ManageMowed Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $207K – $334K
- Disclosed sales
- $348K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- on 10 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
ManageMowed is a commercial landscaping franchise providing lawn maintenance and grounds care for business properties. Franchisees run local operations, managing crews, recurring commercial accounts, and scheduling.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ManageMowed franchise requires a total initial investment of $207K – $334K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $348K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 10 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2026 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - the current year's filing
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 scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $207K – $334K
- 78th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $348K
- 5th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 66th pct Home Services
- Units
- 31
- 35th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % 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 $207K – $334K including a $50K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $348K/year (median $208K).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 74/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +3 franchised outlets in the latest year (5 opened, 2 closed) (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 23.8% CAGR over 3 years with 31 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- ManageMowed Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Co-Founder
- Peter Roberts
- Incorporated in
- WA
- HQ
- 144 Railroad Avenue, Suite 101, Edmonds, WA 98020
- Auditor
- Optimus Financials, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $700K
- vs $918K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Peter Roberts
- Headquarters
- WA
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 12
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 61% 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) | $103K | $206K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $55K | $79K |
| Total initial investment | $207K | $334K |
Source: ManageMowed 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
- $207K – $334K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $103K – $206K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $12K |
| Renewal fee | $12K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 41% below the home services norm.
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 ManageMowed 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
$425K
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 ManageMowed 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
- Avg gross sales
- $348K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $208K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Average Gross Sales with expense breakdowns by segment
- Sample size
- 21 outlets
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $12K→$1.9MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 39 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
- 6 / 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
Average unit generates $348K/year in gross sales. Median is $208K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.3x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% — above the Home Services median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 6/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 23.8% CAGR over 3 years across 31 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 ManageMowed Compares
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
- 31
- Opened
- 5
- 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
- 6.5%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 84%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +23.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +23.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 1
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 10 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
18 current owners across 10 states; 2 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- VA 3
- CA 2
- CO 2
- FL 2
- GA 2
- TX 2
- WA 2
- MN 1
- NC 1
- OK 1
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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 10
- Loan volume
- $864K
- Median loan
- $88K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- on 10 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 7.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 19.3%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 34
- 3.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 50%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 100% went to startups / new businesses, 0% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in landscaping services, franchised businesses charge off at 19.3% vs 13.3% for independents — franchising is associated with 45% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing ManageMowed 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 ManageMowed from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 68%
- Avg interest rate
- 7.87%
- Lender concentration
- 50.0%
- Job velocity
- 3.9 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 17.7%
- NAICS 561730
- Jobs supported
- 34
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 50% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 5 | $295K | N/A |
| 2 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 3 | $352K | 0.0% |
| 3 | The Huntington National Bank | 2 | $217K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAVirginia | 5 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 2 | 0 | -- |
| COColorado | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 1 | 0 | -- |
| WAWashington | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 10 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower 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
ManageMowed presents moderate-to-cautious risk: opaque profitability data, suboptimal unit economics, and slow growth in a fragmented lawn care market limit visibility into true franchisee returns.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Optimus Financials, Inc.
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: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 (Net Income) disclosure — cannot validate profitability claims or ROI timeline
- 02MEDModest unit growth of 13.0% YoY with only 31 total units suggests limited brand momentum and potential saturation in smaller markets
- 03MEDHigh initial investment range ($207,300–$333,800) relative to disclosed average revenue creates significant cash-on-cash ROI risk
- 04MINORNo 'Going Concern' warning is absent, but lack of profitability transparency raises questions about system viability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% 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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Seattle, WA (non-binding mediation only) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | WA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 50 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- Edmonds, WA (and online/home)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (with franchisor consent)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- serviceminder
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: serviceminder
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 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 ManageMowed franchise?
The total investment to open a ManageMowed franchise ranges from $207K – $334K, 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 ManageMowed franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the ManageMowed FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $348K. The median is $208K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns ManageMowed?
ManageMowed is franchised by ManageMowed Franchising, LLC. The FDD names no parent company. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the ManageMowed 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 ManageMowed FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is ManageMowed's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, ManageMowed has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 ManageMowed franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ManageMowed has 31 total units in the United States, including 26 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is ManageMowed a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ManageMowed as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 74 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.