Starting Strength Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $237K – $713K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 12 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Starting Strength Gyms is a strength-training franchise built around coached barbell training under the Starting Strength method. Franchisees run the gyms, managing coaches, member onboarding, and training.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Starting Strength franchise requires a total initial investment of $237K – $713K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $237K – $713K
- 45th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Partial period
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 72nd pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 25
- 59th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Health & Fitness 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 $237K – $713K including a $40K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFigures represent total gross revenue accumulated from each Gym's opening date through March 15, 2025 (varying time periods open, 7 months to 5 years 11 months), not an annualized or single-year figure. Data is unaudited (prepared without an audit) and derived from 28 franchised Gyms (25 open, 3 closed in FY2024 due to bankruptcy).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 59/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +3 franchised outlets in the latest year (6 opened, 3 closed) (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 127.3% CAGR over 3 years with 25 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Strength Train LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Nicholas "Nick" Delgadillo
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Idaho
- HQ
- 2976 E. State Street, Suite 120, #2062, Eagle, Idaho 83616
- Auditor
- Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $940K
- vs $780K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Nicholas "Nick" Delgadillo
- Headquarters
- ID
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 21% above the typical health & fitness franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown20 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Real Estate/Lease (3 months + Deposit) | $6K | $49K | |
| Real Estate Consulting Fees | $300 | $11K | |
| Construction Management Fees | $4K | $20K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $70K | $250K | |
| Equipment, Finishes, Furniture, Fixtures & Supplies | $61K | $157K | |
| Signage | $25K | $50K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $3K | $9K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $6K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $1K | |
| Business License and Permits | $2K | $18K | |
| Technology Fees paid to Franchisornot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Other Technology Fees | $789 | $3K | |
| Computer System and Related Hardware | $1K | $4K | |
| Professional Fees | $6K | $13K | |
| Architectural Fees | $5K | $15K | |
| Management Development Program | $5K | $12K | |
| Marketing Agency Management Feesnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Recruiting Feesnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $1K | $45K | |
| Total initial investment | $237K | $713K |
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
- $237K – $713K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $408 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Starting Strength is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Starting Strength 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 annual revenue, 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.
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
Figures represent total gross revenue accumulated from each Gym's opening date through March 15, 2025 (varying time periods open, 7 months to 5 years 11 months), not an annualized or single-year figure. Data is unaudited (prepared without an audit) and derived from 28 franchised Gyms (25 open, 3 closed in FY2024 due to bankruptcy).
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 Health & Fitness median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports revenue for a partial period rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 127.3% CAGR over 3 years across 25 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Health & Fitness medians
How Starting Strength Compares
Category median of published Health & Fitness 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
- 25
- Opened
- 6
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +127.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +127.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Ceased ops
- 12.0%
- Units that stopped operating
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
32 current owners across 19 states.
- TX 7
- CO 3
- FL 3
- OK 3
- OH 2
- AL 1
- AZ 1
- GA 1
- ID 1
- IL 1
- IN 1
- MA 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
- 12
- Loan volume
- $3.6M
- Median loan
- $348K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 12 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 12 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 · 12 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 12 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 8.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 15.8%
- n=7,965 loans
- Jobs supported
- 62
- 1.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 18%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 82% went to startups / new businesses, 18% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in fitness and recreational sports centers, franchised businesses charge off at 15.8% vs 18.2% for independents — franchising is associated with 13% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Starting Strength franchisees
Showing 3 of 10 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 Starting Strength from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 5.4%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 75%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.93%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $181K
- Lender concentration
- 18.2%
- Job velocity
- 1.9 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 12.5%
- NAICS 713940
- Jobs supported
- 62
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 18% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 2 | $700K | 0.0% |
| 2 | SouthState Bank, National Association | 2 | $845K | N/A |
| 3 | Valley Economic Development Partners, Inc. | 1 | $250K | N/A |
| 4 | The Huntington National Bank | 1 | $348K | 0.0% |
| 5 | BancFirst | 1 | $270K | 100.0% |
| 6 | Citizens Bank | 1 | $400K | N/A |
| 7 | Midwest Regional Bank | 1 | $389K | N/A |
| 8 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 1 | $100K | 0.0% |
| 9 | Fifth Third Bank | 1 | $30K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHOhio | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FLFlorida | 2 | 0 | -- |
| ALAlabama | 1 | 0 | -- |
| AZArizona | 1 | 0 | -- |
| COColorado | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| ILIllinois | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OKOklahoma | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| PAPennsylvania | 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
Negative franchisor net worth of -$720,095 flagged as financial distress, though net income is modestly positive at $39,312 on $939,880 revenue. No litigation or bankruptcy; audited with Item 19. Rapid 127.3% net growth to 25 all-franchised units stacks negative equity with unproven rapid expansion.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- 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 59 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPositive net income $39,312
- 02MINORVery rapid net growth +127.3%
- 03MINORNo litigation/bankruptcy; all 25 units franchised
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 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 | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Ada County, Idaho |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Idaho |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- online and with Host Franchisee
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee, with Franchisor approval and third-party site selection consultant assistance
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Pike13
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Pike13
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
32 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 Starting Strength franchise?
The total investment to open a Starting Strength franchise ranges from $237K – $713K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Starting Strength franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Starting Strength FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Starting Strength?
Starting Strength is franchised by Strength Train LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Starting Strength 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 Starting Strength FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Starting Strength's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Starting Strength (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 Starting Strength franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Starting Strength has 25 total units in the United States, including 25 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Starting Strength a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Starting Strength as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 59 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
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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.