Sit Means Sit Franchise Cost & 2025 FDD Data
66/100
Second tier
66 this brand53 Pet Services medianlikely 57–75: narrower with more SBA loans (moderate confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#726 of 3,067 graded brands
Why a B: Helped by scale and legal record. Held back by transparency. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $67K – $164K
- Avg gross sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- 1 resolved of 7 loans: too few to judge
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2025 FDD
Per the 2025 FDD, a Sit Means Sit franchise requires a total initial investment of $67K – $164K, including a $10K – $60K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 6.0%. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the verdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2025 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →
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 for the headline figures: 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 scored3 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Pet Services median
Top edge: green = better than the Pet Services median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSThe FDD makes no financial performance representation in Item 19, so it discloses no revenue or earnings figures; Item 19 is voluntary, and the Financial performance section explains what that does and does not mean.
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 4 (8 opened, 4 closed).
- DATAThe FDD makes no financial performance representation in Item 19, so it discloses no revenue or earnings figures; Item 19 is voluntary, and the Financial performance section explains what that does and does not mean. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $15K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $23K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $92K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (3)
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- You waive a jury trial in disputes with the franchisor (Item 17, renewal, termination and disputes).
- The franchisor receives rebates or payments from suppliers you buy from (Item 8, required suppliers).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no net loss of franchised outlets in the latest Item 20 years, no pending lawsuit naming the franchisor, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file. Not on file here, so ask: SBA charge-off rate against the category median.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 63% below the Pet Services median ($309K).
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Sit Means Sit Franchise, Inc. (Item 1: 6295 McLeod Drive #2, Las Vegas, Nevada 89120) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fee (New Franchisee) | $59.9K | $59.9K | |
| Real Property & Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $39K | |
| Equipment and signs | $300 | $1K | |
| Sit Means Sit Vehicle(s) | $400 | $23.5K | |
| Computer Hardware and Software | $0 | $3K | |
| Initial Training Fee | $0 | $2.5K | |
| Wages, Travel, Lodging and Living Expenses During Training | $2.62K | $6.68K | |
| Opening Inventory Collars | $630 | $1.57K | |
| Pre-opening Advertising Includes brochures, business cards, Magnets | $200 | $700 | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums | $150 | $3.3K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $25 | $700 | |
| Professional Fees | $0 | $3K | |
| Demonstration Dog | $50 | $7.5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $2.4K | $11.4K | |
| Total initial investment | $67K | $164K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
RoyaltyThe filing's detailPercentage of sales; paid annually (Item 6). Minimum: Franchisees who purchased their first franchise between 7/1/2020-6/30/2023 pay flat $900/month ($800 if paid on the 1st); franchisees before 7/1/2020 pay flat $600/month ($500 if paid on the 1st) | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Technology feesFranchise Financial Database (Qvinci) monthly license fee, currently $14.95/month | See the list |
What do units actually make?
This FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation - a voluntary item - so unit sales aren't disclosed.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Sit Means Sit unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $115K Item 7 midpoint is a $92K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $15K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $23K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $115K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $92K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
Sit Means Sit makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no gross sales figures are disclosed. The return models need one gross sales figure to start from, plus the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions; nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Sit Means Sit unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Not disclosed in Item 19. Enter your own gross sales assumption
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
No Item 19 figures are on file for this brand. Enter your own costs from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $67K to $164K
Item 7's $2K to $11K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies annual revenue, ad fund rate, direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $92K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
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 · filed by Sit Means Sit Franchise, Inc.
Financial performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the verdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
vs Pet Services medians
How Sit Means Sit compares
Category median of published Pet 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.
Who are you contracting with?
Sit Means Sit Franchise, Inc.
Item 21 (audited financials) · audited statements · 2025 FDD
The franchisor's own finances
The franchisor paid out about 160% of its latest net income as dividends, and 74% of its assets are amounts owed to it by related companies. A franchisor that keeps little of its own profit has less of a cushion if the system has a bad year; ask how support and the ad fund are funded.
The figures, with their pages
- Net income
- $499Klatest year · FDD Item 21
- Dividends paid
- $800K160% of net income (our arithmetic) · FDD p.144
- Owed by related companies
- $664K74% of total assets (our arithmetic) · FDD p.142
- Total assets
- $899KFDD Item 21
- Equity
- -$55KFDD Item 21
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Sit Means Sit Franchise, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Fred Hassen
- Incorporated in
- Nevada
- HQ
- 6295 McLeod Drive #2, Las Vegas, Nevada 89120
- Auditor
- Velez Hardy CPAs and Advisors
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.3M
- latest fiscal year in the 2025 FDD; $1.2M the year before
Overview
About
Operation of a dog training business providing dog training, behavior modification, and consulting services to dog owners, using the Sit Means Sit system and standards
- CEO
- Fred Hassen
Is the system healthy?
+6 franchised outlets between the first and last year-ends Item 20 prints (157 to 163, +3.8% in total, +1.9% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units rose from 157 in 2022 to 163 in 2024
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Item 20 (outlet counts) outlets · 23 states
Where current outlets are
States with at least one current outlet in the Item 20 list the franchisor prints. Former owners are not counted, and this is not a list of where the franchisor may sell new units.
