Set The StageFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Set The Stage franchise requires a total initial investment of $190K – $238K, including a $60K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $378K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 23 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $190K – $238K
- 88th pct Senior Care
- Avg gross sales
- $378K
- 9th pct Senior Care
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 24
- 54th pct Senior Care
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Senior Care · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Senior Care avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Only 0.0% of 23 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
Bottom line
- Total investment $190K – $238K including a $60K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $378K/year (median $244K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 14/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 23 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Set The Stage, Inc.
- Parent company
- The Key Design, LLC
- Incorporated in
- UT
- HQ
- 10446 S 1055 W, Ste 101, South Jordan, Utah 84096
- Auditor
- Traveller & Company LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $613K
- vs $2.9M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Set the Stage Salt Lake Valley
- of Set The Stage
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Set The Stage franchisees operate event production and staging services, likely managing client consultations, designing event layouts, coordinating logistics, and overseeing on-site setup and execution. Day-to-day involves managing client relationships, vendor coordination, equipment inventory, and team scheduling for corporate events, weddings, galas, and similar occasions.
- CEO
- Courtney Clark
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Starter Package | $99K | $129K | |
| Launch Support Fee | $15K | $15K | |
| Rent | $2K | $3K | |
| Infrastructure, Improvements, and Tools | $1K | $5K | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $3K | |
| Laptop Computer and Smartphone | $0 | $1K | |
| Insurance | $0 | $2K | |
| Marketing Expenses | $3K | $3K | |
| Training Attendance Expenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - initial period | $9K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $190K | $238K |
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.
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
$64K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
28%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $190K – $238K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $9K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- the greater of 6% of Gross Revenues or a minimum monthly …
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $378K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $244K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 4 units
- vs category median 22 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $120K→$907K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 70 Senior Care brands
vs Senior Care averages
How Set The Stage Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 24
- Opened
- 18
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 96%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 18
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- 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 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.
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
- 23
- Loan volume
- $5.3M
- Median loan
- $264K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 8
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Set The Stage's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 8 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 23 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Rapidly scaling franchise with opaque profitability metrics and material investment required; lacks transparency needed for confident ROI assessment.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $129,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Traveller & Company LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 14 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosed — cannot validate profitability claims or ROI timeline
- 02MINORExplosive 360% YoY unit growth (8 to 24 units) suggests either rapid success or unsustainable expansion; difficult to assess quality of growth
- 03MEDHigh initial investment ($190K-$238K) paired with undisclosed net income creates uncertainty around break-even and payback period
- 04MINORMinimum royalty structure (greater of 6% or monthly minimum) could strain cash flow for lower-performing locations
- 05MINOROnly 24 total units system-wide limits operational track record and peer support network for troubleshooting
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Population-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 250,000 people |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- STS Operations App
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: STS Operations App
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
44 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Set The Stage · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Set The Stage franchise?
The total investment to open a Set The Stage franchise ranges from $190K – $238K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Set The Stage franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Set The Stage FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $378K. The median is $244K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Set The Stage's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Set The Stage has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 23 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 Set The Stage franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Set The Stage has 24 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 18 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Set The Stage a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Set The Stage as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 14 out of 100, 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.