Koala Insulation Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $195K – $242K
- Disclosed sales
- $1.3M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 23.8%
- on 85 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Koala Insulation is a home-services franchise installing and upgrading residential and commercial insulation. Franchisees run a crew-based operation handling assessments, material sourcing, and installations in a local market.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Koala Insulation franchise requires a total initial investment of $195K – $242K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $1.3M. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 23.8% charge-off rate across 85 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below 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: low - issued within the last 12 months
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 scored7 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $195K – $242K
- 76th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- 44th pct Home Services
- Units
- 333
- 82nd pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 23.8%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services 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 $195K – $242K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $1.3M/year (median $1.0M). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income. Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 36/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 23.8% across 85 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHNegative: net -59 franchised outlets in the latest year (26 opened, 85 closed); 8 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- FLAG85 units terminated last reporting year (25.5% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Koala Insulation Franchisor, LLC
- Parent company
- Outdoor Living Brands Holdco, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Empower Brands Franchising, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- Koala Franchise, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Brand President
- Cory Lyons
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 445 West Drive, Melbourne, FL 32904
- Auditor
- Smith + Howard, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $96.8M
- vs $102.2M prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 8
10 other brands on this site name Empower Brands Franchising, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- ArchadeckB
- Bumble RoofingA
- CANOPYB
- Conserva IrrigationA
- FRSTeamA
- JAN-PRO Cleaning & DisinfectingB
- Jan-Pro Franchise DevelopmentA
- Outdoor Lighting PerspectivesD
- Superior Fence & RailA
- Wallaby WindowsB
Portfolio: Empower Brands
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2026 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Cory Lyons
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 37
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 30% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $95K | $142K |
| Total initial investment | $195K | $242K |
Source: Koala Insulation 2026 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
- $195K – $242K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $50K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 4.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% |
| Technology fee | $344 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 4.5% of rev |
A 4.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 120% above the home services norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Koala Insulation until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$268K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Koala Insulation 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 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.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
- Median gross sales
- $1.0M
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and benchmarking
- Sample size
- 76 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $261K→$4.3MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 55 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 9 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average franchisee generates $1.3M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.0M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 4.5% — below the Home Services median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 9/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -13.5% 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 Home Services medians
How Koala Insulation Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Home Services 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 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 333
- Opened
- 26
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 85
- Terminated
- 85
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 25.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -13.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -13.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 85
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 30
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 8
- 0.02 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 37
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 36 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
110 current owners across 36 states; 12 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- TX 17
- FL 11
- NC 6
- PA 6
- GA 5
- CO 4
- MI 4
- MN 4
- OH 4
- TN 4
- CT 3
- IL 3
- +24 more states
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.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 85
- Loan volume
- $19.7M
- Median loan
- $251K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 23.8%
- on 85 loans · 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)
- 76.2%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 23.8%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 25
- Defaults
- 5
- Typical loan rate
- 7.7%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 15.9%
- brand is above its industry ↑
- Jobs supported
- 630
- 3.2 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 41%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 95% went to startups / new businesses, 5% to established operators
Top lenders financing Koala Insulation franchisees
Showing 3 of 25 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Koala Insulation from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 2.2%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 74%
- Avg interest rate
- 7.73%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $88K
- Lender concentration
- 41.2%
- Job velocity
- 3.2 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 15.9%
- NAICS 238310
- Jobs supported
- 630
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 41% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 35 | $6.3M | 100.0% |
| 2 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 13 | $1.9M | 37.5% |
| 3 | SouthState Bank, National Association | 5 | $1.7M | 0.0% |
| 4 | American Bank of Freedom | 3 | $1.0M | 0.0% |
| 5 | The Bank of Houston | 3 | $998K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 3 | $331K | N/A |
| 7 | Magnifi Financial CU | 2 | $943K | N/A |
| 8 | Hancock Whitney Bank | 2 | $582K | N/A |
| 9 | The Bancorp Bank National Association | 2 | $445K | 0.0% |
| 10 | Zions Bank, A Division of | 2 | $149K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLFlorida | 12 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 8 | 2 | 50.0% |
| COColorado | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MIMichigan | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OHOhio | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| GAGeorgia | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| PAPennsylvania | 5 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| INIndiana | 4 | 1 | 100.0% |
| NJNew Jersey | 4 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
A 23.8% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 4 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 23.8% — 49% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise system with active litigation, unclear franchisor financial health, and unverified income claims presents elevated risk for new franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
1) Salim Makhlouf and Lotus & The Rooster Holdings Company v. Koala Insulation Franchisor LLC (AAA Case 01-25-0003-1584) - arbitration alleging misrepresentations and failure to provide training; company filed counterclaims. 2) Koala Insulation Franchisor LLC v. Lotus & The Rooster Holdings Company and Salim Makhlouf (No. 1:25-cv-01008 M.D. Pa.) - enforcement of restrictive covenants and post-term obligations.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Smith + Howard, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited consolidated financials of the parent, Outdoor Living Brands Holdco, LLC (multi-brand: includes Koala Insulation and other Empower/Outdoor Living brands), FYE September 30, 2025. Total liabilities = current $9,448,561 + long-term $4,974,313; excludes $(649,584) noncontrolling interest deficit. Net income shown is Net Income Attributable to OLB Holdco, LLC.
ⓘ 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: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 36 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDSystem contracting sharply with 13.5% unit decline YoY (333 units), indicating franchisee attrition or closure problems
- 02HIGHActive litigation with founder-level stakeholder (Salim Makhlouf/Lotus & The Rooster) alleging misrepresentation and inadequate training—suggests systemic franchisor issues
- 03MINORWide 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
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Online sales rights | 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 |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Melbourne, FL |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | FL |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1) Salim Makhlouf and Lotus & The Rooster Holdings Company v. Koala Insulation Franchisor LLC (AAA Case 01-25-0003-1584) - arbitration alleging misrepresentations and failure to provide training; company filed counterclaims. 2) Koala Insulation Franchisor LLC v. Lotus & The Rooster Holdings Company and Salim Makhlouf (No. 1:25-cv-01008 M.D. Pa.) - enforcement of restrictive covenants and post-term obligations.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 39 hrs
- Training location
- Melbourne, Florida (headquarters) and franchisee territory
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- QuickBooks and designated Customer Database Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks and designated Customer Database Software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
122 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 Koala Insulation franchise?
The total investment to open a Koala Insulation franchise ranges from $195K – $242K, 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 Koala Insulation franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Koala Insulation FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.3M. The median is $1.0M. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Koala Insulation?
Koala Insulation is franchised by Koala Insulation Franchisor, LLC. Its parent company is Outdoor Living Brands Holdco, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Empower Brands Franchising, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Koala Insulation 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 Koala Insulation FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Koala Insulation's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Koala Insulation has a charge-off rate of 23.8% across 85 loans, meaning 23.8% 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 Koala Insulation franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Koala Insulation has 333 total units in the United States, including 333 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 26 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Koala Insulation a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Koala Insulation as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 36 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.