SkiptownFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Skiptown franchise requires a total initial investment of $905K – $1.7M, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $905K – $1.7M
- 82nd pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 61st pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 16th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 3
- 16th pct Pet Services
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Pet Services 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
Started franchising in 2025. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $905K – $1.7M including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Item 19 discloses "Historical Corporate Data" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 62/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Skiptown Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Skipper Pets, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 222 Rampart Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28203
- Auditor
- Bennett Thrasher LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2026
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
Skiptown franchisees operate a specialized fitness/training facility (likely youth athletic performance or skip-rope focused brand) providing memberships, classes, camps, and coaching services. Day-to-day operations include facility management, staff scheduling, member billing, class instruction, and equipment maintenance across a protected territorial zone.
- CEO
- Mike Rotondo
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 3
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial trainingnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Licenses, Permitting and Feesnot refundable | $4K | $11K | |
| Prepaid rent and security deposit and utilitiesnot refundable | $17K | $33K | |
| Architect, engineer and other design professionalsnot refundable | $20K | $65K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Feenot refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Leasehold improvementsnot refundable | $350K | $800K | |
| Furniture, fixtures, equipment and decornot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Grooming equipment and start-up suppliesnot refundable | $12K | $27K | |
| Kennels (75 to 100)not refundable | $175K | $230K | |
| Exterior Signsnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Interior Signage and Brandingnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Technology Set-Up Feenot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| POS Systemnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Hardware & Mobile Devicesnot refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| WebCam Systemnot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| Access Control Systemnot refundable | $100 | $10K | |
| Networking and Internetnot refundable | $4K | $25K | |
| Back Office Systemsnot refundable | $35K | $45K | |
| Other start-up expenses (uniforms, supplies, etc.)not refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $905K | $1.7M |
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
- $905K – $1.7M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $150K – $225K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenues · 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 | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $17K – $42K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "Historical Corporate Data" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so we omit it from rankings.
vs Pet Services averages
How Skiptown Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 15 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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Skiptown presents caution-level risk due to extreme early-stage maturity (3 units only), complete absence of financial performance transparency, and high capital requirements without disclosed return metrics.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Bennett Thrasher LLP⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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 62 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 3 existing units suggests extremely early-stage/unproven concept with no meaningful growth trajectory to evaluate
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (average revenue/net income disclosure) provided — impossible to assess ROI or break-even timeline against $904k-$1.6M investment
- 03MINORHigh initial investment range ($904k-$1.6M) paired with unknown unit economics creates severe financial risk visibility gap
- 04MINORMinimal franchisee base (3 units) limits ability to validate claims or obtain reliable performance data from peers
- 05MINOR6% royalty on weekly gross revenues (not net) compounds burden during startup phase when margins are tightest
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| 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 |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 50 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- SkipOS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: SkipOS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Skiptown · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Skiptown franchise?
The total investment to open a Skiptown franchise ranges from $905K – $1.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Skiptown franchise owners earn?
Skiptown 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 Skiptown's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Skiptown (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 Skiptown franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Skiptown has 3 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 3 company-owned units.
Is Skiptown a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Skiptown as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 62 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Skiptown, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Pet Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Pet Services 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.