Set The Stage Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $190K – $238K
- Disclosed sales
- $378K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 23 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Set The Stage is a home staging franchise that stages and styles homes to help them sell faster. Franchisees run local operations, managing staging inventory, consultations, and installation crews.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Set The Stage franchise requires a total initial investment of $190K – $238K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $378K. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
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
- $190K – $238K
- 92nd pct Senior Care
- Avg gross sales
- $378K
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 54th pct Senior Care
- Units
- 24
- 49th pct Senior Care
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Senior Care · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Senior Care 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 $190K – $238K including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $378K/year. Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +18 franchised outlets in the latest year (18 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Set The Stage, Inc.
- Parent company
- The Key Design, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- The Key Design, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Growth Officer
- Courtney Clark
- Incorporated in
- Utah
- 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
- CEO
- Courtney Clark
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 57% above the typical senior care franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown11 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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $190K – $238K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $9K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $99K – $129K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 64% below the senior care norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 Set The Stage 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
$226K
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 Set The Stage 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $378K
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Historical Gross Revenues of Reporting Franchisees (2024) plus historical revenue of one Franchisor-controlled/affiliate-operated location (2023-2024)
- Sample size
- 4 franchisees
- vs category median 22 · small
- 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 79 Senior Care brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average franchisee generates $378K/year in gross sales.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Senior Care median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence. Sample size of 4 franchisees — treat as directional only.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +360.0% over 3 years (18 opened, 0 closed).
Multi-unit rate
38% 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 Senior Care medians
How Set The Stage Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Senior Care 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
- 24
- Opened
- 18
- 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 96%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 37.5%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 25
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
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
44 current owners across 19 states.
- GA 7
- TX 6
- UT 4
- AZ 3
- CO 3
- PA 3
- FL 2
- MI 2
- NC 2
- OH 2
- TN 2
- ID 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.
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
- Limited · 23 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 23 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 23 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 23 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 8
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 10.6%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 33.3%
- NAICS 541410
- Jobs supported
- 76
- 1.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 61%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 100% went to startups / new businesses, 0% to established operators
Top lenders financing Set The Stage franchisees
Showing 3 of 8 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Set The Stage from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 75%
- Avg interest rate
- 10.58%
- Lender concentration
- 60.9%
- Job velocity
- 1.4 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 33.3%
- NAICS 541410
- Jobs supported
- 76
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 61% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 14 | $3.5M | N/A |
| 2 | Eastern Bank | 2 | $220K | N/A |
| 3 | The Huntington National Bank | 2 | $255K | N/A |
| 4 | The Pueblo Bank and Trust Company | 1 | $486K | N/A |
| 5 | The First National Bank of McGregor d/b/a TFNB Your Bank for | 1 | $150K | N/A |
| 6 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 1 | $214K | N/A |
| 7 | Platinum Bank | 1 | $287K | N/A |
| 8 | Bank Five Nine | 1 | $264K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAGeorgia | 4 | 0 | -- |
| COColorado | 3 | 0 | -- |
| AZArizona | 2 | 0 | -- |
| MAMassachusetts | 2 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 2 | 0 | -- |
| FLFlorida | 1 | 0 | -- |
| IDIdaho | 1 | 0 | -- |
| MIMichigan | 1 | 0 | -- |
| MOMissouri | 1 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Small home-services franchise (24 units, 23 franchised) with a razor-thin net worth of $186 and a net loss of -$63,614. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern issues; Item 19 disclosed (avg gross sales $378,349) and financials audited.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Traveller & Company LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited financial statements text found in the FDD text extraction cover fiscal years 2022 and 2021 (auditor's report dated March 30, 2023), which is inconsistent with Item 21's stated coverage of FYE 2024, 2023, 2022 — the more recent audited statements were not present in the extracted text.
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 63 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNear-zero net worth $186 and net loss -$63,614
- 02MEDOtherwise clean: no litigation, Item 19 disclosed, audited
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Salt Lake County, Utah |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Training duration
- 5 days
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Site selection
- Franchisor pre-determines size and location of Operating Territory; franchisee selects specific site subject to Franchisor approval
- 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
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. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Set The Stage?
Set The Stage is franchised by Set The Stage, Inc.. Its parent company is The Key Design, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Set The Stage 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 Set The Stage FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Set The Stage's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Set The Stage (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 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 23 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 B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.