Skill Samurai Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Skill Samurai is a children's education franchise teaching coding, robotics, and STEM to kids. Franchisees run learning centers, managing instructors, curriculum, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Skill Samurai franchise requires a total initial investment of $75K – $308K, including a $49K franchise fee. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $75K – $308K
- 24th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 6
- 22nd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $75K – $308K including a $49K franchise fee.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Skill Samurai, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Level UP Learning Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO
- Jeff Hughes
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 2423 SW 147th Ave., #2006, Miami, FL 33185
- Auditor
- Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $38K
- vs $520K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jeff Hughes
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 5
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 71% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown29 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $49K | $49K | |
| Fixtures & Furnishingsnot refundable | $16K | $42K | |
| Equipment (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $20K | $30K | |
| Rent, Security & Utility Deposits | $2K | $10K | |
| Store Design Plannot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Insurance (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Professional Fees (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $500 | $4K | |
| Software (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $165 | $250 | |
| Training Expenses (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Permits and Other Licenses (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $200 | $2K | |
| Initial Inventory (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $5K | $16K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $20K | $100K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Fax / Phone / Internet (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $50 | $200 | |
| Office Supplies (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $150 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (Brick-and-Mortar)not refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (On-The-Go)not refundable | $49K | $49K | |
| Equipment (On-The-Go)not refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Vehicle Wrap: Design and Applicationnot refundable | $4K | $6K | |
| Insurance (On-The-Go)not refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $218K | $406K |
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
- $75K – $308K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $49K – $49K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 7% of Gross Sales or $500 per month (minimum b…
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 7% of Gross Sales or $500/month after month 6 |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Skill Samurai did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Skill Samurai unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
50%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 10.0% (near the Education average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 averages
How Skill Samurai Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 6
- 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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 20
- 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.
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
Small 6-unit STEM education franchisor with negative net worth (-$138,819) and flagged financial_distress, no Item 19 disclosure, and no revenue/net income figures provided. No litigation or bankruptcy, but the stacked financial weakness plus missing Item 19 warrants a multiple-concern band.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 43 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative net worth -$138,819
- 02MINORfinancial_distress = true
- 03MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 04MINOROnly 6 units, thin financials
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Radius (Brick-and-Mortar) or Population (On-The-Go) |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 37 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 43 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor location and on-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- QuickBooks Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks Online
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Skill Samurai · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Skill Samurai franchise?
The total investment to open a Skill Samurai franchise ranges from $75K – $308K, with an initial franchise fee of $49K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Skill Samurai franchise owners earn?
Skill Samurai does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Skill Samurai 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 Skill Samurai FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Skill Samurai's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Skill Samurai (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 Skill Samurai franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Skill Samurai has 6 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Skill Samurai a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Skill Samurai as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Skill Samurai, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Education franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Education category
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.