Lendio Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $46K – $117K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
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 $35K – $46K franchise fee and an ongoing 30.0% royalty[2]. Item 5 conditions this fee. The figure shown is the lowest amount the filing discloses, and the filing ties that amount to a qualifying condition — so it is not necessarily what a first-time single-unit franchisee pays. 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: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $46K – $117K
- 18th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 30.0%
- 64th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 121
- 52nd pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial 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 $46K – $117K including a $35K franchise fee, 30.0% ongoing royalty. Item 5 conditions this fee. The figure shown is the lowest amount the filing discloses, and the filing ties that amount to a qualifying condition — so it is not necessarily what a first-time single-unit franchisee pays.
- 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 A (Strongest tier), verdict score 70/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +54 franchised outlets in the latest year (56 opened, 2 closed); 2 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- 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.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2022 FDD
- 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 13% below the typical financial services franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
Item 5 conditions this fee. The figure shown is the lowest amount the filing discloses, and the filing ties that amount to a qualifying condition — so it is not necessarily what a first-time single-unit franchisee pays.
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
- $35K – $46K
- Conditional fee
- Royalty
- 30.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · 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 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 Lendio 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: 2022 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 32.0% — above the Financial Services median of 16.5%.
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 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 medians
How Lendio Compares
Category median of published Financial 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 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 121
- Opened
- 56
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 3
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 2
- 0.02 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 12
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
27 current owners across 19 states.
- AR 2
- AZ 2
- CO 2
- FL 2
- IL 2
- MD 2
- MI 2
- UT 2
- AL 1
- KS 1
- ME 1
- MN 1
- +7 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.
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)
FY2021 total revenues: Marketplace lending commissions 13,762,044; Franchise fees 561,782; Training fees 390,697; Technology, brand, and royalty fees 467,106.
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 territory |
| 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
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 $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Item 5 conditions this fee. The figure shown is the lowest amount the filing discloses, and the filing ties that amount to a qualifying condition — so it is not necessarily what a first-time single-unit franchisee pays.
What do Lendio franchise owners earn?
Lendio 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 Lendio?
Lendio is franchised by Lendio Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Lendio, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2022 filing.
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). 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.