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Citizens Bank, National Association | 1 | $100K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OHOhio | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| WIWisconsin | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Jani-King presents high risk due to shrinking franchisee base, unresolved litigation over worker classification, opaque financials, and parent company financial distress.
Why this reads harsher than the B grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed for Jani-King of Madison and Green Bay or its officers. JK INT'L affiliate litigation disclosed in Exhibit X.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Crown Point CPAs, LLC (Focus/Forward); BDO USA, P.C. (JK INT'L)
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
FY2024 audited financials of Focus Franchising, Inc. d/b/a Jani-King of Madison (the regional franchisor offering this FDD). Total Revenues $6,082,583 = Janitorial Service Revenues $6,075,035 + Franchise Sales $7,548. Revenue is predominantly the regional franchisor's own commercial cleaning operations, not franchise royalties. FY2023 total revenue $6,044,789. Entity is in a stockholder's deficiency position (accumulated deficit). Separate audited statements for Forward Franchising, Inc. d/b/a Jani-King of Green Bay and consolidated JK INT'L are also included in the FDD.
ⓘ 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
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 63 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-1.2% YoY) suggests system contraction and potential franchisee attrition
- 02MINORMultiple class action lawsuits alleging worker misclassification and wage/hour violations create legal and operational risk
- 03MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income prevents ROI validation and masks profitability concerns
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk and revenue cannibalization within the system
- 05MINOR10% royalty on gross revenue (not net) penalizes franchisees during low-margin periods
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 12.5% 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 | 3 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Within 50 miles of franchisor's principal place of business |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed for Jani-King of Madison and Green Bay or its officers. JK INT'L affiliate litigation disclosed in Exhibit X.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (no requirement to lease office)
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Jani-King franchise?
The total investment to open a Jani-King franchise ranges from $11K – $223K, with an initial franchise fee of $10K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Jani-King franchise owners earn?
Jani-King makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Jani-King?
Jani-King is franchised by Focus Franchising, Inc. d/b/a Jani-King of Madison / Forward Franchising, Inc. d/b/a Jani-King of Green Bay. Its parent company is Jani-King Franchising, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is JK INT'L (Jani-King International, Inc.). Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Jani-King 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 Jani-King FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Jani-King's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Jani-King (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 Jani-King franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Jani-King has 4,872 total units in the United States, including 4,859 franchised units and 13 company-owned units. 403 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Jani-King a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Jani-King as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.