Special StrongFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SPECIAL STRONG franchise requires a total initial investment of $90K – $189K, including a $47K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $182K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $90K – $189K
- 14th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $182K
- 6th pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 21
- 55th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Health & Fitness 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
Franchised units fell from 20 to 7 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
49% cash-on-cash return. Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $90K – $189K including a $47K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $182K/year (median $179K), with an estimated 49% cash-on-cash return.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 36/100.
- System growing at 185.7% CAGR over 3 years with 21 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Strong Kingdom, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer & Founder
- Daniel Stein
- CEO experience
- 14 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 400 N Allen Dr Ste. 303, Allen, Texas 75013
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.0M
- vs $221K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Special Strong franchisees operate adaptive fitness centers offering specialized strength training and exercise programs for people with physical and mental health challenges. Day-to-day operations include delivering one-on-one or small-group personal training sessions, managing client progress, maintaining equipment, handling memberships/billing, and marketing to disability communities and healthcare referral sources.
- CEO
- Daniel Stein
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 8
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $47K | $47K | |
| Office Equipment, Software and Suppliesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Costs Related to Initial Trainingnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Initial Marketing Kitnot refundable | $4K | $5K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing & Launchnot refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Initial Marketing and Promotionsnot refundable | $10K | $13K | |
| Vehiclenot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Vehicle Wrapnot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Miscellaneous Expensesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Adaptive Equipment (Optional)not refundable | $0 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months)not refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (2 Protected Territories)not refundable | $77K | $77K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (3 Protected Territories)not refundable | $107K | $107K | |
| Initial Investment (2-3 Protected Territories)not refundable | $43K | $82K | |
| Total initial investment | $317K | $396K |
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
$54K
30.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
36%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
34 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $90K – $189K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $47K – $107K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- the greater of (i) 8% of monthly Gross Revenue, or (ii) t…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.0 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 8% of monthly Gross Revenue or monthly minimum ($625-$3,625 based on territories and time) |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $24K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $182K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $179K
- Avg net income
- $69K
- Cash-on-cash
- 49.2%
- Based on Net Income / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 7 units
- vs category median 11
- Range (low → high)
- $26K→$336K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 8 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 180 Health & Fitness brands
vs Health & Fitness averages
How Special Strong Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 21
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +122.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +185.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 18
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 9.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 25 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $280K
- Median loan
- $132K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Special Strong's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 2 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage, rapidly-scaling fitness service franchise with unverified financial claims, opaque royalty mechanics, and typical sector headwinds requiring deep franchisee validation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 36 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial performance representation disclosed — cannot independently verify claimed $181.5K avg revenue or $47.4K avg net income
- 02MINORRoyalty floor ($625-$3,625/month) may not scale proportionally with territory size — risk of margin compression for smaller territories
- 03MINORRapid unit growth (122% YoY to 21 units) suggests early-stage system maturity risk and potential franchisee saturation concerns
- 04MINORService-based fitness franchise model historically shows high failure rates due to customer acquisition costs and retention challenges
- 05HIGHLimited disclosed litigation history unusual for fitness/wellness sector — may indicate incomplete FDD transparency or recent conflicts not yet surfaced
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Population based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| 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 | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | McKinney, TX |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 21 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 26 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- FranMetrics and QuickBooks Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: FranMetrics and QuickBooks Online
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
50 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
SPECIAL STRONG · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SPECIAL STRONG franchise?
The total investment to open a SPECIAL STRONG franchise ranges from $90K – $189K, with an initial franchise fee of $47K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SPECIAL STRONG franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the SPECIAL STRONG FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $182K. The median is $179K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is SPECIAL STRONG's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for SPECIAL STRONG (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 SPECIAL STRONG franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SPECIAL STRONG has 21 total units in the United States, including 20 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 13 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is SPECIAL STRONG a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SPECIAL STRONG as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 36 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.