NerdsToGo Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
NerdsToGo is a technology services franchise offering computer repair and managed IT support for consumers and small businesses. Franchisees run local operations, dispatching technicians and managing service and IT accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A NerdsToGo franchise requires a total initial investment of $94K – $130K, including a $25K – $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $357K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 16.7% charge-off rate across 30 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $94K – $130K
- 28th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $357K
- Outlet subset6th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 34th pct Home Services
- Units
- 31
- 36th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 16.7%
- % 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 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 $94K – $130K including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $357K/year (median $318K) (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 55/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 16.7% across 30 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- GTN Capital Group LLC
- Parent company
- Propelled Brands Holdings, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Nerds To Go Franchise Corporation
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
- Catherine Monson
- Incorporated in
- CT
- HQ
- 2542 Highlander Way, Carrollton, Texas 75006
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $98.2M
- vs $72.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Catherine Monson
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 16
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 50% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $29K | $51K |
| Total initial investment | $94K | $130K |
Source: NerdsToGo 2025 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
- $94K – $130K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 4.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $125 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $15 |
| 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 71% below the home services norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$36K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
26%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one NerdsToGo unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
26%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 NerdsToGo units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$214K
on $1.1M purchase
Total debt
$856K
SBA $0.5M + senior + seller note
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Avg gross sales
- $357K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $318K
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 Revenue
- Sample size
- 25 outlets
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $34K→$1.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $77K→$767K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 321 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 $357K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 3.2x. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 4.5% — below the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -3.1% 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 averages
How NerdsToGo Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 31
- Opened
- 14
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 13
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 16.1%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -3.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -3.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 5
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 16 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
16
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 30
- Loan volume
- $5.0M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 16.7%
- 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)
- 83.3%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 16
- Defaults
- 5
- Typical loan rate
- 7.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 19.7%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 174
- 3.5 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 33%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 83% went to startups / new businesses, 17% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in other computer related services, franchised businesses charge off at 19.7% vs 12.7% for independents — franchising is associated with 55% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
NerdsToGo charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing NerdsToGo franchisees
Showing 3 of 16 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into NerdsToGo's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 7-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans here charge off near the 16.0% national average.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
NerdsToGo operates a shrinking 31-unit system with undisclosed profitability, recent major litigation settlement, and escalating royalty fees that create material risk of franchisee underperformance.
Litigation (Item 3)
One shareholder derivative suit (Lincolnshire Police Pension Fund v. Taylor, Delaware Court of Chancery, No. 2020-0487) involving former officers/directors John Roth and Brad Brutocao; settled September 2024 with combined $8,000,000 payment.
Largest disclosed settlement: $8,000,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
TGI Friday's Inc. filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy November 2, 2024 (Case No. 24-80069, N.D. Texas). Jennifer Rote, current General Counsel, previously served as TGI Friday's SVP/General Counsel and left the company in September 2024 prior to the filing.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDSystem contracting sharply (-8.8% YoY unit decline from 31 to 28 units) indicates weakening franchisee performance or high failure rate
- 02HIGHMajor litigation settlement ($8M in Sept 2024) involving franchisor leadership and fiduciary duty breach allegations raises governance and transparency concerns
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD despite average revenue of $356,574—lack of profitability transparency is a critical red flag
- 04MINORRoyalty structure heavily back-loaded (3.5% Year 1 vs 7% thereafter) creates cash flow pressure as franchisees scale
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 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | 5000 businesses minimum |
| 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 | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Dallas County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
One shareholder derivative suit (Lincolnshire Police Pension Fund v. Taylor, Delaware Court of Chancery, No. 2020-0487) involving former officers/directors John Roth and Brad Brutocao; settled September 2024 with combined $8,000,000 payment.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 132 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 19 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual (online) and Carrollton, TX
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor approval required; franchisor may select local broker
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- NerdNet / PSA (Professional Service Automation)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: NerdNet / PSA (Professional Service Automation)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
44 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
NerdsToGo · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a NerdsToGo franchise?
The total investment to open a NerdsToGo franchise ranges from $94K – $130K, 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 NerdsToGo franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the NerdsToGo FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $357K. The median is $318K. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the NerdsToGo 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 NerdsToGo FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is NerdsToGo's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, NerdsToGo has a charge-off rate of 16.7% across 30 loans, meaning 16.7% 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 NerdsToGo franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, NerdsToGo has 31 total units in the United States, including 31 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 14 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is NerdsToGo a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates NerdsToGo as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 55 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.