SalesStar Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $206K – $242K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
SalesStar is a B2B franchise providing sales coaching, training, and consulting to help companies grow their sales teams. Franchisees run local practices, managing client accounts and delivering coaching programs.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SalesStar franchise requires a total initial investment of $206K – $242K, including a $125K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2025. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2025 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - a newer filing may exist
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 scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $206K – $242K
- 48th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 65th pct Education
- Units
- 7
- 23rd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $206K – $242K including a $125K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 48/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +4 franchised outlets in the latest year (4 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Sales Star Franchising USA, LLC
- Parent company
- Sales Star USA, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 16 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Sales Star Limited
- FDD Item 1, page 16 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- and Affiliates
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Founder and CEO of Sales Star Limited
- Paul O'Donohue
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 13016 Eastfield Rd Ste B200 #203, Huntersville, NC 28078
- Auditor
- Davies, Goldstein & Associates CPA’s PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $263K
- vs $92K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Paul O'Donohue
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 5
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 15% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown6 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $125K | $125K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Trainingnot refundable | $7K | $10K | |
| Office Rent | — | — | |
| First Month of Centralized Services Feenot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Computers, Software, Subscriptions, etc. | $2K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $70K | $100K | |
| Total initial investment | $206K | $242K |
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
- $206K – $242K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $70K – $100K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $125K – $125K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 5.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 15.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 15.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for SalesStar is on file. 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 SalesStar 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 4 outlets
- vs category median 16 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $187K→$1.1MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 57 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 204 Education brands
Item 19 · by group
What the filing does disclose
Item 19 of this FDD reports performance in more than one group. We publish no single average for this brand; the groups the filing does disclose are listed below, quoted from its own Item 19 table.
Each row below is quoted from the FDD's own Item 19 table. Gross sales are not profit.
Incl. company outletsItem 19 detail
individual outlet
| Segment | Sample (outlets) | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise One | 1 outlet | $1.1M |
| Franchise Two | 1 outlet | $412K |
| Franchise Three | 1 outlet | $187K |
| Franchise Four | 1 outlet | $287K |
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 15.0% — above the Education median of 9.0%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +133.3% over 3 years (4 opened, 0 closed).
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 Education medians
How SalesStar Compares
Category median of published Education 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 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 7
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +133.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 6
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 6 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
8 current owners across 6 states.
- WI 3
- CT 1
- GA 1
- IL 1
- NC 1
- OH 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.
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
SalesStar is a brand-new 2025 franchisor with barely negative net worth of -$4,145 but positive net income of $28,435 on $262,500 revenue across 7 franchised units. No litigation, bankruptcy, going concern, or distress; Item 19 is disclosed. Very limited operating history and slightly negative equity are the concerns.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Davies, Goldstein & Associates CPA’s PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
2024 total income $262,500 (Franchise Initial Fee revenue); 2023 net loss $(32,580); 2024 net income $28,435; balance-sheet line items in source document are OCR-scrambled and could not be reliably parsed beyond Total Assets 2024 = $73,233
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 48 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNew 2025 franchisor, limited history, 7 units
- 02MINORSlightly negative net worth -$4,145 (net income positive $28,435)
- 03HIGHNo litigation, bankruptcy, or going concern; Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 15.0% 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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Free range |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 5 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Delaware (AAA rules); mediation/meetings at Franchisor headquarters |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 157 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 93 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee (home office typical, no site approval required)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- SMS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: SMS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
8 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 SalesStar franchise?
The total investment to open a SalesStar franchise ranges from $206K – $242K, with an initial franchise fee of $125K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SalesStar franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the SalesStar FDD discloses outlet figures from $187K to $1.1M but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns SalesStar?
SalesStar is franchised by Sales Star Franchising USA, LLC. Its parent company is Sales Star USA, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Sales Star Limited. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the SalesStar 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 SalesStar FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is SalesStar's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for SalesStar (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 SalesStar franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SalesStar has 7 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is SalesStar a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SalesStar as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 48 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.