FranchiseVerdict
Koala Insulation logo
FV-01425·STRONGExcellent100

Koala Insulation

Home Services - OtherFranchising since 2023Website
Investment
$195K – $242K
90th pct Other
Avg revenue
$1.3M
47th pct Other
Royalty
Units
333
93rd pct Other
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $195K – $242K including a $50K franchise fee.
  • Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.0M). Estimated payback in 1.0 years.
  • Rated STRONG with a risk score of 46/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 176 loans (below the industry average).

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
Koala Insulation Franchisor, LLC
Parent company
Empower Brands Franchising, LLC
Incorporated in
Delaware
HQ
445 West Drive, Melbourne, FL 32904
Auditor
Smith + Howard PC
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$79.5M
vs $96.8M prior year

Yale framework · single-unit ROIC

Returns Analysis

Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.

The model · Yale framework

What would one Koala Insulation unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
FDD Item 19 reports $1,290,342
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: restoration
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $195K–$242K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $50K–$50K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

58%

In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$155K
EBITDA margin
12.0%
Total invested
$268K
Payback
21 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing

What would 25 Koala Insulation units return on equity?

Edit assumptions

Equity IRR · 5-yr

49.9%

7.57× MOIC

Year-1 DSCR

1.88×

EBITDA ÷ debt service

Equity required

$1.3M

on $6.5M purchase

Total debt

$5.2M

SBA $3.2M + senior + seller note

Overview

About

Koala Insulation franchisees provide residential and commercial insulation installation and retrofitting services. Daily operations involve managing installation crews, scheduling jobs, sourcing materials, and customer service. The business model relies on local market penetration, repeat customers, and referrals.

CEO
Scott Zide
Founded
2023
FDD year
2026
States available
37

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$195K – $242K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$50K – $50K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$50K
Royalty
Greater of (i) aggregate of monthly Minimum Royalty Fees …
Ad fund
1.0%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
4.5%
vs 9–13% typical
Payback period
1.0 yrs
From v3 / Item 19

Item 19

Financial Performance

Avg gross sales
$1.3M
Per unit, per year
Median gross sales
$1.0M
Item 19 type
Average and Median Gross Sales and Expenses
Sample size
76 units
vs category median 21 · large
Range (low → high)
$261K$4.3M
Cohort dispersion
Transparency
10 / 5
vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Revenue rank47th
vs Home Services - Other peers
Investment cost rank90th
Lower investment ranks lower (better)
Royalty rate rank54th
Lower royalty = lower percentile (better)
Unit count rank93th
vs Home Services - Other peers
Risk score rank18th
Lower risk = lower percentile (better)

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
333
Opened
26
Last reporting year
Closed
85
Turnover rate
25.5%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
-13.5%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
+2.1%
Compounded over last 3 years
2024
333-59
Franchised units
2025
385
Franchised units
2026
326
Franchised units

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).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 25 states
Not registered

States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.

Government records

SBA Loan Data

Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.

Total loans
176
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

46
Risk · 0-100
STRONG46 / 100

Declining franchise system with active litigation, unclear franchisor financial health, and unverified income claims presents elevated risk for new franchisees.

Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 rating

  1. 01MEDSystem contracting sharply with 13.5% unit decline YoY (333 units), indicating franchisee attrition or closure problems
  2. 02HIGHActive litigation with founder-level stakeholder (Salim Makhlouf/Lotus & The Rooster) alleging misrepresentation and inadequate training—suggests systemic franchisor issues
  3. 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, raising questions about franchisor financial viability and ability to support franchisees
  4. 04MINORHigh royalty burden: 3.5-6.5% of sales PLUS minimum monthly fees ($0-$1,218.75), creating dual-fee structure that could exceed 10% of net income
  5. 05MINORNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) provided—unable to validate the claimed $211,897 average net income or $1,290,342 revenue figures independently
  6. 06MINORWide investment range ($194,885-$241,736) and wide royalty range (3.5-6.5%) suggests inconsistent unit economics or territorial pricing variability

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Geography / Population
Protected territory
Yes
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
5 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
1
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
Yes
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Required
Governing law
Florida

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
42 hrs
On-the-job training
39 hrs
POS system
QuickBooks and designated Customer Database Software
Operating tech stack

Item 20

Franchisee Contacts

Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.

Franchisee contacts

55 numbers

Locked
(678) 722-••••
GA
(719) 406-••••
CO
(252) 477-••••
NC

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

Koala Insulation · FDD (2026) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above