Current outlets (count on the tile) · 23 statesNo current outlet
63 current outlets in 23 states, plus 1 with no US state or territory: the 64 on the owner list, of 163 franchised at year end (Item 20).
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. The contact details are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
Government records
SBA loan data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Loans on file
- 7
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $4.1M
- Average loan
- $587K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 1 resolved of 7 loans: too few to judge
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 7 loans, rate hidden below 10
- Paid in full
- 1 resolved of 7 loans: too few to judge
- Recent-loan charge-off
- 1 resolved of 7 loans: too few to judge
- Lenders
- 5
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What are the risks?
Main risk in the grade: transparency. The reasons are below.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade B: Second tier, 66/100 (category median 53); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a B, factor by factor
- Financial health NeutralAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive; negative net worth; dividends paid equal to 160% of net income; 74% of its assets are owed to it by related companies (Item 21; shown, not scored)
- Unit economics NeutralNo Item 19 sales figure to set against the investment, so neutral
- Unit growth Neutral+6 franchised outlets between the first and last year-ends Item 20 prints (157 to 163, +3.8% in total, +1.9% a year compounded); turnover 2.5%
- Scale Helps163 franchised units; franchising since 2009
- Legal Helps2 matters naming the franchisor among the Item 3 matters we list (1.2 per 100 outlets)
- Transparency Weighs on it, weakest dimensionItem 19 declines to disclose financial performance; audited financials
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (-1 point)Rounding: the score is kept as a whole number, which moved it by 1 point.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
Franchisor sued former Texas/North Carolina franchisee (SMSHTX/SMS NC/Parvizian) for breach of contract and non-compete violations after terminating for non-payment; obtained default judgment with $46,800 liquidated damages and $74,520.07 attorney fees (2024). Also disclosed two historical state consent orders: Maryland Securities Division (2012): affiliate SMSI sold unregistered franchises via MLAs, $2,000 civil penalty; Minnesota Dept. of Commerce (2009); SMSI sold an unregistered franchise, $1,000 civil penalty.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Velez Hardy CPAs and Advisors
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Litigation case detail3 matters · Item 3
Litigation cases
The franchisor
Concluded (2)
Sit Means Sit Franchise, Inc. v. SMSHTX, LLC, SMS NC, LLC, Hamid Parvizian, and Joseph Arnette
judgmentBrought against a franchisee · filed 2023-09-20 · United States District Court for the District of Nevada · 2:23-cv-01464-CDS-DJA
“… in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Case No. 2:23-cv-01464-CDS-DJA.”Page 10 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Maryland Consent Order
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · filed 2012-09-19 · Securities Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland · 2012-0362
“… (Case No. 2012-0362). On or about September 19, 2012, the Securities Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland entered into a stipulated Consent Order with us and with our affiliate, Sit Means Sit, Inc. (“SMSI”) entered”Page 10 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Parent, affiliates, master franchisor and subfranchisor
Concluded (1)
Minnesota Consent Order
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · Sit Means Sit, Inc. (SMSI, our affiliate) · filed 2009-09-01 · Minnesota Department of Commerce · FR2900235/DPK
“… (Case No. FR2900235/DPK). On or about September 1, 2009, the Minnesota Department of Commerce and our affiliate, Sit Means Sit, Inc. (“SMSI”) entered into a stipulated Consent Order in which the state alleged that SMSI sold an”Page 11 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 1 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | A manager may run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 60 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination grounds | 18 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Las Vegas, Nevada (non-binding mediation first, then proceedings in Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 63 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 84 hrs
- Training location
- A Sit Means Sit franchisee-owned training facility designated by the franchisor
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Item 20 (outlet counts) · call current owners
Franchisee contacts
Who can you call before you sign?
64 current outlets listed
Records carry a phone number and state (state on 63 of 64). No franchisee names or cities. 64 records. From the filing's Item 20 (the outlet list); the FDD itself is the free source. Our list covers 64 of the 163 franchised outlets Item 20 counts at year end; the owner exhibit prints the rest without a usable phone number, or omits them.
For your own due-diligence calls only. Not for telemarketing, marketing lists, or automated or prerecorded calls or texts.
The list is not offered for this brand yet. The FDD's Item 20 exhibit lists the owners.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Sit Means Sit franchise?
Per the 2025 FDD, the total investment to open a Sit Means Sit franchise ranges from $67K to $164K, with an initial franchise fee of $10K – $60K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.
What do Sit Means Sit franchise owners earn?
Sit Means Sit makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no gross sales figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the verdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Sit Means Sit?
Sit Means Sit is franchised by Sit Means Sit Franchise, Inc. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Sit Means Sit 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. The Sit Means Sit FDD does not make an Item 19 financial performance representation, so this page shows no earnings figure.
What is Sit Means Sit's franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate, and Sit Means Sit has too few resolved SBA 7(a) loans on file (fewer than 10) to show an SBA charge-off rate that would mean anything. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. Review the turnover and closure figures in Item 20 of the FDD and speak with current and former franchisees.
How many Sit Means Sit franchise locations are there?
Per the 2025 FDD, Sit Means Sit has 163 franchised units and 0 company-owned (163 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 4 (8 opened, 4 closed).
Is Sit Means Sit a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Sit Means Sit a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 66 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by scale (163 franchised units) and legal record. Held back by transparency (Item 19 declines to disclose financial performance). The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Pet Services franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.