Lendio Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Lendio is a financial-services franchise that helps small businesses find loans and financing by matching them to a marketplace of lenders. Franchisees run a local lending-advisory business prospecting owners and guiding them through funding, earning on funded loans.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Lendio franchise requires a total initial investment of $46K – $117K, including a $46K franchise fee and an ongoing 30.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $46K – $117K
- 16th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 30.0%
- 48th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 121
- 55th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial Services 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 $46K – $117K including a $46K franchise fee, 30.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFY2021 total revenues: Marketplace lending commissions 13,762,044; Franchise fees 561,782; Training fees 390,697; Technology, brand, and royalty fees 467,106.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 70/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 116.1% CAGR over 3 years with 121 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Lendio Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Lendio, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Brock Blake
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 4100 North Chapel Ridge Road, Suite 500, Lehi, Utah 84043
- Auditor
- Tanner LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $15.2M
- vs $4.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brock Blake
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 30
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 38% below the typical financial services franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $46K | |
| Opening Kitnot refundable | $2K | $8K | |
| Rent - 3 months | $0 | $9K | |
| Utility & Security Deposits | $0 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $5K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $0 | $3K | |
| Computer System, Equipment & Supplies | $1K | $8K | |
| Business Licenses | $250 | $3K | |
| Legal and Accounting Fees | $1K | $3K | |
| Initial Marketing Expenditures | $3K | $12K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $2K | |
| Technology Fees - 3 monthsnot refundable | $900 | $900 | |
| Travel Expenses for Initial Training | $1K | $7K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $2K | $12K | |
| Total initial investment | $46K | $117K |
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
- $46K – $117K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $12K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $46K – $46K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 30.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 32.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 30.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Total fee load | 32.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Lendio did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Lendio unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
-76%
Negative returns. Costs exceed revenue at these inputs
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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
FY2021 total revenues: Marketplace lending commissions 13,762,044; Franchise fees 561,782; Training fees 390,697; Technology, brand, and royalty fees 467,106.
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 32.0% — above the Financial Services average of 17.0%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 116.1% CAGR over 3 years across 121 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
50% of franchisees own multiple units, a moderate multi-unit rate.
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 Financial Services averages
How Lendio Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 121
- Opened
- 56
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.7%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 50.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +116.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +116.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 56
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 2.5%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 98.4%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 1.6%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Lendio presents meaningful financial transparency risks with an unusually punitive royalty model, missing profitability data, and rapid but unvalidated unit growth in a highly regulated industry.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Tanner LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 70 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORExtremely high royalty structure (30-70% of gross revenues) leaves minimal profit margin for franchisees
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure in FDD Item 19 prevents realistic ROI modeling
- 03MINORUnit growth of 80.6% YoY suggests either aggressive recruitment or system instability; cannot assess unit quality
- 04MINORWide investment range ($45,650-$117,100) indicates inconsistent territory valuations or hidden costs
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), creating renewal uncertainty and frequent renegotiation risk
- 06MINORLending/fintech sector faces increasing regulatory scrutiny; compliance costs not addressed in investment figures
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 32.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Governing law | UT |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Utah Headquarters
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee, subject to franchisor approval; may operate from home office or storefront within TPR
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Zoho CRM
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Zoho CRM
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
27 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Lendio · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Lendio franchise?
The total investment to open a Lendio franchise ranges from $46K – $117K, with an initial franchise fee of $46K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Lendio franchise owners earn?
Lendio does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Lendio 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 Lendio FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Lendio's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Lendio (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 Lendio franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Lendio has 121 total units in the United States, including 121 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 56 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Lendio a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Lendio as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 70 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
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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.